The First Voyage Around

the World

Antonio Pigafetta

(
Fernando Magallanes
•born to a noble family sometime
in 1480.
•enlisted himself in the service of
the Portuguese navy and
participated in several expeditions
in Asia in 1505 at the age of 25 in
order to locate the spice island
• was wounded in 1506.
Fernando Magallanes
•In 1509, he sailed to Malacca
with his friend and cousin
Francisco Serrăo (Serrano) but
was conspired against by the
natives
• took refuge in an island in
between Paragua (Palawan) and
Zulu (Sulu) now known as Turtle
Islands.
Fernando Magallanes
•Francisco, on the other hand,
prior to his voyage in Molucas,
landed in Mindanao, thus the
Portuguese were the first
Europeans to have reached the
islands prior to 1521.
•In 1511Magellan participated in
the battle and later conquest of
Malacca.
Fernando Magallanes
•He stayed in Molucas. From this
time, Magellan was promoted
captain and took a baptized Malay
by the name of Enrique (Henrich)
de Malaca.
•In 1512 Magellan and Francisco
parted ways. Francisco went on to
participate in the conquest of
Molucas which was claimed as a
colony under the name of the King
of Portugal.
Fernando Magallanes
•Magellan and Enrique, on the
other hand, went back to Lisbon
the capital of Portugal.
•He took a leave and participated
in several battles with the Moors
where he was accused of aiding
the Muslims.
Fernando Magallanes
•He was reinstated in 1514 with a
new sailing employment in 1515
but he rejected the offer.
•In 1517, he had an audience with
King Manuel I to propose his plan
to reach Molucas which was their
colony, not by sailing eastward
which was within their territory
beyond the Tordesillas line.
Fernando Magallanes
•King Manuel denied the approval
of Magellan’s plan in 1517.
•He renounced his Portuguese
citizenship and went to Seville,
Spain where he renewed ties with
a family friend , a Portuguese by
birth Diogo Barbosa (Diego
Barboza).
Fernando Magallanes
•He became a friend a sailing
companion to his son Duarte and
married his daughter to his
second wife, Maria Caldera Beatriz
Barbosa. They eventually had two
sons Rodrigo and Carlos who died
in infancy.
Fernando Magallanes
•A year after his stay in Seville,
1518, he contacted Juan de
Aranda, agent (in some
translation, chief) of Casa de
Contratacion.
•With the arrival of his partner Rui
Faleiro, and with the help of de
Aranda, Magellan was able to
present his plan to King Charles I
which readily approved of his
plan.
Fernando Magallanes
•Through the help of Archbishop
Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, some
investments from a merchant-
businessman, Christopher de Haro
who provided a barter of the rest
of the funds.
 Table 4.1 Summary of Magellan’s Expedition Cost
Items Cost in
Maravedis
Five ships, with rigging, artillery, and arms, cost 3,912,241
Five ships, of 445 tons, five more or less, which makes each ton come
to a cost of 8,791½ maravedis.
Various necessaries 415,060
Provisions, biscuit, wine, oil, fish, meat, cheese, vegetables, and
1,585,551
barrels
Four months pay for 237 persons 1,154,504
Merchandise 1,679,769
Total 8,751,125
Source: (Cost of Magellan’s Fleet, From Navarette, Document No. XVII, Pigafetta 1923)
 Table 4.2 Ships of Magellan’s Fleet

Vessel Tonnage Crew Captains

Trinidad 110 55 Ferdinand Magellan

(Flagship)
San Antonio 120 60 Juan de Cartagena

Concepcion 90 45 Gaspar de Quesada

Santiago 75 32 Joăo Serrăo

Victoria 85 43 Luis Mendoza

Source: “Ferdinand Magellan” (2017)
Antonio Pigafetta
•By 1518 to 1519, Seville had
been buzzing with the news of
the expedition and this attracted
different nationalities from
France, Germany, Greece up to
Galicia a province of Turkey to
sign in for crew recruitment.
Antonio Pigafetta
•By this time a Venetian, came to
Madrid. Born in 1491 and
probably about 24 years old,
Antonio Pigafetta, came to
Madrid to accompany the papal
nuncio (ambassador) Fr.
Francesco Chieregati to Spain in
order to have with King Charles.
Antonio Pigafetta
•Pigafetta was born to a noble
family in the province of Vicenza,
Venice and a member of the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem , a
group of knights stationed in the
Island of Rhodes in the
Mediterranean, who were
fighting the Muslim Turks.
Antonio Pigafetta
•He heard of the expedition and
decided to stay in Spain to sign up
with Magellan for the voyage. He
was recruited with a salary of
1,000 maravedis as a
supernumerary, a member of the
crew with no specific job.
•August 10, 1519, the five ships
descended on the river to San
Lucar de Barrameda
•They were moored for about a
month waiting for the right
wind of the summer to blow
them west.
•On September 20, 1519, the
church bells of San Lucar rang
wildly as a send off to the five
ships.
To analyze the documents let’s answer
the following questions:
• Define the type of Document: travelogue
OBSERVE ITS PARTS
1.Who wrote it?
• Antonio Pigafetta, a chronicler commissioned by
the King of Spain to document Magellan’s voyage.
He was of noble descent an a scholar of
cartography and geography.
2.Who read/received it? The King of Spain
3.When is it from? 1525
4.Where is it from? Italy
 Try to make sense of it.
What is it talking about? What are the main
points expressed?
• Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines.
• his encounter with the local leaders,
• his death in the hands of Lapulapu’s forces in
the Battle of Mactan,
• and the departure of Magellan’s fleet from the
islands.
• Write one sentence summarizing this
document.
– It documents a firsthand observation of
pre-colonial period of the Philippines.

• Why did the author write it?

– To give the King of Spain a complete
picture of what are the natural and
mineral resources (gold) which could be
beneficial in its aim to expand its empire
and wealth.
• Quote evidence from the document that tells you
this.
Description of leaders wearing gold accessories. He
(The king) was adorned with silk and gold accessories like
a golden dagger.
• What was happening at the time in history this
document was created?
 16th century – Age of Exploration
In Europe, it was the height of the Holy Roman
Empire.
Mercantilist economic system – which measures the
wealth of a kingdom based on the accumulation of
precious metals.
 Use it as historical evidence.

• What did you find out from this document that you might
not learn anywhere else?
– During pre-colonial period, women were also allowed to
become Datu.
• What other documents or historical evidence are you
going to use to help you understand this event or topic?
Filipino historians interpretation of Pigafetta’s
travelogue. Teodoro Agonicillos book entitled the “History of
the Filipino people.”