Ferdinand Magellan: A Journey Around the Earth
Introdution
“Even if we have to eat the leather wrappings on the masts and yards, I will still go on to discover what I have promised our lord the king, and I trust that God will aid us and give us good fortune,” declared Ferdinand Magellan, a man captivated with his dreams. Captivated with the thought of reaching the Spice Islands, a man who showed true courage. He showed cartographers how extensive the world really is, and provided the first definitive proof that the earth is round. Although Ferdinand died before he completed the journey, he led the first voyage to circumnavigate the world.
“Even if we have to eat the leather wrappings on the masts and yards, I will still go on to discover what I have promised our lord the king, and I trust that God will aid us and give us good fortune,” declared Ferdinand Magellan, a man captivated with his dreams. Captivated with the thought of reaching the Spice Islands, a man who showed true courage. He showed cartographers how extensive the world really is, and provided the first definitive proof that the earth is round. Although Ferdinand died before he completed the journey, he led the first voyage to circumnavigate the world.
Challenges
To go around the world, Ferdinand had many challenges to face. Ferdinand had a difficult childhood, which included many challenges to face. When Ferdinand was ten, both his parents died, and two years later he became a page to Queen Leonor of Lisbon. Years later, when serving the king of Portugal, King Manuel, his life went downhill. Magellan could not receive a new sea assignment after he came back from the the Battle of Diu, in Turkey, in which he had been injured. Then his salary was cut in half, therefore Magellan traveled to Spain, which was the enemy of Portugal. There he received sea assignments, which included going to the Spice Islands. There was a myriad of mutiny on the ships, which included people getting quartered (cut into fourths), and someone getting stranded on an island, but it was all ended by Magellan. One of his greatest challenges was finding the Strait of Magellan, which would lead him to the vast Pacific ocean. Ferdinand Magellan had a difficult life, but none stopped him from his goal, to trade with the Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands.
To go around the world, Ferdinand had many challenges to face. Ferdinand had a difficult childhood, which included many challenges to face. When Ferdinand was ten, both his parents died, and two years later he became a page to Queen Leonor of Lisbon. Years later, when serving the king of Portugal, King Manuel, his life went downhill. Magellan could not receive a new sea assignment after he came back from the the Battle of Diu, in Turkey, in which he had been injured. Then his salary was cut in half, therefore Magellan traveled to Spain, which was the enemy of Portugal. There he received sea assignments, which included going to the Spice Islands. There was a myriad of mutiny on the ships, which included people getting quartered (cut into fourths), and someone getting stranded on an island, but it was all ended by Magellan. One of his greatest challenges was finding the Strait of Magellan, which would lead him to the vast Pacific ocean. Ferdinand Magellan had a difficult life, but none stopped him from his goal, to trade with the Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands.
Sea Voyage: the Beginning
At the time that Magellan set sail, the sailing was rough. On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan started his long voyage. It was hard to find anybody willing to sail such a long and dangerous journey. With 270 men aboard, Ferdinand left Spain to venture to the Moluccas. He had five ships: The Santiago, The San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and The Trinidad. At the beginning of the voyage, two important events happened; Magellan got a letter from his father-in-law, Barbosa, that said to be careful. He was afraid that the Spanish generals would start a mutiny because they did not like that Magellan was Portuguese. Also, Pigafetta, one of Magellan’s loyal crew members, started a journal. His diary tells many historians what happened on the voyage, and details on how Magellan died. There was quite a lot of mutiny in the beginning, when Magellan had not yet established his leadership. This was when he had to take control of a myriad of problems. Rough beginnings are always the hardest, but Magellan kept going.
At the time that Magellan set sail, the sailing was rough. On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan started his long voyage. It was hard to find anybody willing to sail such a long and dangerous journey. With 270 men aboard, Ferdinand left Spain to venture to the Moluccas. He had five ships: The Santiago, The San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and The Trinidad. At the beginning of the voyage, two important events happened; Magellan got a letter from his father-in-law, Barbosa, that said to be careful. He was afraid that the Spanish generals would start a mutiny because they did not like that Magellan was Portuguese. Also, Pigafetta, one of Magellan’s loyal crew members, started a journal. His diary tells many historians what happened on the voyage, and details on how Magellan died. There was quite a lot of mutiny in the beginning, when Magellan had not yet established his leadership. This was when he had to take control of a myriad of problems. Rough beginnings are always the hardest, but Magellan kept going.
Sea Voyage: The Strait
During the middle of Magellan’s voyage, there were some devastating events, and joyous events. After the beginning, there were two bad events. The Santiago was shipwrecked, and innumerable people died because of bad mussels.Yet, Magellan and his crew managed to receive supplies from ‘giants’ as they called them. These ‘giants’ were Tehuelche Indians, who were taller and heavier than Europeans. Magellan’s luck really changed when he found the strait that he thought would lead him to the Moluccas, which was his final destination. Before he went through the strait, he sent two ships ahead. It took a several weeks for those two ships to return. When they did come back, they brought good news. It was October 21 when Ferdinand Magellan found the strait, which was later named ‘The Strait of Magellan.’ The winds in the strait were the strongest that Magellan had faced. When he was near the end of the strait, he sent San Antonio and Concepcion to explore. The San Antonio never came back, though The Trinidad found the South Sea, and when Magellan heard, he cried. Magellan may have had a bad beginning, yet everything got smother.
During the middle of Magellan’s voyage, there were some devastating events, and joyous events. After the beginning, there were two bad events. The Santiago was shipwrecked, and innumerable people died because of bad mussels.Yet, Magellan and his crew managed to receive supplies from ‘giants’ as they called them. These ‘giants’ were Tehuelche Indians, who were taller and heavier than Europeans. Magellan’s luck really changed when he found the strait that he thought would lead him to the Moluccas, which was his final destination. Before he went through the strait, he sent two ships ahead. It took a several weeks for those two ships to return. When they did come back, they brought good news. It was October 21 when Ferdinand Magellan found the strait, which was later named ‘The Strait of Magellan.’ The winds in the strait were the strongest that Magellan had faced. When he was near the end of the strait, he sent San Antonio and Concepcion to explore. The San Antonio never came back, though The Trinidad found the South Sea, and when Magellan heard, he cried. Magellan may have had a bad beginning, yet everything got smother.
Sea Voyage: "It's always Darkest before the Dawn"
The adage, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” describes Magellan voyage perfectly. When The San Antonio did not come back, Magellan was depressed. The San Antonio carried most of his supplies. The crew members on The San Antonio took a detour back to Spain, because the mutinous crew members convinced the rest of the crew members that Magellan was mad. At that time, Magellan had named his strait The Strait of All Saints, though that name never stuck. Magellan finally made it to the South Sea, and named it the Pacific Ocean. Pacific means peaceful, and the Pacific ocean is well known for it’s peaceful weather. This is why Magellan named the Pacific Ocean the Pacific ocean. He did not know it, but Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to explore the Pacific Ocean. Magellan had an amazing victory, and did not get down when the mutineers left.
The adage, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” describes Magellan voyage perfectly. When The San Antonio did not come back, Magellan was depressed. The San Antonio carried most of his supplies. The crew members on The San Antonio took a detour back to Spain, because the mutinous crew members convinced the rest of the crew members that Magellan was mad. At that time, Magellan had named his strait The Strait of All Saints, though that name never stuck. Magellan finally made it to the South Sea, and named it the Pacific Ocean. Pacific means peaceful, and the Pacific ocean is well known for it’s peaceful weather. This is why Magellan named the Pacific Ocean the Pacific ocean. He did not know it, but Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to explore the Pacific Ocean. Magellan had an amazing victory, and did not get down when the mutineers left.
Sea Voyage: Homecoming
There was a time of great despair before happiness. There were only three ships left, Trinidad, Victoria, and Concepcion. Magellan’s men were very hungry, and there was very little of them. They were forced to eat rotten penguin meat that had worms crawling through it. Several people died of hunger, and there was a lot of scurvy, and a myriad of deaths. Almost every day, someone was buried in the water. Magellan was always helping the sick, yet he never was sick himself. There was a shortage of supplies, and the men thought they were going to have new supplies when they spotted land. Sadly, it was too shallow to set anchor, and was shark infested. Later they found land with supplies, yet the supplies were limited ones. When the natives started attacking Magellan’s men, on their island, they had to retreat, but not before they took the long boat. Magellan was furious, and led an attack to get the long boat back. Magellan’s men did steal the long boat back, yet many men were lost. When they set sail, they were back in the waters that the Portuguese controlled. When they got out of Portuguese waters, they found the Philippines. The natives in the Philippines were very nice. They traded with Magellan, and he received supplies. Then, Magellan left and went to another island. Magellan thought that the island could be easily converted to Christianity, and then the island switched their religion. Magellan was elated, and surprised that the island converted so quickly. The island that Magellan converted had an island that they fought with constantly. Magellan thought that he could also convert the second island and bring two civilizations together. Unfortunately, that island was not as willing to convert. There was a very big battle, and Magellan’s men were outnumbered. Magellan and his men fought with the strength of many men. The natives shot Magellan in the leg with a poison arrow. Magellan died telling his men to retreat. When they left, the natives on the island shot him over and over again, to show their anger. His body was shot into pieces, and was left on the beach of the island. In the May of 1521, Concepcion was burned. Magellan’s men were few. There were 107 out of the original crew. Without Magellan, the crew was depressed and short on supplies. They turned piratical, which is turning into pirates. They attacked ships, and took supplies from their victims. Eventually they found the Moluccas, on November 6th, 1521. They were very excited because they had fulfilled Magellan’s dream of trading with the islands. They traded with the Moluccas. This accomplished much, because the King of Spain sent them out to trade with islands full of spice (The Spice Islands) and bring it back to spain. The Trinidad was shipwrecked, but they fixed it. Trinidad tried to sail, but it did not sail without breaking. On September 8, 1522, Victoria returned to Spain. There were 22 people aboard out of the 270 people that started the journey. Even with all of the struggles, Victoria came back to Spain.
There was a time of great despair before happiness. There were only three ships left, Trinidad, Victoria, and Concepcion. Magellan’s men were very hungry, and there was very little of them. They were forced to eat rotten penguin meat that had worms crawling through it. Several people died of hunger, and there was a lot of scurvy, and a myriad of deaths. Almost every day, someone was buried in the water. Magellan was always helping the sick, yet he never was sick himself. There was a shortage of supplies, and the men thought they were going to have new supplies when they spotted land. Sadly, it was too shallow to set anchor, and was shark infested. Later they found land with supplies, yet the supplies were limited ones. When the natives started attacking Magellan’s men, on their island, they had to retreat, but not before they took the long boat. Magellan was furious, and led an attack to get the long boat back. Magellan’s men did steal the long boat back, yet many men were lost. When they set sail, they were back in the waters that the Portuguese controlled. When they got out of Portuguese waters, they found the Philippines. The natives in the Philippines were very nice. They traded with Magellan, and he received supplies. Then, Magellan left and went to another island. Magellan thought that the island could be easily converted to Christianity, and then the island switched their religion. Magellan was elated, and surprised that the island converted so quickly. The island that Magellan converted had an island that they fought with constantly. Magellan thought that he could also convert the second island and bring two civilizations together. Unfortunately, that island was not as willing to convert. There was a very big battle, and Magellan’s men were outnumbered. Magellan and his men fought with the strength of many men. The natives shot Magellan in the leg with a poison arrow. Magellan died telling his men to retreat. When they left, the natives on the island shot him over and over again, to show their anger. His body was shot into pieces, and was left on the beach of the island. In the May of 1521, Concepcion was burned. Magellan’s men were few. There were 107 out of the original crew. Without Magellan, the crew was depressed and short on supplies. They turned piratical, which is turning into pirates. They attacked ships, and took supplies from their victims. Eventually they found the Moluccas, on November 6th, 1521. They were very excited because they had fulfilled Magellan’s dream of trading with the islands. They traded with the Moluccas. This accomplished much, because the King of Spain sent them out to trade with islands full of spice (The Spice Islands) and bring it back to spain. The Trinidad was shipwrecked, but they fixed it. Trinidad tried to sail, but it did not sail without breaking. On September 8, 1522, Victoria returned to Spain. There were 22 people aboard out of the 270 people that started the journey. Even with all of the struggles, Victoria came back to Spain.
Conclusion
Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to explore the Pacific ocean, and led the first crew to circumnavigate the earth. Even though he died on the voyage, Ferdinand Magellan made a lasting impression on cartographers with his amazing navigation skills. Without Ferdinand Magellan, the world would not be as informed about navigation as it is today.
Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to explore the Pacific ocean, and led the first crew to circumnavigate the earth. Even though he died on the voyage, Ferdinand Magellan made a lasting impression on cartographers with his amazing navigation skills. Without Ferdinand Magellan, the world would not be as informed about navigation as it is today.
DGG