Magellan

Author: Stefan Zweig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
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Principal of Fudan University, Cao Tianren
Ferdinand Magellan, a famous Portuguese navigator and explorer, made maritime expeditions for Portugal (1505–1512) and Spain (1519–1521). Setting sail from Spain, he rounded South America, discovered the Strait of Magellan, and then crossed the Pacific. Although he was killed in the Philippines, his ships continued westward and returned to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe. He is considered the first person to complete a circumnavigation. Magellan was born into a noble family. In 1505, he joined the Portuguese navy to fight in India. Although Portugal achieved victories on the east coast of Africa and the west coast of India, breaking the Muslim power in the Indian Ocean anding maritime trade control points from the Arabs, it failed to control Malacca, leaving its achievements incomplete. For this, in 1511, he participated in the conquest of Malacca. The wealth of the East flowed through Malacca into the ports of the Western world. Because Portugal controlled the Strait of Malacca, it held the key to the seas and ports of Malaysia. However, it was still necessary to explore the Spice Islands and the Banda Islands, which produced wealth. Therefore, in December 1511, he made a reconnaissance voyage, reached the Banda Islands, brought back a batch of spices, and returned to Lisbon in 1512. The following year, he joined the army in attacking the Moroccan fortress of Azamor, where he was injured and became permanently lame. After returning to Spain in 1514, he twice petitioned the king for promotion and an increase in his pension, but both requests were rejected. In 1517, Magellan traveled to Spain with the cosmographer Faleiro, renounced his Portuguese nationality, and served the Spanish King Charles I. In 1518, he was appointed commander of the expeditionary fleet and set sail to open a new route to the Spice Islands for Spain. Magellan was confident that he could discover a strait from the Atlantic to the sea in the south. On September 20, 1519, the fleet set sail, with 270 sailors from nine countries. On September 26, they arrived at the Canary Islands, and on October 3, they continued their voyage to Brazil; they anchored off the coast of Guinea. On November 29, they sailed to 27 leagues southwest of Cape San Augustine (1 league is approximately 5 kilometers). After rounding Cape Verde, on December 13, the fleet arrived at the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. The following March, they reached the port of San Julian. After suppressing a rebellion led by Spanish captains, on August 24, 1520, the fleet left San Julian and continued south. On October 21, as they rounded Cape Virgenes, they entered the strait they were looking for (later named the Strait of Magellan) at 52°50′ south latitude. At the western end of the strait, only three ships remained in the fleet. On October 28, they entered the "sea in the south." The sea was calm, and it was called the "Pacific." The crew suffered from hunger and, under Magellan's ruthless decision, crossed the Pacific in this great voyage. On December 18, the fleet sailed northwest from the coast of Chile, and on January 24, 1521, they finally saw land, possibly the island of Puka Puka in the Tuamotu Islands. On February 13, they crossed the equator at 158° west longitude, and on March 6, they landed for the first time on Guam in the Mariana Islands, obtaining fresh food after 99 days. On March 9, they set sail southwest. Later, they landed in Mazava in the present Philippine Islands, finding a new ally for Spain in the Pacific. On Cebu Island, they converted the local ruler and officials to Catholicism. Less than two months later, on April 27, Magellan was killed in battle on the island of Mactan. After Magellan's death, only two ships reached the Spice Islands, and only the "Victoria" returned to Spain in September 1522 under the command of Elcano. Among the survivors were 17 Europeans and 4 indigenous people. Elcano circumnavigated the globe from the Pacific around the Cape of Good Hope back to the Atlantic, proving that the Earth is round. Magellan's outstanding contribution was not the circumnavigation itself, but his bold belief and excellent leadership of this endeavor. He was the first person to cross the Pacific from east to west. In just over three months of, he changed the prevailing of the time: that sailing west from the New World could reach the East Indies in just a few days. Magellan's circumnavigation proved, through practice, that the Earth is round, and that whether traveling west to east or east to west, it is undeniably possible to circle our planet and return to the starting point. This will forever be an indelible great achievement in human history.