Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Strait of Magellan. What did Magellan discover? Magellan's discoveries. Magellan's Expedition

Magellan raised the admiral's flag on the hundred-ton ship Trinidad. The captains of the remaining ships were the Spaniards - the royal controller of the expedition Juan Cartagena ("San Antonio", 120 tons), Gaspar Quesada ("Concepcion", 90 tons), Luis Mendoza ("Victoria", 85 tons) and Juan Serrano ("Sant -Iago", 75 t). The crew of the entire flotilla consisted of 319 people of more than 10 nationalities, and among the 26 freelance participants was the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, thanks to whom (and also to the assistant navigator Francisco Albo) this expedition became part of the history of navigation.

The flotilla left the port of San Lucar on September 20, 1519. And already in the first weeks of the voyage, problems began caused by the ambitions of the Spanish captains. The royal controller of the Cartagena expedition demanded that the admiral coordinate with him any change in the course of the flotilla. Magellan's reaction was brief and expressive: “Your duty is to follow my flag during the day and my lantern at night.” When, a few days later, Cartagena began to “emerge” again, Magellan grabbed him by the collar and put him under arrest on the Victoria, and appointed his relative Alvara di Meschitu as captain of the San Antonio.

Having passed the Canary Islands at the end of September, on November 29 the flotilla reached the coast of Brazil, on December 13 - Guanabara Bay, and on December 26 - La Plata, the mouth of the Parana River. Thanks to the high qualifications of the expedition's navigators, clarifications were made to the values ​​of previously determined latitudes, and therefore corrections were made to the contours of the known part of the continent. Magellan, after exploring the shores of La Plata for more than a month, sent the ship “Sant Iago” up the Parana, which was designated as the desired strait on Magellan’s secret map. Over the course of two weeks of careful searching, Magellan became convinced that this was not the case.

Fearing to miss the entrance to the elusive strait and therefore not succumbing to the temptation to explore and capture the unknown lands opening up to travelers, on February 2, 1520, Magellan ordered to weigh anchor. The flotilla was supposed to move along the coast in the immediate vicinity in the light of day, and stop at dusk. During such a stop in the Bay of Bahia Blanca, a terrible thunderstorm broke out, but the seasoned sailors were plunged into mystical horror not by thunder and almost continuous lightning, but by the unprecedented spectacle of a mysterious glow on the masts of ships. Later, this phenomenon, called “St. Elmo’s Fire,” would be perceived by superstitious sailors as a bad omen.

At the end of February, Magellan discovered the large Gulf of San Matias and the Valdez Peninsula. To the south, near the mouth of the Chubut River, sailors discovered many penguins and unprecedented animals - huge seals with trunks, which made them look like elephants. That’s what they were called – southern elephant seals – and they turned out to be very useful for replenishing food supplies. It was cold - the winter of the southern hemisphere was approaching, and the sailors, determined to sail in tropical conditions, did not have winter clothing. At the end of March, when winter began to assert itself more and more insistently, Magellan decided to spend the winter in San Julian Bay and ordered a reduction in the diet for this.

Realizing that this would cause discontent among the people, and given the poorly concealed hostility of the Spanish captains, Magellan prudently anchored his Trinidad at the entrance to the bay where the other four ships were located. The Spanish officers, who all this time were quietly gloating over the admiral's disappointment, counting on his voluntary refusal of further sailing and not wanting to stay here for the winter, demanded that Magellan turn to the cape Good Hope and went to the Moluccas by the eastern route. Magellan categorically refused.

On the night of April 1, a riot broke out. The rebels liberated Cartagena, captured the Victoria, Concepción and San Antonio, arrested Mishkita and killed his assistant, loyal to Magellan. As follows from “Essays...” by I.P. and V.I. Magidovich, the rebels pointed their guns at the Trinidad and demanded that Magellan come to them for negotiations. Opposite the admiral's two ships were three rebel ones, preparing for battle. But the rebels did not trust their sailors, and on one ship they even disarmed them.

Under dire circumstances, Magellan showed calm determination. He sent his loyal alguacil (police officer) Gonzalo Gomez Espinosa with several sailors to the Victoria to invite its captain for negotiations on the admiral's ship. He refused, then Alguacil thrust a dagger into his throat, and one sailor finished him off. Magellan's brother-in-law, the Portuguese Duarto Barbosa, immediately took possession of the Victoria and was appointed her captain. Now the rebels had only two ships, and to prevent them from deserting, the prudent admiral, as mentioned above, took up a convenient position in advance at the exit of the bay. The San Antonio tried to break into the ocean, but the sailors, after a salvo from the Trinidad, tied up the officers and surrendered. The same thing happened at Concepción. Magellan dealt harshly with the rebel captains: he ordered Quesada's head to be cut off, Mendoza's corpse to be quartered, Cartagena to be landed on the deserted shore along with the conspirator-priest, but he spared the rest of the rebels.

At the beginning of May, the ship "Sant Iago" crashed on the rocks, but the crew, with the exception of one sailor, managed to escape. Magellan transferred Serrano as captain to the Concepción. The flotilla remained at the wintering site until August 24, and then left San Julian Bay and moved to the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, to remain there until the onset of spring. During the winter, the international crew had the opportunity to meet the natives. These were Indians with beautiful faces and slender figures, very tall. The sailors were especially struck by their long legs, which is why they were called Patagonians (from the Spanish “patagon” - long-legged). To some sailors (perhaps, especially to the short admiral), the Patagonians seemed like real giants - this is how the chronicler of the expedition, Pigafetta, described them. With his light hand, their entire country has since been called Patagonia.

When spring finally breathed in the air, the admiral ordered the anchors to be raised, and on October 18 the flotilla headed south along the Patagonian coast. Before going to sea, Magellan told the captains that he intended to continue searching for the strait leading to the South Sea, but in case of failure he was ready to turn the ships to the east. At the same time, he indicated the search limit for the strait - 75 degrees south latitude. But luck was close - the strait leading to the west was found on October 21, 1520 at 52 degrees. To find it, Magellan’s ships had to travel from 34 to 52 degrees south latitude and along the way discover the previously unknown Atlantic coast of South America for about 3.5 thousand kilometers.

At first it was not completely clear whether it was a strait or just a long and deep bay. To clarify this, the admiral, rounding Cape Virgenes, sent forward two ships - the San Antonio and the Concepcion, commanded by Mishquita and Serrano. During reconnaissance, the captains of both ships decided that the passage had been found, and reported this to Magellan. However, everything turned out to be not so simple. With further movement, the supposed strait was divided into several branches, and it was necessary to find the one that led to the South Sea. However, it was still far from reaching the South Sea: Magellan walked south through narrow straits for several days until he saw two channels turning to the southeast and southwest. He sent the Concepcion and San Antonio to the southeast, and to the southwest a boat with sailors, who three days later reported that they had seen the cape and the open sea. The admiral called this cape Desired...

The southeast-bound Concepción and San Antonio became separated en route, each vessel becoming deadlocked. But if the “Concepcion” turned back and went to join the “Trinidad” and “Victoria”, then on the “San Antonio”, which missed the flotilla on the way back, officer Isteván Gomiz mutinied. Captain Mishkita, who tried to pacify the riot, was wounded and shackled. Gomiž declared himself captain, and the deserters moved east to return to Spain at the end of March 1521. There, in order to justify themselves, they accused Magellan of treason. The authorities believed the slander, Mishkita was arrested, and Magellan’s family was deprived of government benefits.

The admiral, not knowing the reasons for the disappearance of the San Antonio, decided that the ship was lost. The remaining flotilla, following along northern shore the narrow Patagonian Strait, rounded the southernmost point of the South American continent, Cape Froward, and from November 23 to 28 moved northwest. The high mountains and deserted rocky shores seemed deserted, but at night the lights of fires were visible on the southern side of the strait. This gave Magellan the basis to give these shores the name “Tierra del Fuego” - “Terra del Fuego”. A little over a month after discovering the Atlantic entrance to the strait connecting two oceans, the flotilla passed Cape Desired (Pilar) at the Pacific outlet. This sea corridor, which is 550 km long, is now known as the Strait of Magellan.


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And he became the first to travel around the world. The navigator did geographical discovery: became the discoverer of new territories and straits, and also proved that the Earth is spherical.

It often happens that the place and time of birth of great people is unknown. The exact biography of Ferdinand Magellan has not reached his contemporaries, so the life of the navigator can only be judged by the guesses of scientists.

According to historians, Fernand was born at the end of the 15th century, in 1480. But scientists disagree about the date of birth: some believe that this event occurred on October 17, while others are sure that the future navigator was born on November 20. Magellan's hometown is considered to be either the village of Sabrosa, which is located in Portugal, or the city of Port, located in the same country. Little is also known about Fernand’s parents: they belonged to a poor but noble noble class. Father Ruy (Rodrigo) de Magalhães served as alcalde, and what the traveler’s mother Alda de Mosquita (Mishquita) did remains unknown.

In addition to Fernand, the family had four more children.


When the future navigator was 12 years old, he was a servant at the court of Leonora of Avis, wife of the Portuguese king Joao II the Perfect. Instead of court ceremonies and fencing, the unsociable servant was interested in the exact sciences: the page often secluded himself in a room and studied astronomy, cosmography and navigation.

The future navigator served as a court page until he was 24 years old.

Expeditions

In 1498, the Portuguese opened a sea route to India, so when Ferdinand Magellan turns 25, the future traveler leaves the royal court and volunteers to serve in the navy, and then to conquer the east under the leadership of Francisco de Almeida.

After serving in the navy for 5 years, Magellan attempts to return to his native country, but due to circumstances remains in India. For his courage and bravery, Fernand receives the rank of officer and honor among the military.


In 1512, Magellan returned to Portugal to the city of Lisbon. Despite the courage shown during the conquests of the east, the navigator is greeted without honor in his homeland.

During the suppression of the uprising in Morocco, Magellan was wounded in the leg, which made the Portuguese navigator lame for life, so the former officer was forced to resign.

Trip around the world

IN free time The traveler studied the secret archives of the King of Portugal, where Fernand found an old map of a certain Martin Bayhem. A navigator discovers a strait connecting the Atlantic Ocean with an unexplored South Sea. The map of the German geographer inspired Fernand to cruise.

During a personal reception with the ruler, Magellan asks for permission to conduct a naval expedition, but is refused due to the fact that he acted spontaneously in suppressing Moroccan unrest, which angered the fifth king of Portugal, Manuel I. The reason for the refusal was also that the king was sending ships to India around Africa, so he did not see any benefit in Magellan’s proposal.


Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the world

But Manuel makes it clear to Fernand that he will not express dissatisfaction if the traveler leaves the Portuguese service. Offended by the sharp refusal and anger of the King of Portugal, Fernand goes to the sunny country of Spain, where he buys a house and continues to work on the idea of ​​a sea voyage around the world.

In the 15th century European countries oriental seasonings and spices were valued like gold. Spices were not produced in Europe, but the Arabs sold them on the market at high price. The rich people in those days were even jokingly called bags of pepper.


Therefore, the meaning of sea expeditions was to discover the shortest route to the Indian spice islands. In Spain, Fernand turns to the “Chamber of Contracts” with the idea of ​​a sea voyage, but does not receive the department’s support. A certain Juan de Aranda privately promises to help Magellan for 20% of the profits if the sea expedition to conquer the spice islands is successful. But Fernand, with the help of his astronomer friend Rui Falera, concluded a more profitable agreement, which was officially certified by a notary for one-eighth of the profit.

According to a document drawn up by the Pope in 1493: the territories that opened up to the east belonged to Portugal, and to the west became the property of Spain. King sunny country Charles approved the sea voyage of Ferdinand Magellan on March 22, 1518. The ruler hoped to prove that the rich islands, where black pepper and nutmeg grow, lie closer to the west, and therefore pass to Spain, although at that time they were subjugated by the Portuguese crown, following the Treaty of Tordesillas.

The sailors received one twentieth share of all the wealth obtained during the expedition.

The ships were preparing for the voyage with food supplies that would be enough for two years of stay on the ship. 5 ships took part in the voyage:

  1. Trinidad (Magellan's flagship)
  2. "San Antonio"
  3. "Conception"
  4. "Victoria",
  5. "Santiago".

The great navigator commanded the Trinidad, and the Santiago was captained by João Serran. On the other three ships, the main ones were representatives of the Spanish nobility, and, despite the scale of the travel, the sailors had strikes with each other. The Spaniards were unhappy that round the world expedition, the essence of which was to reach Asia by going west, the Portuguese commanded, so they refused to obey. In addition, Fernand did not disclose the plan of action, which aroused suspicion among the commanders of other ships. The King of Spain ordered Magellan to be impeccably commanded, but the Spaniards made a secret agreement among themselves that they would remove the Portuguese captain if necessary.

Magellan's associate, astronomer Rui Faleira, was unable to take part in the expedition because he began to experience bouts of madness.


Ferdinand Magellan's voyage around the world began on September 20, 1519, 256 sailors set off from the port of San Lucaras towards Canary Islands.

The ships moved along for a long time east coast South America in search of the South Sea. Magellan's team became the discoverers of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, located in the southern part of the continent and very beautiful, judging by modern photographs. The Portuguese believed that the group of islands - component"The Unknown Southern Land". The islands seemed empty, but as the travelers sailed past, lights lit up in the night. Fernand believed that this volcanic eruptions, for which he gave the archipelago a name associated with fire. But in fact, it was the Indians who lit the fires.


The ships passed between Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (the Strait of Magellan is now called), then the travelers ended up in the Pacific Ocean.

From Fernand's trip around the world, he proved that the Earth is spherical; after 1081 days of sailing in 1522, only one ship, the Victoria, returned with 18 sailors on board, commanded by Elcano.

Personal life

Outwardly, Ferdinand Magellan did not resemble a descendant of nobles, since he resembled more of a peasant: he had an ordinary appearance, a strong physique and short stature. The traveler believed that the main thing in a person is not his external data, but his actions.


In the south of Spain, Ferdinand Magellan meets Diego Barbosa and marries his daughter, the beautiful Beatrice. The lovers have a son who dies due to illness. Fernand's wife tried to give birth to a second child, but could not stand the birth and died. Therefore, the great traveler had no descendants.

Death

Although significant food supplies had been prepared before the expedition, after several months of sailing the food and water ran out. Due to the lack of food, sailors had to chew the skin of the sails in order to at least slightly satisfy their hunger. The travelers lost 21 sailors, who died of exhaustion and scurvy.


The sailors, who had not seen land for a long time, reached the Philippine province. Magellan's team could stock up on food and continue on their way around the world, but Fernand got into a quarrel with the leader of the island of Mactan, Lapu-Lupu. The Portuguese wanted to show the natives the power of Spain and organize a military expedition against Mactan. But, to the surprise of the Europeans, they lost due to the lack of training and dexterity of the natives.

P

After Balboa discovered the South Sea, the Spaniards became very suspicious of the appearance of Portuguese ships in Caribbean waters. Spanish authorities on the island. Hispaniola (Haiti) at the end of 1512 received an order from King Ferdinand to “monitor the non-existent strait” and seize any ship. The first casualty of this order was the Portuguese captain Isteván Frois in 1512, hunting for slaves off the northern coast of South America. His caravel required repairs, and he decided to approach the shores of Hispaniola. Here he was immediately captured and thrown into prison with his entire team.

Another caravel accompanying Froish, under the command of Joao Lizboa, already familiar to us, managed to disappear and safely reach Madeira; then, apparently without fear, he entered the Spanish port of Cadiz, where he sold his cargo of brazil wood. In the port or in Madeira, as they now say, he was interviewed by a “correspondent” of a small newspaper published in Augsburg.

Lizboa told the “journalist” that somewhere in South America there was a long strait through which one could pass to the “East Indies.” A note about this discovery, published no later than 1514, reported, without mentioning the names of the ships, about a voyage “to the Plate River.” Historians of discoveries today believe that I. Froisch and J. Lizboa reached approximately 35° south. sh., entered the La Plata Bay, but were not fully explored - its length is 320 km - and therefore mistaken for a strait. We can, therefore, say that they discovered the coast of South America from 26° 15" S to 35° S for more than 1.5 thousand km. T It is difficult to say whether the Spaniards knew about the voyage of Froisch and Lizboa, but it is certain that King Ferdinand, who received news of the discovery of the South Sea in 1514, decided to send a flotilla of three ships to search for the strait.

He appointed Juan Diaz Solis as its commander, who became the main pilot of Castile in 1512 (after Amerigo Vespucci). Solis sailed no earlier than October 8, 1515, but it is not known where he touched the South American continent, and, moving along the Brazilian coast deviating to the southwest, at 35 ° S. w. reached the new "Fresh Sea".

He then rounded a minor protrusion (Montevideo) and traveled west for about 200 km, probably convinced that he had found a passage to the Eastern Ocean. But he opened the mouths of two

big rivers - Parana and Uruguay. Solis landed on shore in mid-February 1516 and was killed there by Indians. Two ships of his flotilla returned to Spain in September of the same year. Later, Magellan named the common mouth of the two rivers Rio de Solis (from the mid-16th century - La Plata). He was born around 1480 in Portugal, in 1509 and 1511. on Portuguese ships reached Malacca, and according to S. Morison, even the “Spice Islands” (Ambon Island). In 1512 - 1515 he fought in North Africa where he was wounded. Returning to his homeland, he asked the king for a promotion, but was refused. Insulted, Magellan left for Spain and entered into company with a Portuguese astronomer. Rui Faleiro, who claimed that he had found a way to accurately determine geographical longitudes. In March 1518, both appeared in Seville at the Council of the Indies An institution in charge of the affairs of the newly discovered territories. and declared that the Moluccas, the most important source of Portuguese wealth, should belong to Spain, since they are located in the western, Spanish hemisphere (according to the treaty of 1494), but it is necessary to penetrate these “Spice Islands” by the western route, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, through The Southern Sea, opened and annexed by Balboa to the Spanish possessions. And Magellan convincingly argued that between the Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea there should be a strait south of Brazil. Magellan and Faleiro first demanded the same rights and benefits that were promised to Columbus.

After a long bargaining with the royal advisers, who negotiated for themselves a substantial share of the expected income, and after concessions from the Portuguese, an agreement was concluded with them: Charles I undertook to equip five ships and supply the expedition with supplies for two years. Before sailing, Faleiro abandoned the enterprise, and Magellan, undoubtedly the soul of the whole affair, became the sole leader of the expedition. He raised the admiral's flag on the Trinidad (100 tons). The Spaniards were appointed captains of the remaining ships: “San Antonio” (120 tons) - Juan Cartagena , who also received the powers of the royal controller of the expedition; "Concepcion" (90 t) - Gaspar Quesada ;"Victoria" (85 t) - Luis Mendoza and “Santiago” (75 t) - Juan Serrano. The staff of the entire flotilla numbered 293 people, there were another 26 freelance crew members on board, among them a young Italian

On September 1519, the flotilla left the port of San Lucar at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. When crossing the ocean, Magellan developed a good signaling system; the different types of ships of his flotilla were never separated. Disagreements between him and the Spanish captains began very soon: beyond the Canary Islands, Cartagena demanded that the commander consult with him regarding any change of course. Magellan calmly and proudly replied: “Your duty is to follow my flag during the day and my lantern at night.” A few days later, Cartagena raised the issue again. Then Magellan, who, despite his small stature, was distinguished by great physical strength, grabbed him by the collar and ordered him to be kept in custody on the Victoria, and appointed his relative, a “supernumerary” sailor, as captain of the San Antonio Alvar Mishkit.

On September 26, the flotilla approached the Canary Islands, and on November 29 reached the coast of Brazil near 8° S. sh., December 13 - Guanabara Bay, and December 26 - La Plata. The expedition's navigators were the best at that time: while determining latitudes, they made adjustments to the map of the already known part of the continent. Thus, Cape Cabo Frio, by their definition, is not located at 25° south. sh., and at 23° S. w. - their error was less than 2 km from its true position. Not trusting the reports of Solis's satellites, Magellan explored both low-lying banks of La Plata for about a month; Continuing the discovery of the flat territory of Pampa, begun by Lizboa and Solis, he sent the Santiago up the Paraná, and, of course, did not find a passage to the South Sea. Further on stretched an unknown, sparsely populated land. And Magellan, fearing to miss the entrance to the elusive strait, on February 2, 1520, ordered to weigh anchor and move as close to the coast as possible only during the day, and stop in the evening. In the parking lot on February 13 in what he discovered big bay The Bahia Blanca flotilla endured a terrifying thunderstorm, during which St. Elmo's lights appeared on the ships' masts. On February 24, Magellan discovered another large bay - San Magias, rounded the Valdez Peninsula he had identified and took refuge for the night in a small harbor, which he named Puerto San Matias (Golfo Nuevo Bay on our maps, at 43° S latitude) . To the south, near the mouth of the river.

Chubut, on February 27, the flotilla came across a huge concentration of penguins and southern elephant seals. To replenish food supplies, Magellan sent a boat to the shore, but an unexpected squall threw the ships into the open sea. The sailors who remained on the shore, in order not to die from the cold, covered themselves with the bodies of killed animals. Having collected the “procurers,” Magellan moved south, pursued by storms, explored another bay, San Jorge, and spent six stormy days in a narrow bay (the estuary of the Rio Deseado River, near 48° S). On March 31, when the approach of winter became noticeable, he decided to spend the winter in San Julian Bay (at 49° S). Four ships entered the bay, and the Trinidad stood at anchor at the entrance to it. The Spanish officers wanted to force Magellan to “follow the royal instructions”: turn to the Cape of Good Hope and take the eastern route to the Moluccas. That same night a riot began. with several sailors on the Victoria - invite her captain for negotiations on the admiral's ship. He refused, then Alguacil thrust a dagger into his throat, and one sailor finished him off. Magellan's brother-in-law, the Portuguese Duarte Barbosa, immediately took possession of the Victoria and was appointed her captain. Now the rebels had only two ships, and to prevent them from deserting, the prudent admiral, as mentioned above, took up a convenient position in advance at the exit of the bay. The San Antonio tried to break into the ocean, but the sailors, after a salvo from the Trinidad, tied up the officers and surrendered. The same thing happened at Concepción. Magellan dealt harshly with the rebel captains: he ordered Quesada's head to be cut off, Mendoza's corpse to be quartered, Cartagena to be landed on the deserted shore along with the conspirator-priest, but he spared the rest of the rebels.

At the beginning of May, the admiral sent Serrano to the south on the Santiago for reconnaissance, but on May 3 the ship crashed on the rocks near the river. Santa Cruz (at 50° S) and its crew barely managed to escape (one sailor died).

Magellan transferred Serrano as captain to the Concepción. Very tall Indians approached the wintering site. They were called Patagonians (in Spanish “patagon” means big-footed), their country has since been called Patagonia. Pigafetta exaggeratedly described the Patagonians as real giants. The name of this tribe is Tehuelchi. Capes made of guanaco skins with high hoods and moccasins made them taller than they really were: the height of the Indians, according to measurements at the end of 1891, ranged from 183 to 193 cm. On August 24, the flotilla left San Julian Bay and reached the mouth of Santa Cruz, where it remained until mid-October, waiting for the onset of spring. On October 18, the flotilla moved south along the Patagonian coast, which forms in this area (between 50 and 52° S) the wide bay of Bahia Grande. Before going to sea, Magellan told the captains that he would look for a passage to the South Sea and turn east if he did not find a strait to 75 south. sh., i.e. he himself doubted the existence of the “Patagonian Strait”, but wanted to continue the enterprise until the last opportunity. A bay or strait leading to the west was found on October 21, 1520, beyond 52° S. latitude, after Magellan discovered the previously unknown Atlantic coast of South America for about 3.5 thousand km (between 34 and 52° S).

Having rounded Cape Dev (Cabo Virgenes), the admiral sent two ships forward to find out whether there was access to the open sea in the west. At night a storm arose that lasted two days. The sent ships were in danger of death, but at the most difficult moment they noticed a narrow strait, rushed forward and found themselves in a relatively wide bay; They continued along it and saw another strait, behind which a new, wider bay opened.

Young Charles I, King of Spain (later Emperor Charles V), grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella
Artist: Bernard van Orley

Then the captains of both ships - Mishkita and Serrano - decided to return and report to Magellan that, apparently, they had found a passage leading to the South Sea. “...We saw these two ships approaching us in full sail with flags fluttering in the wind. Coming closer to us... they began to fire their guns and noisily greet us.” However, it was still far from reaching the South Sea: Magellan walked south through narrow straits for several days until he saw two channels near the island. Dawson: one to the southeast, the other to the southwest.

He sent the San Antonio and Concepcion to the southeast, and a boat to the southwest. The sailors returned “three days later with the news that they had seen the cape and the open sea.” The admiral shed tears of joy and named this cape Desired. "Trinidad" and "Victoria" entered the southwest channel, stood at anchor there waiting for four days and returned back to join two other ships, but only "Concepcion" was there: in the southeast she reached a dead end - in Inutil Bay - and turned back.. The high mountains (the southern end of the Patagonian Cordillera) and bare shores seemed to be deserted, but in the south haze was visible during the day and the lights of fires at night. And Magellan called this southern land, the size of which he did not know, “Land of Fire” (Tierra del Fuego). According to another version, he called southern country“Land of Smokes” (hearths) - Tierra de los Humos (as shown on the Spanish map of 1529) But Charles I renamed it “Land of Fires” on the grounds that “there is no smoke without fire.” On our maps it is inaccurately called Tierra del Fuego. 38 days later, after Magellan had found the Atlantic entrance to the strait that actually connected the two oceans, he passed Cape Desired (now Pilar) at the Pacific outlet of the Strait of Magellan (about 550 km).

So, Magellan left the strait into the open ocean on November 28, 1520 and led the remaining three ships first north, trying to quickly leave the cold high latitudes and staying about 100 km from the rocky coast. On December 1, it passed near the Taitao Peninsula (at 47° S), and then the ships moved away from the mainland - on December 5, the maximum distance was 300 km. On December 12 - 15, Magellan again approached the coast quite close at 40° and 38°30" S, that is, he saw high mountains at no less than three points - the Patagonian Cordillera and southern part Main Cordillera. From Fr. Mocha (38 ° 30 "S) the ships turned to the northwest, and on December 21, being at 30 ° S and 80 ° W, - to the west-northwest.

It cannot, of course, be said that during his 15-day voyage north from the Strait, Magellan discovered the coast of South America over 1500 km, but he at least proved that in the latitude range from 53°15" to 38°30" S . w. the western coast of the continent has an almost meridional direction.

“...We... plunged into the vastness Pacific Sea. For three months and twenty days we were completely deprived of fresh food. We ate crackers, but they were no longer crackers, but cracker dust mixed with worms... It smelled strongly of rat urine. We drank yellow water that had been rotting for many days. We also ate cowhide covering the yards... We soaked them in sea water for four to five days, after which we placed them on hot coals for a few minutes and ate them. We often ate sawdust.

Rats were sold for half a ducat apiece, but even for that price it was impossible to get them” (Pigafetta). Almost everyone suffered from scurvy; 19 people died, including a Brazilian and a Patagonian "giant". Fortunately, the weather was good all the time: that is why Magellan called the ocean Pacific. It was probably during their passage across the Pacific Ocean in the southern hemisphere that Magellan's satellites noticed two star systems that were later named the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. “The south pole is not as stellar as the north,” writes Pigafetta, “clusters are visible here large number

small stars resembling clouds of dust. There is little distance between them and they are somewhat dim. Among them are two large, but not very bright stars, moving very slowly.” He meant the two stars of the circumpolar constellation Hydra. The Spaniards also discovered “five unusually brightly sparkling stars arranged in a cross...” - the constellation Cross, or Southern Cross. Crossing the Pacific Ocean, Magellan's flotilla covered at least 17 thousand km, most of them in the waters of Southern Polynesia and Micronesia, where countless small islands are scattered. It is amazing that during this entire time the sailors encountered only “two deserted islands, on which they found only birds and trees.” According to Albo's records, the first (San Pablo), discovered on January 24, 1521, is located at 16° 15", and the second (Tivurones, i.e. "Sharks", February 4) - at 10° 40" S. w. Magellan and Albo determined latitude very accurately for that time, but since the correct calculation of longitude in the 16th century. Needless to say, it is impossible to confidently identify these islands with any islands on our maps. It is most likely that San Pablo is one of the northeastern islands of the Tuamotu archipelago, Tivurones is one of During this segment, Magellan made the first measurement of the sea depths, which can be classified as “scientific”. He was unable to reach the bottom with the help of six connected lines of several hundred fathoms and came to the conclusion that he had discovered the deepest part of the ocean.

Historians are puzzled why Magellan crossed the equator and went beyond 10° N. w. - He knew that the Moluccas are located at the equator. But that’s where the South Sea lies, already known to the Spaniards. Perhaps Magellan wanted to make sure whether it was really part of the newly discovered ocean.

On March 6, 1521, two inhabited islands finally appeared in the west (Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Mariana group). Dozens of boats with balance beams came out to meet the strangers. They sailed using triangular “Latin” sails made from palm leaves. Guam (13°30" N) has inhabitants who are dark-skinned, well-built people, naked, Women wore loincloths, "a narrow strip of paper-thin bark."

but wearing small hats made of palm leaves, they climbed onto the ship and grabbed everything that caught their eye, as a result of which this group was called the “Robber Islands” (Ladrones).

When the islanders stole a boat tied behind the stern, an irritated Magellan went ashore with a detachment, burned dozens of huts and boats, killed seven people and returned the boat. “When one of the natives was wounded by arrows from our crossbows, which pierced him through, he swung the end of the arrow in all directions, pulled it out, looked at it with great amazement, and so died...” On March 15, 1521, having traveled about another 2 thousand km to the west, the sailors saw mountains rising from the sea - it was about. Samar is an East Asian group of islands later called the Philippines. Magellan looked in vain for a place to anchor - the rocky coast of the island did not offer a single chance. The ships moved a little south, to the island of Siargao near the southern tip of the island. Samar (at 10 ° 45 "N) and spent the night there. The length of the path traveled by Magellan from South America to the Philippines turned out to be many times greater than the distance that was shown on the maps of that time between the New World and Japan. In fact, Magellan proved that between America and tropical Asia lies a gigantic expanse of water, much wider. The discovery of the passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea and Magellan's voyage through this sea produced a real revolution in geography.

It turned out that most of the surface of the globe is occupied not by land, but by the ocean, and the existence of a single World Ocean was proven. Out of caution, Magellan moved from Siargao to the uninhabited island of Homonkhon on March 17, The waters to the west of it have become famous in our time: on October 24–26, 1944, the American naval forces defeated the Japanese fleet here; As a result, the Americans occupied all the Philippine islands except Fr. Luzon. lying south of the big island. Samar to stock up on water and give people a rest. Residents of the neighboring island delivered fruits, coconuts and palm wine to the Spaniards. They reported that “there are many islands in this region.” Magellan named the archipelago San Lazaro. The Spaniards saw gold earrings and bracelets, cotton fabrics embroidered with silk, and edged weapons decorated with gold from the local elder. A week later, the flotilla moved southwest and stopped at about. Limasawa (10°N, 125°E, south of Leyte Island). A boat approached the Trinidad. And when the Malayan Enrique, Magellan's slave, called out to the rowers on his native language

, they understood him immediately. A couple of hours later, two large boats full of people arrived with the local ruler, and Enrique freely explained himself to them. It became clear to Magellan that he was in that part of the Old World where the Malay language was widespread, that is, not far from the “Spice Islands” or among them. And Magellan, who visited about. Ambon (128° E) as part of the expedition of A. Abreu, thus completed the first circumnavigation in history., if he recognizes himself as a vassal of the Spanish king. The ruler of Cebu accepted the offer and a week later he was even baptized along with his family and several hundred subjects. Soon, according to Pigafetta, “all the inhabitants of this island and some from other islands” were baptized. On about. Cebu, he talked with several Arab merchants, who gave him information about other islands of the archipelago. As a result, for the first time, names such as Luzon, Mindanao and Sulu entered into geographical use with minor distortions.

As the patron of new Christians, Magellan intervened in the internecine war of the rulers of the island of Mactan, located opposite the city of Cebu. On the night of April 27, 1521, he went there with 60 people in boats, but because of the reefs they could not get close to the shore. Magellan, leaving crossbowmen and musketeers in the boats, waded to the island with 50 people. There, near the village, three detachments were waiting for them and attacked. The boats began firing at them, but arrows and even musket bullets at such a distance could not penetrate the wooden shields of the attackers. Magellan ordered the village to be set on fire. This enraged the Mactanians, and they began to shower the strangers with arrows and stones and throw spears at them. “... Our people, with the exception of six or eight people who remained with the captain, immediately fled... Having recognized the captain, many people attacked him... but still he continued to hold firm. Trying to pull out his sword, he only drew it halfway, as he was wounded in the arm... One [of the attackers] wounded him in the left leg... The captain fell face down, and then they pelted him... with spears and began to strike him with cutlasses, until they destroyed... our light, our joy... He kept turning back to see if we had all managed to get into the boats” (Pigafetta). In addition to Magellan, eight Spaniards and four allied islanders died. There were many wounded among the sailors. The old saying was confirmed: “God gave the Portuguese a very small country to live in, but the whole world to die.”

After the death of Magellan, D. Barbosa and X. Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla.

The newly baptized ruler of Cebu, having learned that the ships were about to leave, invited his allies to a farewell feast. 24 sailors, including Barbosa and Serrano, accepted the invitation and went ashore, but two - G. Espinosa and the Concepción pilot, Portuguese Joao Lopes Carvalho - returned, suspecting evil. Hearing screams and cries on the shore, they ordered the ships to come closer to the shore and fire their guns at the city. At this time, the Spaniards saw Serrano wounded, wearing only his shirt; he shouted to stop shooting, otherwise he would be killed and that all his comrades were killed, except for the Malay translator Enrique. He begged to be ransomed, but Corvalho forbade the boat to approach the shore. “...And he did this with the goal,” writes Pigafetta, “so that they alone would remain masters of the ships. And despite the fact that Juan Serrano, crying, begged him not to raise the sails so quickly, as they would kill him... we immediately left.” Immediately, Carvalho was declared the head of the expedition, and Espinosa was elected captain of the Victoria. There were 115 people left on the ships, many of them sick. It was difficult to manage three ships with such a crew, so the dilapidated Concepcion was burned in the strait between the islands of Cebu and Bohol.

"Victoria" and "Trinidad", leaving the strait, passed an island "where the people are black, like in Ethiopia" (the first reference to the Philippine Negritos); The Spaniards named this island Negros. In Mindanao, they first heard about the large island located to the northwest.

Pigafetta made productive use of the Victoria's month-long stay - he spent almost the entire month of July as a guest of the Sultan of Brunei and collected the first reliable information about Fr.

Kalimantan: “This island is so large that it would take three months to circumnavigate it in a prau” (Malayan ship). On September 7, the Spaniards set sail along the northwestern coast of Kalimantan During this detour, Pigafetta saw a rocky peak and dubbed it “Mount St. Peter” - this is Kinabalu (4101 m), highest point Malay Archipelago. and, having reached its northern end, stood for almost a month and a half at small island stocking up on food and firewood. They managed to capture a junk with a Malay sailor who knew the way to the Moluccas. Carvalho was soon removed “for failure to comply with royal decrees” and Espinosa was elected admiral. The former assistant navigator on the Concepción, a Basque, became the captain of the Victoria. Juan Sevastian Elcano

, otherwise - del Cano. On October 26, in the Sulawesi Sea, the ships weathered the first storm after leaving the Strait of Magellan. On November 8, a Malay sailor led the ships to the spice market on the island. Tidore, off the western coast of Halmahera, the largest of the Moluccas Islands.

Here the Spaniards bought spices cheaply - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. The Trinidad needed repairs, and it was decided that upon completion, Espinosa would go east to the Gulf of Panama, and Elcano would take the Victoria to her homeland by the western route around the Cape of Good Hope.

Having passed first in this part of the Indian Ocean, Elcano proved that the “Southern” continent does not reach 40° S. w. During the passage through the unknown sea expanses of the Indian Ocean, the ship's crew was reduced to 35 people, including four Malays. On the Cape Verde Islands, owned by Portugal, where a stop was made to replenish supplies of fresh water and food, it turned out that the sailors “lost” one day, going around the land from the west; For this “loss”, all surviving members of the Victoria crew were subjected to humiliating punishment - public repentance: from a church point of view, such “negligence” led to incorrect observance of fasts. This fact is a vivid illustration of the ignorance of the churchmen, who refused to even suggest the possibility of a natural explanation for the interesting fact of the “loss” of the day, which first appeared during circumnavigation Magellan and his companions. here, near Santiago, 12 more Spaniards and one Malay fell behind, arrested on suspicion of having reached the Moluccas by the eastern route. On September 6, 1522, the Victoria, having lost another sailor on the way, reached the mouth of the Guadalquivir, completing the first circumnavigation in history in 1081 days.

Of Magellan's five ships, only one circumnavigated Earth, and of its crew of 265 people, only 18 returned home (there were three Malays on board). 13 sailors arrested on Santngu arrived home later, released by the Portuguese at the request of Charles I. But Victoria brought so many spices that their sale more than covered the costs of the expedition, and Spain received the “right of first discovery” to the Mariana and Philippine Islands and laid claim to the Moluccas.

Magellan, with his circumnavigation of the world, proved that the greatest expanse of water stretches between America and Asia, and established the existence of a single World Ocean. Magellan put an end to the debate about the shape of our planet forever by providing practical evidence of its spherical shape. Thanks to him, scientists finally had the opportunity to establish the true size of the Earth not speculatively, but on the basis of irrefutable data.

The repair of the Trinidad took more than three months, and she sailed from Tidore under the command of Espinosa (navigator Leone Pancaldo) with a crew of 53 people and an almost 50-ton cargo of spices only on April 6, 1522. Having rounded the northern end of the island. Halmahera, Espinosa immediately headed east, towards Panama. However, contrary winds soon forced him to turn north. In early May, he discovered the Sonsorol Islands (at 5° N, in the extreme west of the Caroline chain), and between 12 and 20° N. w. - 14 other islands from the Mariana group. From one of them, most likely from Fr. Agrikhan (at 19° N), a native was taken on board. Fighting easterly winds, stormy weather and cold, Espinosa reached 43° N on June 11. w. Now we can only guess how far to the east the ship moved - probably the Spaniards were between 150 and 160° east. d. A 12-day storm, bad food and weakness forced the sailors to turn back. By this time, more than half of the team had died from hunger and scurvy. On the way back on August 22, Espinosa discovered several more northern Mariana Islands, including Maug at 20° N. sh., and returned to the Moluccas around October 20, 1522. The sailor who deserted from Maug Gonzalo Vigo later went by boat to Fr. Guam with the help of the indigenous people. Having become acquainted in this way with almost all the significant islands between Maug and Guam, he completed the discovery of the Mariana chain, which stretches more than 800 km.

Meanwhile, in mid-May 1522, a Portuguese military flotilla approached the Moluccas Antonio Brito. Carrying out the task of taking possession of the archipelago and preventing the violation of the Portuguese monopoly, he built a fort on the island. Ternate. Having received news at the end of October that a European ship was near the Moluccas, Brito sent three ships with orders to capture it, and they brought the Trinidad to Ternate, which had 22 people. Britu seized the cargo and took away the nautical instruments, charts and, no doubt, the ship's log. This explains the Portuguese’s awareness of the path of Magellan’s expedition, his death and subsequent events, and Brito received additional information by interrogating “with passion” the sailors he captured. After a four-year imprisonment, only four of the Trinidad crew survived and in 1526 returned to Spain, including Gonzalo Espinosa, also completing a circumnavigation.

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Remember how Neil Armstrong famously said when he called his first step on the lunar surface a giant leap for humanity? But long before him, such feats were performed by the Middle Ages. For example, Magellan's discoveries became a real revolution in people's understanding of their planet and made them doubt the inviolability of the dogmas of the Catholic Church. So who was the person who proved that the Earth is round, who discovered where the Strait of Magellan is on the map? What consequences did his discoveries have for the development of science? To find answers to these questions, it is worth getting acquainted with historical facts, most of which are known thanks to Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian navigator who participated in the first voyage around the world.

Ferdinand Magellan: biography

Unfortunately, today no one can say exactly where the first European to circumnavigate the South American continent was born. However, most researchers believe that this event took place on October 17, 1480 in Porto or Sabrosa. At the same time, according to historical documents, as a teenager Fernand served as a page to Queen Leonora of Aviz, so it is assumed that he was of noble origin.

When Magellan turned 25, he went to India as part of Francisco Almeida's squadron. Having served the required 5 years, Fernand tries to return to his homeland, but by chance he is forced to stay in India, where he seeks the favor of the colonial authorities and gains great authority among the military. Thus, the future great traveler ends up in Lisbon only in 1512. And he participates in the war with Morocco, during which his unauthorized actions provoke the wrath of King Manuel I. During the audience, Magellan asks the monarch for permission to go on a naval expedition, but is refused. At the same time, Manuel the First makes it clear to him that he will not mind if he begins to serve another overlord. I wonder if he knew then that Magellan’s future discoveries would glorify Spain, would he have given him similar advice?

What preceded the first trip around the world

Insulted, Magellan leaves his homeland and goes to Spain, buys a house in Seville, marries, and has a son. Having acquired useful connections, Magellan turns to the organization that finances sea expeditions - the “Chamber of Contracts”, but they refuse to allocate money for the implementation of his project to find a western route to the Spice Islands. At the same time, Juan de Aranda shows personal interest, demanding 1/8 of the possible profits, and King Charles the First of Spain gives permission to equip five ships. Now you know who you were before famous journey Magellan. What he discovered will be described further.

Magellan: expected economic benefits

Although Columbus made Spain a superpower, the main goal of this expedition, namely reaching the shores of India by the western route, was not achieved. But this promised huge economic benefits! In particular, in this way it would be proven that the famous Spice Islands, ceded to Portugal under the Treaty of Tordesillas, are located in the “Spanish” South Sea. In turn, this meant that Magellan's expected discoveries could significantly expand the possessions of Charles the First and end the Portuguese monopoly on the trade in spices, which were then worth their weight in gold.

Travel to Brazil and Patagonia

Magellan's heroic naval epic began on September 20, 1519, when 5 ships, supplied with food for 2 years in advance, left San Lucar. In total, up to 280 people took part in the expedition, 100 of whom were equipped as soldiers. In addition, the ships were equipped with 10 cannons and 50 arquebuses. The main ship, the Trinidad, and the caravel, the Santiago, were captained by Magellan himself and another Portuguese, João Serran. The remaining three ships set out under the leadership of high-born Spanish hidalgos, who agreed to stage a mutiny if they thought that Commander Fernand had lost his way.

Having overcome the Atlantic Ocean with great difficulty, on November 29, Magellan’s expedition reached the coast of Brazil and began to explore the shores of La Plata, hoping that this was the strait through which one could get to the “South Sea.” Convinced of the fallacy of this assumption, the squadron proceeded further south, along the coast of the South American continent and, meeting penguins along the way, mistook them for natives. The wandering continued until the end of March 1420, when Magellan decided to stop for the winter and cut the crew's rations. During the winter, the Spaniards met local residents who walked with hay wrapped around their feet. And they called them Patagonians (big-footed), and their country Patagonia.

Strait of Magellan

On October 21, 1520, the ships of the expedition find themselves at a narrow strait. The ships "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" are sent out for reconnaissance, and they miraculously manage to avoid death during a sudden storm. However, as they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. At the moment when the wave carried the ships to the shore, they fell into a narrow passage, studies of which showed that in it salty water, and the lot does not reach the shore. Both ships return to Magellan and report the good news that the sea route to the “South Sea” has been found, and many years later it is designated as the Strait of Magellan on the world map. Unfortunately, this discovery, neither at that historical moment nor centuries later, could bring any benefit to humanity from an economic point of view, since this route is extremely long and dangerous for shipping. However, he gave a huge impetus to the development of such sciences as cartography and geography.

Islands of Tierra del Fuego discovered by Magellan

To the south of the discovered strait, members of the expedition saw land on which lights lit up at night. Magellan mistakenly assumed that this was the northern tip of Terra Australis Incognita - the Southern Continent - and called it Tierra del Fuego. As it turned out later, it was an archipelago consisting of 40 thousand islands and islets. Thus, to the questions: “What did Ferdinand Magellan do?”, “What did he discover?” One can rightfully name Tierra del Fuego as an answer. Today everyone knows that the archipelago is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, and on the largest of its islands, Isla Grande, there is the most Southern City planets - Ushuaia.

Discovery of the Mariana Islands

Having crossed the strait in 38 days, the expedition ships entered the ocean and sailed about 17,000 km to the first desert island who met on their way. The sailors were surprised, since before this it was assumed that America was located near the coast of Asia. Then Magellan realized that he had revealed to the world the true relationship between land and ocean waters, and also gave people an idea of ​​​​the size of the Earth. They failed to land, and they continued their journey until they reached the island of Guam, which belongs to the group Mariana Islands. It turned out that the local residents had no idea about private property, and therefore tried to take away from the ships any objects that came to their hands. That is why the Spaniards named the islands Landrones, which translates as thieves' island. There the travelers stocked up on food and fresh water and continued on their way.

Discovery of the Philippine Islands

Since it was obvious that the expedition was already in the Eastern Hemisphere, Magellan, fearing meetings with the Portuguese, sought to stay away from the waters where shipping routes passed. Soon his ships reached unknown islands. It was decided to call them the Archipelago of St. Lazarus, and later they were renamed the Philippine Islands. Homonkhom was chosen for landing, so when answering the question: “What is the name of the first island, discovered by Magellan in Asia?", it should be pointed out specifically.

Death of a traveler

Today everyone knows what lands Magellan discovered. However, few know the details of his death.

So, how did the man who was the first man to circumnavigate the South American continent meet death? It all started with the fact that the leader of the island of Mactan refused to obey the ruler of the neighboring Humabon, who swore allegiance to the Spanish crown and even was baptized, along with his family and close nobles. Magellan decided to show the locals that Europeans valued and protected their vassals, and set out to pacify the rebellious Mactanians. At the same time, he did not calculate that the natives, who had managed to study the European methods of warfare, no longer treated them as celestials. In addition, Magellan's military expedition was poorly prepared, and the Spaniards did not calculate that their ships would not be able to get close enough to the shore. Almost immediately after the start of the battle, Magellan’s army suffered great damage, as the native warriors aimed their spears at the unprotected legs of the Spanish soldiers, and when they tried to get to their ships, they began to finish them off with arrows. The same fate befell Commander Fernand, who, wanting to cover his retreating comrades, remained to fight in the water with a handful of loyal warriors, but was wounded first in the face and then stabbed with spear tips. This is how one of them died greatest travelers in the history of mankind. However, he forever inscribed his name in the annals of world history, and today every schoolchild knows which strait Magellan discovered.

The further fate of the expedition sailors

The death of Magellan and eight of his companions undermined the prestige of the Spaniards in the eyes of the natives. Therefore, Humabon decides to get rid of the aliens and organizes a dinner party, during which he deals with a significant part of the commanders. Those who remain have to flee. Finally, having reached the Spice Islands, the surviving members of Magellan's expedition purchase goods and are preparing to return when they learn that the Portuguese king has declared Magellan a deserter and issued an order to detain his ships. At that moment, only two ships remain afloat, the commanders of which decide to go home in different ways. So the ship "Trinidad" is captured by the Portuguese, and its crew members end their lives in hard labor in India. The fate of those who go to Spain on the Victoria, under the command of Juan Elcanto, through the Cape of Good Hope, is completely different. At the cost of incredible efforts, they managed to get to Seville. Thus, before answering the questions: “Who is Magellan?”, “What did he discover?”, it is worth thinking about it. After all, the fact that he is called the first traveler to circumnavigate the world is not entirely true. Moreover, he never set such a goal for himself, since his only desire was to find a western route along which spices could be brought to Spain and make a profit from it.

Ferdinand Magellan: what he discovered

Such a short life, only 40 years long, but what brilliant results! These are exactly the thoughts that arise when you read a story about the journey that Magellan made. What did you open? The famous strait named after him, Tierra del Fuego, the Mariana and Philippine Islands. And most importantly, Magellan proved that you can get from Europe to Asia not only by skirting Africa, but also by moving westward.

It's strange, fantastic, right?
it was a spectacle when four ships first
in the history of mankind slowly and silently
entered the silent, gloomy strait,
where man has not penetrated since time immemorial.
A terrible silence greets them.

Stefan Zweig. "The Feat of Magellan"

On October 21, 1520, Ferdinand Magellan, during his first trip around the world, discovered the strait dividing South America and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. Magellan's ships entered the strait on All Saints' Day and first named it Estrecho de Todos los Santos - the Strait of All Saints. Seven years later, the strait received its current name, in honor of Ferdinand Magellan.

flagship caravel "Trinidad"

Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in the ocean

If you have large map world, play Magellan's Journey with your child. Spread it on the floor, take a suitable small boat or mold it from plasticine. Prepare for the game so that you can tell your child interesting details during the trip.

Magellan long asked the Portuguese king Manuel I to equip an expedition to the “spice islands”. However, the king not only did not agree to the expedition, but on the contrary dismissed Magellan from service, giving him an allowance that was barely enough to live on. Magellan thought a lot about the possibility of reaching the “spice islands,” and he became obsessed with the idea of ​​accomplishing what Columbus had once failed to do - open a western route to the East, which, as Magellan thought, would be shorter than the eastern route. The Spanish king helped him, and on September 20, 1519, together with Magellan’s flagship “Trinidad”, 4 other ships sailed towards South America from the mouth of the Guadalquivir: “San Antonio”, “Concepcion”, “Victoria”, “Santiago” with a crew in 265 people.
So, Magellan's ships sailed from Spain, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean past the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands and sailed into the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. Then they circled South America and passed through the Strait, later called the Strait of Magellan. Then the ships entered the Pacific Ocean and sailed along it for a long time, not expecting such distances and experiencing enormous hardships. On Philippine Islands during the battle with local residents Magellan was killed. The remaining ship "Victoria crossed" Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and returned across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain. There were only eighteen survivors on the ship, their journey lasted almost three years! This first circumnavigation in history proved that the Earth is a ball, that there is more water on the earth than land, and that the Pacific Ocean stretches between America and Asia.

Map of Magellan's circumnavigation of 1519-1522

How to play Magellan's Swimming with children?

a) the sailors called the Pacific Ocean the Pacific because during the entire voyage they did not encounter a single storm. What if there was a storm? Wrap yourself in a blanket and create a big storm on the couch.

b) Light small candles and place them in the territory of Tierra del Fuego. When your ship gets there, turn off the lights in the room and then you will see the same thing that Magellan's team saw: a lot of lights on the island. It was the Aborigines who burned signal fires for their comrades who went to sea.

c) Place the penguin figurine on the southernmost point of South America. This is where the Europeans
first time we saw this bird. Magellan's expedition called the penguins “goslings”: “The great number of goslings there cannot be counted. Those goslings are black and white, and have feathers of the same length and quality all over their bodies. They cannot fly and feed on fish.”

d) During the voyage, Magellan’s expedition tried a new, previously unknown fruit. This is how the chronicler of the expedition described this fruit: “They look like large round fir cones, but extremely sweet and extremely tasty.” You can tell your child this riddle, ask him to close his eyes and give him a piece of... pineapple to try. Can he guess what it is?

e) Prepare the spices for which Magellan’s expedition went around the world: pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Invite your child to determine by smell which spice is which. Discuss why spices were so valued by Europeans.

And several beautiful photos Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
Off the coast of South America, Magellan's expedition noticed tall Indians, their faces painted with red paint, dressed in animal skins. The Spanish sailors found their very large feet especially unusual. “Patagono” (“Big Paw”) - that’s what they called the Indians from the Tehuelche tribe. This is how the southern tip of South America was called Patagonia, and the inhabitants were called Patagonians.

Types of Tierra del Fuego

The fascinating journey around the world of the crew of the two-masted yacht "Duncan" began in Patagonia in search of Captain Grant. Across the Atlantic Ocean, passing through the Strait of Magellan along rocky shores and islands indented by fjords, adventurers hoped to find the shipwrecked captain in this wild land.

Mount Darwin is the highest peak in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago (2488 m).

Tierra del Fuego Island.

Magdalena Island.
This small island in the Strait of Magellan is located 35 km from Punta Arenas.
In 1982, the island was declared a national natural monument.

Penguins
The height of the Magellanic penguin reaches 70 cm, weight - about 4 kg. Breeds on Tierra del Fuego, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Juan Fernandez Island and southern coasts Patagonia and Chile.

photo from here - http://sl.photo-traveller.net/Foto/Chile/Chile2008/index10.htm

Interesting Facts about Tierra del Fuego:

Geographical names in Tierra del Fuego are a kind of historical chronicle. The strait, through which Europeans traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in history, is named after Magellan. Another strait connecting two oceans, separating South America from Antarctica and being the southern point The New World is the widest on Earth, named after the English navigator and pirate Francis Drake who first sailed through it. Finally, the third strait and the most high mountain Tierra del Fuego is associated with the great scientist Charles Darwin: the peak is named after him, and the strait is named after the Beagle ship, on which the naturalist collected materials for The Origin of Species.

Southernmost locality- a tiny Chilean village of Puerto Toro, located on the island of Navarino, part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. Now only 36 people live there - families of fishermen who hunt fish and crabs in the Beagle Channel. To the south of this village there are only scientific stations in Antarctica.


from here - http://ruslan-r-safin.livejournal.com/33528.html

Despite the harsh climate, Tierra del Fuego is home to a large number of sea lions, seals, and llamas (called guanacos here). There are many cormorants and gulls, forming noisy bird colonies on both sides of the straits.

from here - http://skitalets.livejournal.com/10702.html

For many years, Magellan remained the only captain who passed through the strait named after him and did not lose a single ship. In general, the coastal waters of Cape Horn are the largest ocean graveyard of sunken ships. Every sailor who was lucky enough to survive on the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean had the right to wear a silver earring in his left ear. Nowadays, every tourist who circumnavigates Cape Horn receives a corresponding certificate.

from here - http://1001fact.ru/2013/12/ognennaya-zemlya-interesnye-fakty/

You can also tell children that Magellan’s sailors lost one day during their voyage around the world. Italian Antonio Pigafetta, a participant and historian of Magellan’s expedition, wrote in his diary at the end of the trip, when the ships entered one of the Portuguese ports: “Wanting to know whether our diary was kept properly, I asked the Portuguese who were on board what day of the week they had. They told me it was Thursday, which surprised me very much, since according to my diaries it was Wednesday. We could not think that we had made a mistake on one day: I was surprised by this more than others, since I always kept my journal very regularly and noted, without missing, all the days of the week and the days of the month. We found out later that there was no mistake in our bill.”
How did it happen that the travelers lost a whole day? Magellan's companions circumnavigated the world. If they sailed east, then every day they would see the morning 24 hours earlier than “needed”, that is, they would run ahead a whole day. For them, Wednesday would be Thursday. They, on the contrary, sailed to the west, saw the sun later and later, and at the end of the journey “lost a day.”

 

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