Fernando Magellan

Fernando Magellan was a famous navigator who lived between 1480 and 1521. He was a
poor Portuguese nobleman who participated in the conquest of East India and the Malacca
Peninsula between 1505 and 1511. Later, he joined the Portuguese expeditions to North
Africa, where he was wounded. After returning to his homeland, he proposed an expedition
to reach the Moluccas Islands from the west, but his project was rejected.

Feeling insulted, Magellan left his country and went to Spain. He teamed up with Portuguese
astronomer Ruy Faleiro and presented their case to the Council for the Indies in Seville,
arguing that the Spice Islands should belong to Spain because they were in the western
hemisphere, which was Spanish territory.

Magellan convinced the council that there must be a strait between the Atlantic Ocean and
the South Sea. After much negotiation, they reached an agreement, and King Charles I
pledged to equip five ships for the expedition and provide supplies for two years.

Before departing, Faleiro withdrew from the journey, leaving Magellan as the sole leader. He
raised the admiral's flag on the Trinidad (110 tons) and appointed Spanish captains for the
other four ships. The entire crew numbered 239, including 26 unsalaried men, one of whom
was Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian gunner who became the historian of the first
circumnavigation of the world.

On September 20, 1519, the fleet left the Guadalquivir River and headed southwest through
the Canary Islands towards the coast of Brazil. During the ocean crossing, Magellan devised
an effective signaling system, and the ships in his fleet, although of different types, never lost
sight of each other. However, disagreements between Magellan and the Spanish captains
began soon after leaving the Canary Islands. Cartagena demanded that Magellan consult
him on any changes to the itinerary, but the Portuguese replied calmly and proudly: "Your
duty is to follow my flag during the day, and the lantern of my stern at night."

In late November, the fleet reached the easternmost tip of South America, and by
mid-January, it was in the vicinity of the La Plata estuary. The crew discovered Patagonia,
and after wintering, they faced a mutiny, which Magellan put down with the help of loyal crew
members. On October 21, 1520, they entered the strait that now bears Magellan's name,
and on November 28, they reached the Pacific Ocean. After months of navigation, they
landed on Guam and then the Philippines, where Magellan was killed in a battle with the
natives. Only one ship, the Victoria, and 18 crew members returned to Spain on September
6, 1522, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.