Magellan's ships enter the Pacific Ocean
On September 6, 1522, a ship entered the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, whose appearance indicated a long and difficult journey. This ship was called "Victoria". Those of the local residents who had a good memory, not without some difficulty, identified in the arrived wanderer one of the five ships of the expedition that sailed from this harbor nearly three years ago. I remembered that it was commanded by a stubborn Portuguese, whose appointment to this position caused a lot of rumors. I think his name was Fernand Magellan. However, the inhabitants of Sanlúcar de Barrameda did not see either the leader of the expedition or his many companions. Instead, they saw the battered Victoria and on board a handful of exhausted people who looked like the living dead.
The captain of the "Victoria" Juan Sebastian Elcano sent a message to the royal residence of Valladolid about the return to Spain of one of the five ships of the "blessed memory of Fernand Magellan". Two days later, the "Victoria" was towed to Seville, where the surviving 18 crew members, barefoot with candles in their hands, went to church to thank God for their, albeit not entirely safe, return. Juan Elcano was summoned to Valladolid, where he was received by the King of Spain and concurrently Holy Roman Emperor Charles. The monarch awarded the captain with the coat of arms with the image of the land and the inscription "You drove around me first." Elcano was also awarded an annual pension in the amount of 500 ducats, with the payment of which there were some difficulties - the state treasury was empty. However, the organizers of the expedition did not go to waste, despite the fact that only one ship out of five returned home. Victoria's holds were filled with rare and expensive overseas goods, the proceeds of which more than covered all the expenses of the expedition. Thus ended the first trip around the world.
Gold, spices and distant islands
European colonial expansion, which began in the 15th century, continued to gain momentum in the 16th. At the forefront of the race for fabulously expensive colonial goods in the then Old World were the powers of the Iberian Peninsula - Spain and Portugal. It was Lisbon who was the first to reach legendary India and begin to receive the much-desired profits from this. Later, the Portuguese made their way to the Moluccas, known in Europe as the Spice Islands.
At first glance, the successes of their neighbors on the peninsula also looked impressive. Having destroyed the last Muslim state in the Pyrenees, the Emirate of Granada, the Spaniards found themselves with untied hands and an empty treasury. The easiest way to solve the budget problem was to find a way to penetrate the rich eastern countries, which were talked about at that time in every self-respecting court. Around the then royal couple, Their Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella, a temperamental and very persistent Genoese has long been spinning. Some of his stubbornness irritated, others a condescending smile. However, Cristobal Colon (that was the name of this energetic man) found serious patrons, and the queen began to listen to his speeches. As a result, three caravels set off across the ocean, the voyage of which opened a new page in European history.
Colon, who returned in triumph, or, as he was called in Spain, Christopher Columbus talked a lot about the lands he discovered. However, the amount of gold with which he accompanied his narratives was very limited. However, the credit of confidence received by the discoverer, as it was then believed, India, was very high, and three more expeditions went overseas, one after another. The number of islands and lands discovered by Columbus overseas increased, and the joy in Spain from these discoveries decreased. The amount of jewelry and other expensive goods brought to Europe was not large, the local population was not at all eager to either uncomplainingly work for the white newcomers, or to move into the bosom of the true church. The colorful tropical islands did not evoke lyrical moods among the proud and poor hidalgo, who were only interested in gold, who were hardened in the merciless Mauritanian wars.
It soon became clear that the lands discovered by Columbus were neither China nor the Indies, but a completely new continent. In addition, Vasco da Gama's successfully completed voyage showed the last stubborn skeptics what real India is and how it can be reached. The neighbors of the Spaniards on the peninsula were counting the growing profits and with a fair amount of irony watched how the Spaniards were looking for wealth on the picturesque, but from the point of view of little use islands. The Spanish treasury, like any other, needed replenishment. The victors of the Moors had far-reaching plans. Turkish expansion in the eastern Mediterranean was gaining momentum, a conflict with France over the Apennine Peninsula was brewing, and there were other things in the ever-seething Europe. All this required money - and a lot.
And now in high circles again, as almost 30 years before that, an energetic man appeared, claiming that he had a plan on how to get to the Spice Islands. And, like Christopher Columbus, he was also a foreigner. Moreover, the piquancy of the situation was added by the fact that until recently this generator of strategic ideas was in the service of competitors, that is, it was Portuguese. His name was Fernand Magellan.
Portuguese
Magellan was neither a search engine nor an adventurer. By the time he began promoting his project in 1518, he was already an experienced navigator and a man versed in military affairs. He also possessed extensive knowledge and skills that gave weight to his words. Magellan was born in 1480 in Portugal, where his surname sounded like Magallanche, in an old aristocratic family with Norman roots. The boy, who had lost his parents early, was identified by his relatives as a page to Queen Leonore, wife of King João II the Perfect. His court service continued with the new monarch Manuel I. Magellan was noticed for his outstanding personal qualities, firmness of character and good education.
The king allowed the young man to travel East with Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. Arriving in legendary India, Magellan found himself in the midst of political, military and economic events. For a long time being the actual masters of the local waters, the Arab navigators were not at all delighted with the emerging dangerous and decisive competitors. The future great navigator takes part in numerous combat battles with the Arabs. In one of these battles, he was wounded in the leg, which subsequently gave his gait a slight limp. In 1511, under the leadership of the already new governor Afonso de Albuquerque, Magellan was directly involved in the siege and capture of Malacca, which became one of the strongholds of Portuguese expansion in the East.
Seeing that the local islands are rich in spices fabulously expensive in Europe, the navigator gradually comes to the idea of looking for a different path to the regions of the Indian Ocean teeming with various riches. It was then that Magellan began to develop the concept of a path to the East straight across the Atlantic, since the path around Africa seemed longer and more dangerous. For this purpose, it was only necessary to find a strait, located somewhere, in the opinion of the Portuguese, among the lands discovered by Columbus and his followers. So far, no one has been able to find him, but Magellan was sure that he would be lucky.
The only thing left was to persuade the king. But with this just and there were difficulties. Returning from the Portuguese possessions in the East, Magellan in 1514 went to fight in Morocco. Due to a service incident, the Portuguese had a chance to present his project to the king. However, neither Manuel I nor his entourage were interested in Magellan's ideas - the path to the Spice Islands around the Cape of Good Hope was considered, though dangerous, but proven, and the question of the existence of the mysterious strait between the Atlantic and the South Sea, recently discovered by de Balboa, was considered not so important. The relationship between the Portuguese king and Magellan has long left much to be desired: twice he was denied petitions for the Highest name - the last time it was about the "fodder" money that Magellan was entitled to as a courtier.
Considering himself insulted, the Portuguese decided to try his luck in neighboring Spain. After asking King Manuel to relieve him of his duties, Magellan moved to Seville in the fall of 1517. The famous Portuguese astronomer Rui Faleiro arrived in Spain with him. In the meantime, the young Charles I, who was the grandson of the famous Ferdinand, came to the Spanish throne. In the male line, the young monarch was the grandson of Maximilian I of Habsburg. Charles soon becomes Holy Roman Emperor under the name Charles V. He was ambitious and full of various political projects, so Magellan's initiative could come in handy.
Magellan, who arrived in Seville, immediately began to act. Together with Faleiro, they appeared at the Council of the Indies located right there, an institution dealing with newly discovered territories and colonies, and declared that, according to his accurate calculations, Moluccas, the main source of spices for Portugal, are, contrary to what was signed between the two monarchies, through the mediation of the Pope. agreement in Tordesillas, in the territory assigned to Spain. So the "oversight" that has arisen should be corrected.
Later, fortunately for the Portuguese, it turned out that Faleiro was wrong. In the meantime, local authorities on colonial and trade affairs listened to the fiery speeches of the Portuguese emigrant with skepticism, advising him to look for listeners in other places. And yet, one of the leaders of this serious organization, named Juan de Aranda, decided to personally talk with the Portuguese, and after some deliberation, he found his arguments not meaningless, especially considering the future modest 20% of the profits.
The following months resembled a slow and purposeful climb up the long staircase of the state apparatus, with successive penetration into higher and higher apartments. In early 1518, Aranda arranged an audience for Magellan with the Emperor Charles in Valladolid. The arguments of the Portuguese and his actual companion Faleiro were convincing, especially since he argued that the Moluccas, according to his calculations, were only a few hundred miles from Spanish Panama. Charles was inspired and on March 8, 1518 signed a decree on preparation for the expedition.
Magellan and Faleiro were appointed its leaders with the rank of captain-general. They were supposed to be provided with 5 ships with crews - about 250 people. In addition, the Portuguese were promised a profit from the enterprise in the amount of one fifth. Preparations began shortly after the signing of the decree, but continued for a very long time. There were several reasons. First of all, it was unstable funding. Secondly, many were not delighted with the fact that the leaders of such a large-scale project were appointed by the Portuguese, with whose homeland Spain had a very difficult relationship. Thirdly, feeling themselves in the role of specialists, whose opinion was ignored, the lords from the Council of the Indies began to sabotage the preparations for the expedition.
We must not forget about the army of suppliers and contractors that rolled up their sleeves, who improved their own well-being to the best of their ability by supplying not quite high-quality provisions, equipment and materials. All the ships preparing to sail turned out to be by no means new by an "unfortunate accident". The Portuguese authorities also sabotaged the event as best they could. At the court of King Manuel I, the question of the murder of Magellan was even seriously discussed, but this venture was prudently abandoned. The navigator's companion astronomer Faleiro, sensing what winds were beginning to blow into the still unstretched sails of the caravel, considered it good to play madness and stay on the shore. In place of Magellan's deputy, Juan de Cartagena was appointed, with whom there will still be a lot of trouble, including a rebellion.
Despite all the obstacles, preparations continued. Fernand Magellan was the soul of the whole enterprise. He chose the 100-ton Trinidad as his flagship. In addition to him, the squadron included the 120-ton "San Antonio" (Captain Juan de Cartagena, also the royal controller of the expedition), the 90-ton "Concepcion" (Captain Gaspar Quesada), the 85-ton "Victoria" (Luis Mendoza) and the smallest, 75-ton "Santiago" (commanded by Juan Serano). The manning of the crew was 293 people, including 26 people who were taken on board in excess of the staff. One of them, the Italian nobleman Antonio Pigafetta, will later compose a detailed description of the odyssey.
The exact number of swimmers is still controversial. Some of the sailors were Portuguese - a necessary measure, since their Spanish colleagues were in no hurry to enroll in the crews. There were representatives of other nationalities as well. The ships were loaded with provisions at the rate of two years of sailing and a certain amount of goods for trade with the natives. In addition, in case of bad relations with the local population, there were 70 ship cannons, 50 arquebus, crossbows and about a hundred sets of armor.
On August 10, 1519, the squadron rolled away from the berths of Seville and descended along the Guadalquivir River to the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Here, in anticipation of favorable winds, five caravels stood for almost a month. Magellan had something to do - already at the first stage of the campaign, part of the food was spoiled, and it had to be hastily replaced. Finally, on Tuesday September 20, 1519, the squadron left the coast of Spain and headed southwest. None of the pioneers on board had any idea how long their journey would be.
Atlantic and the conspiracy
Six days after sailing, the flotilla arrived in Tenerife in the Canary Islands and stood there for almost a week, replenishing water and provisions. Then Magellan received two unpleasant news. The first of them, brought by a caravel that came from Spain, was sent to the captain-general by his friends, who reported that the captains of Cartagena, Mendoza and Quesada had conspired to remove Magellan from command of the expedition due to the fact that he was a Portuguese, and with resistance kill him. The second piece of news came from a salted cod supplier: the king of Portugal sent two squadrons to the Atlantic to intercept Magellan's ships.
The first news caused the need to strengthen surveillance of the unreliable Spaniards, the second forced to change the route and go across the ocean slightly south of the planned route, which lengthened the already not small route. Magellan laid a new course along the coast of Africa. Subsequently, it turned out that the news of the Portuguese squadrons turned out to be false. The flotilla moved south, not west, as planned, causing bewilderment among the Spanish captains, already irritated by the very fact of his command. Towards the end of October - beginning of November, discontent reached its climax.
The first to lose his nerve was Juan de Cartagena, captain of the San Antonio. By order of Magellan, the ships of his flotilla were to approach the flagship Trinidad every day and report on the situation. During this procedure, Cartagena called his superior not "captain-general", as it should be, but simply "captain". The captain of "San Antonio" did not react to the comment about the need to follow the charter. The situation became tense. A few days later, Magellan assembled his captains aboard the flagship. Cartagena began shouting and demanding an explanation from the leader of the expedition why the flotilla was on the wrong course. In response, Magellan, well aware of the mood among some of his subordinates, grabbed the captain of the San Antonio by the collar and declared him a rebel, ordering him to be arrested. Instead, a relative of Magellan, Portuguese Alvar Mishkita, was appointed captain. However, Cartagena was sent under arrest not to the flagship, but to the Concepcion, where the conditions of detention were rather mild.
Soon the flotilla left the calm strip and moved to the shores of South America. On November 29, 1519, the Spanish ships finally spotted the much-coveted land. In an effort to avoid meeting the Portuguese, Magellan led his ships along the coast to the south and on December 13 dropped anchor in the bay of Rio de Janeiro. After resting the weary crews and celebrating Christmas, the expedition moved further south, seeking to find the coveted strait in the South Sea.
Mutiny
In January of the new 1520, Magellan's ships reached the mouth of the huge river La Plata, discovered in 1516 by Juan de Solis. The Portuguese assumed that the desired strait may be located somewhere in local waters. The smallest and fastest ship of the expedition, the Santiago, was sent for reconnaissance. Returning, Captain Juan Cerano reported that no strait could be found.
Not losing confidence, Magellan moved further south. The climate gradually became more temperate - instead of the tropics originally encountered on the South American coast, an increasingly deserted area was now observed from ships. Occasionally, the Indians with a rather primitive way of life did not know iron and, apparently, saw white people for the first time. Fearing to miss the strait, the flotilla moved along the coast, and anchored at night. On February 13, 1520, in the Bay of Bahia Blanca, the ships were caught in an unprecedented thunderstorm, and the lights of St. Elmo were seen on the masts. Moving further south, the Europeans encountered large herds of penguins, which they mistook for tailless ducks.
The weather deteriorated, becoming more and more stormy, the temperature dropped, and on March 31, reaching a quiet bay called San Julian (49 ° south latitude), Magellan decided to stay in it and winter. Not forgetting that the mood in his flotilla was far from calm, the captain-general placed his ships as follows: four of them were in the bay, and the flagship Trinidad anchored at its entrance - just in case. There were good reasons for this - the search for a passage did not give results, there was uncertainty ahead, and Magellan's ill-wishers began to spread the opinion about the need to return to Spain.
On April 1, Palm Sunday, a festive dinner was given on board the flagship Trinidad, to which the captains of the ships were invited. The captains of the Victoria and Concepcion did not show up. On the night of April 2, a mutiny began in the flotilla. Juan de Cartagena, who was in custody, was released. Victoria and Concepcion were captured without much difficulty. Captain Alvaru Mishkita, appointed by Magellan, was arrested on the San Antonio. Only the little Santiago remained loyal to the commander of the expedition.
The balance of forces, at first glance, was very unfavorable for the captain-general and his supporters. His two ships were opposed by three rebel ships. However, Magellan not only was not taken aback, but also showed determination. Soon a boat arrived at the Trinidad with a letter for the leader of the expedition. Rebel captains put up a whole mountain of accusations against Magellan, who, in their opinion, brought the expedition to the brink of death. They were ready to submit to him again only as the first captain of equals, and not as a "captain-general", and then only if the flotilla immediately returned to Spain.
Magellan took action immediately. Alguazil Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, devoted to Magellan, was sent to Victoria with a letter to her captain Mendoza. When he reached the Victoria, he handed Mendoza a letter and Magellan's request to come to Trinidad for negotiations. When the rebel refused and crumpled up the message, Espinosa stabbed him to death with a dagger. The people accompanying the officer took possession of the Victoria, which soon anchored near the flagship and Santiago. The situation for those wishing to return to Spain by all means has deteriorated sharply.
At night, "San Antonio" tried to break into the sea, but it was expected. A volley of cannons was fired at the ship, and its deck was showered with crossbow arrows. Frightened sailors rushed to disarm the enraged Gaspar Quesada and surrendered. Juan de Cartagena, who is at the Concepción, decided not to play with fire and stopped resistance. Soon a trial took place, which declared the leaders of the rebellion and their active accomplices (about 40 people) traitors and sentenced them to death. However, Magellan immediately pardoned them and replaced the execution with hard labor throughout the winter. Gaspar Quesada, who mortally wounded one of Magellan's loyal officers, was beheaded and quartered. The former rebels were engaged in socially useful labor in the form of chopping wood and pumping water from the holds. The pardoned Cartagena did not calm down and began to conduct counter-expeditionary agitation again. Magellan's patience this time turned out to be exhausted, and the royal controller was left on the coast of the bay, along with the priest who actively helped him in propaganda. Nothing is known about their fate.
Strait and Pacific Ocean
The mutiny was left behind, and the anchorage in San Julian Bay continued. In early May, Magellan sent the Santiago south for reconnaissance, but in stormy weather it crashed on a cliff near the Santa Cruz River, killing one sailor. With great difficulty, the crew returned to the parking lot. Juan Serano, who lost his ship, was put in captain on the Concepcion. On August 24, 1520, Magellan left San Julian Bay and arrived at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. There, in anticipation of good weather, the ships stood until mid-October. On October 18, the flotilla left the parking lot and moved south. Before leaving, Magellan informed his captains that he would look for a passage to the South Sea up to 75 ° south latitude, and in case of failure, he would turn east and move to the Moluccas around the Cape of Good Hope.
On October 21, a narrow passageway leading inland was finally discovered. The "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" sent on reconnaissance were caught in a storm, but were able to take refuge in a bay, from which in turn led a new strait - further to the west. The scouts returned with news of a possible passage. Soon the flotilla, having entered the open strait, found itself in a web of rocks and narrow passages. A few days later, off Dawson Island, Magellan noticed two channels: one went in the southeast direction, the other in the southwest. In the first were sent "Concepcion" and "San Antonio", in the second - a boat.
The boat returned three days later with the good news: large open water was seen. The Trinidad and Victoria entered the southwest channel and anchored for four days. Moving to the former parking lot, they found only the Concepcion. The San Antonio is gone. The search, which lasted several days, yielded no results. Only later, the surviving members of the expedition, who returned to their homeland on "Victoria", learned about the fate of this ship. A rebellion led by officers broke out on board. Captain Mishkita, devoted to Magellan, was shackled, and the San Antonio turned on its way back. In March 1521 he returned to Spain, where the rebels declared Magellan a traitor. At first, they believed them: the wife of the captain-general was deprived of financial support, and supervision was established over her. All this Magellan did not know - on November 28, 1520, his ships finally left for the Pacific Ocean.
Islands, natives and the death of Magellan
Juan Sebastian Elcano
The long voyage in the Pacific Ocean began. In an effort to quickly withdraw the ships from the cold latitudes, Magellan led them first strictly to the north, and after 15 days turned to the north-west. Overcoming such a vast water area lasted almost four months. The weather was good, which gave reason to call this ocean the Pacific. During the voyage, the crews experienced incredible difficulties associated with an acute shortage of provisions. Part of it deteriorated and became unusable. Scurvy raged, from which 19 people died. Ironically, the flotilla passed by the islands and archipelagos, including the inhabited ones, only twice hitting the small uninhabited patches of land.
On March 6, 1521, two large islands were sighted - Guam and Rota. The local population seemed to Europeans friendly and thieving. A punitive expedition landed on the shore, destroying several natives and setting their settlement on fire. A few days later, the flotilla reached the Philippine archipelago, which, however, is well known to Chinese sailors. On March 17, the ships anchored off the uninhabited island of Homonkhom, where a kind of field hospital was set up for sick crew members. Fresh provisions, vegetables and fruits allowed people to quickly recuperate, and the expedition continued on its way through the numerous islands.
On one of them, Magellan's slave, from Portuguese times, the Malay Enrique met people whose language he understood. The captain-general realized that the Spice Isles were somewhere nearby. On April 7, 1521, the ships reached the harbor of the city of Cebu on the island of the same name. Here the Europeans have already found a culture, albeit far behind them in technical terms. Products from China were found among the local residents, and the Arab merchants they met told a lot of interesting things about the local lands, which were well known to both the Arabs and the Chinese.
The Spanish ships made a huge impression on the islanders, and the ruler of Cebu, Raja Hubomon, on reflection, decided to surrender under the auspices of distant Spain. To facilitate the process, he, his family and close associates were baptized. Securing success and wanting to show the new allies the power of European weapons, Magellan intervened in an internecine conflict with the ruler of the island of Mactan.
On the night of April 27, 1521, Magellan and 60 Europeans, together with the allied natives, set out on boats to the recalcitrant island. Because of the reefs, the ships could not come close to the shore and support the landing party with fire. Magellan's companions were met by superior forces - the natives showered the Europeans with arrows and put them to flight. Magellan himself, covering the retreat, was killed. In addition to him, 8 more Spaniards were killed. The prestige of the "patrons" fell to dangerously low levels. Their authority simply collapsed after an unsuccessful attempt to ransom Magellan's body from the natives who turned out to be not so accommodating. Dejected by the loss of the captain, the Spaniards decided to leave Cebu.
By this time, in exchange for fabrics and iron products, they managed to trade a large number of spices. The local raja, having learned about the intention of the "patrons" to leave, hospitably invited their commanders (the expedition was now commanded by Juan Serano and Magellan's brother-in-law Duarte Barbosa) to a farewell feast. The feast gradually turned into a massacre planned in advance - all the guests were killed. This turn of events accelerated the departure of the ships of the expedition, in whose ranks 115 people remained, most of them were sick. The dilapidated Concepcion was soon burnt down, leaving the exhausted travelers with only Trinidad and Victoria on the run.
For several months wandering in waters unknown to them, in November 1521 the Spaniards finally reached the Moluccas, where they were able to buy spices in abundance, since the goods for exchange survived. Having reached the goal after long ordeals and difficulties, the surviving members of the expedition decided to split up for loyalty so that at least one of the ships could reach Spanish territory. The hastily refurbished Trinidad was to sail to Panama under the command of Gonzalo Espinosa. The second, "Victoria" under the command of the Basque Juan Sebastian Elcano, was to return to Europe, following the route around the Cape of Good Hope. The fate of Trinidad was tragic. Stumbling on a strip of headwinds on the way, he was forced to return to the Moluccas and was captured by the Portuguese. Only a few of his crew, having survived prison and hard labor, returned to their homeland.
Replica of the Victoria Karakka, built by the Czech seafarer Rudolf Krautschneider
The path of "Victoria", which began on December 21, 1521, was long and dramatic. Initially, it had 60 crew members on board, including 13 Malays. May 20, 1522 "Victoria" rounded the Cape of Good Hope. By the time it was in the already familiar Atlantic, the personnel of the "Victoria" was reduced to 35 people. The food situation was critical, and Elcano was forced to enter the Cape Verde Islands belonging to Lisbon, posing as the Portuguese. Then it became clear that, traveling from west to east, the sailors "lost" one day. The deception was exposed, and 13 sailors were arrested on the shore.
September 6, 1522 "Victoria" reached the mouth of the Guadalquivir, making a trip around the world. For some time, Magellan's record remained unbroken, until a gentleman, a subject of Queen Elizabeth, whose expedition did not at all resemble a trade or scientific expedition, did it.
