It’s the early 16th century, and two great maritime powers, Spain and Portugal, are sharing the New World to prevent future conflicts over the exploitation of foreign territories. Pope Alexander VI granted Spain the right to appropriate the riches west of the Azores archipelago. Those to the east, in Africa and Asia, belonged to Portugal.
Nevertheless, a bitter dispute still divides the two kingdoms over the Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands. The Spaniards were unable to reach these islands, as the only known route to them crossed the Portuguese-controlled Indian Ocean.
This was the era of the Great Discoveries. We already have Christopher Columbus, who discovered America for the Kingdom of Castile. Then there was Vasco de Gama, who opened the route to India for the Kingdom of Portugal. This created a merciless struggle between the two Western maritime powers. It was at this point that goods such as spices acquired inestimable strategic value. Whoever controls the route to the spice islands is the master of the world.
Around 1480, Fernand Magellan was born into a family of minor Portuguese nobility. Magellan became a naval officer in the service of the Portuguese crown in Asia. King Manuel I of Portugal refused to support his project to reach India by a new route, bypassing the southern tip of the South American continent.
In Valladolid, the residence of the kings of Castile, Charles V ascended the Spanish throne in 1516 and sought to consolidate his power. Naturally, he had his sights set on the riches of the New World territories. He raced against Portugal for dominance of the seven seas.
Magellan therefore turned to Spain to finance his expedition, which Portugal considered useless. On August 10, 1519, a fleet of five ships and 270 men left the port of Seville. They set off into the unknown, choosing to head west.
After two months at sea, the fleet reached South America, and Magellan decided to continue southwards along the coast. He was looking for a passage to the west. Every bay they find on their way is likely to be the entrance to a passage leading to the other side.
In the course of his quest, they enter the Rio de la Plata. Little do they know that they are no longer at sea, but navigating a river. When Magellan realizes his mistake, they turn back, but this puts the crew on edge and doubts set in. Magellan is faced with a mutiny, which he manages to quell. It’s now been six months since the fleet left Seville, but it doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to its goal.
The southern winter is raging, and the ships can no longer make headway. It was then that they discovered an uncharted estuary sheltered from the winds. Fernand Magellan named it “Puerto San Julian” (now in Argentina). It was a quiet bay, offering them safe shelter throughout the southern winter. They had access to fresh water and fish.
At the end of August 1520, with winter over, they set off again in search of the passage. The crew no longer believed in the expedition’s success. However, when Magellan finds the entrance to a strait, he regains hope. The strait is a sort of inextricable aquatic labyrinth. For over a month, they wandered the strait in search of a way out. The passage through the strait, so narrow, begins to widen to a surface of water that stretches as far as the eye can see. This was Magellan’s discovery, and it was thanks to his tenacity that the passage was discovered. It was named the “Strait of Magellan” in his honor. Magellan succeeded in proving the existence of a passage between the Atlantic and the new ocean. A route allowing access to the riches of Asia without passing through the Indian Ocean.
By this stage of the expedition, Magellan was convinced that the Moluccas were not far away. Unfortunately, he was unaware that before him lay the Earth’s largest ocean. He called it “peaceful” because of the tranquility of its waters. At this point in the journey, only three of the five ships remain. One had sunk while sailing south along the American continent.
Another decided to turn back in the Strait to return to Spain, no longer believing in the success of the expedition. The three remaining ships embarked on an arduous crossing. Days passed, then weeks and finally months, with no sign of land on the horizon. It became urgent to find a place to land and refuel. They’ve run out of food and the water is stagnant. One by one, the sailors are being decimated by scurvy.
After 4 difficult months, they found islands and were able to refuel. It had been a year and a half since the fleet left Spain. They set off in search of the Moluccas, but landed on an archipelago of islands that would later be named the Philippines, on March 16, 1521. They stayed there for a month and a half. No one in Europe knew of the existence of this archipelago. Fernand Magellan took possession of it for Charles V and for himself. In fact, the king granted him the right to take a percentage of the profits he found during the expedition.
Magellan and his crew set out to explore the archipelago, annexing as many islands as possible to gain as much wealth and power as possible. They were guided by islanders, as the waters around the archipelago can be dangerous if you’re unfamiliar with them. Magellan befriended the local rulers of Limasawa Island and, on March 31, held the first mass there.
Magellan had converted no fewer than 2,200 inhabitants to Christianity, including Rajah Humabon, King of Cebu, his queen and her subjects. In gratitude, he presented them with the now-famous Santo Niño statuette, the image of the healthy child, which he had brought back from Spain.
However, Lapu Lapu, the chief of Mactan, resisted the conversion, which resulted in the defeat of the Spaniards at the Battle of Mactan on April 27, and the death of Magellan, killed by a poisoned arrow (or spear).
After Fernand Magellan’s death, the expedition resumed under the command of Captain Juan Sebastián Elcano. Only two ships remained, the 3rd having caught fire in the archipelago. The two remaining ships set sail for the Moluccas, filling their holds with spices and chanterelle mushrooms that would sell for a high price in Europe. The two ships took two different routes home. The Victoria, with Elcano on board, headed west (Indian Ocean) towards Portuguese-controlled territories. While the latter took the route by which they had arrived.
The Victoria circumnavigated the African continent, passing well off the coast to avoid detection by the Portuguese. They finally arrived in Seville on September 8, 1522, more than 3 years after her departure. Only around fifteen men survived the expedition.
Fernand Magellan had already reached the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia on previous voyages, travelling eastwards (from 1505 to 1511-1512). By visiting this region again, this time heading west from Spain, Magellan completed an almost complete personal circumnavigation of the globe for the first time in history.