THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORD: THE MAGALLAN AND ELCANO EXPEDITION

Summary

The Maggianocano expedition, led by Portuguese explorer Francisco de Magallanes and completed by Juan Sebastian El Cano, achieved the first circumnavigation of the globe. The journey, marked by mutiny, shipwrecks, and the death of Magallanes, faced immense hardships including hunger and scurvy. The expedition's success not only proved the Earth's roundness but also opened new maritime routes, with the surviving crew bringing valuable spices from the East Indies, securing a 4% profit on their return to Spain.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The Maggianocano expedition, led by Francisco de Magallanes and completed by Juan Sebastian El Cano, was the first recorded voyage around the world.
• 🚢 The expedition began with five ships and 245 men, representing various nationalities, setting sail from Seville on August 10, 1519.
• 📜 Two key testimonials of the journey are the logbook kept by the Greek sailor Francisco de Albor and the account written by Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta.
• 🌊 The fleet faced numerous challenges, including calms, bad weather, and internal disputes, which led to a mutiny and the execution of some crew members.
• 🛳️ The San Antonio abandoned the expedition, and the Santiago was shipwrecked, leaving three ships to continue the journey.
• 🗺️ The Strait of Magellan was crossed, leading the fleet into the Pacific Ocean, which they named due to the calm weather they experienced.
• 🏝️ The expedition reached the Philippines, where Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan, and later the Spice Islands, their original objective.
• 🌿 The crew faced extreme hunger and scurvy during the Pacific crossing, resorting to eating sawdust, rats, and leather to survive.
• ⚓️ The Victoria, under El Cano's command, was the only ship to complete the circumnavigation, proving the Earth's roundness and avoiding Portuguese territories.
• 🌴 The Victoria returned to Spain with 18 survivors and a valuable cargo of spices, which more than covered the expedition's costs and yielded a profit.

Q & A

Who were the leaders of the first voyage around the world?

The voyage was initiated by the Portuguese explorer Francisco de Magallanes and completed by the Basque adventurer Juan Sebastian El Cano.

What was the significance of the Magellan-El Cano expedition?

The expedition was significant as it was the first circumnavigation of the world, proving that the Earth was indeed round and opening new maritime routes for trade.

What was the primary objective of the expedition?

The primary objective was to find a new maritime route to the Spice Islands, also known as the Maluku Islands, to facilitate trade with the East Indies.

How many ships and crew members were part of the expedition when it set sail from Seville?

The expedition set sail from Seville with five ships and a total of 245 men on board.

What challenges did the crew face during the Pacific crossing?

During the Pacific crossing, the crew faced extreme hunger and scurvy, leading to the consumption of sawdust, rats, and leather from the rigging.

How did Magellan die during the expedition?

Magellan died during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines while fighting against the local islanders.

What happened to the ships and crew after Magellan's death?

After Magellan's death, the crew decided to burn the Concepción, and later, the Trinidad was abandoned due to a leak. The Victoria, under the command of El Cano, continued the journey back to Spain.

Why did El Cano decide to sail far from the coast on the return voyage?

El Cano sailed far from the coast to avoid being captured by the Portuguese, as they were in areas controlled by Portugal, which could have resulted in imprisonment or death.

How many crew members survived the entire journey and returned to Spain?

Out of the 245 men who embarked on the expedition, only 18 survived and returned to Spain on board the Victoria.

What was the ultimate outcome of the expedition in terms of profit and discovery?

The expedition was profitable, with the valuable cargo of spices more than covering the cost of the trip and yielding a profit of four percent. It also resulted in the discovery of new lands and the confirmation of the Earth's round shape.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The First Voyage Around the World

The script details the first circumnavigation of the world, led by Portuguese explorer Francisco de Magallanes and completed by Basque navigator Juan Sebastian El Cano. The journey began with the Maggianocano expedition, which was a monumental maritime adventure. The expedition faced numerous challenges, including mutinies and shipwrecks, and was documented by Greek sailor Francisco de Albor and Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta. The voyage was initiated due to the closure of the Silk Road by the Turks, prompting Spain and Portugal to seek alternative maritime routes to the East. The expedition set sail from Seville with five ships and 245 men of diverse nationalities, aiming to find a new route to the Spice Islands. The journey spanned across three oceans and resulted in the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the eventual return to Spain with only 18 survivors, proving the Earth's roundness and opening new trade routes.

05:01

🛶 Trials and Triumphs of the Magellan-El Cano Expedition

The script narrates the hardships and triumphs of the Magellan-El Cano expedition as they navigated unknown waters. After reaching the River Plate and enduring a mutiny, the expedition lost ships and crew members. Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan, and the remaining crew faced starvation and scurvy during their Pacific crossing. The Victoria, under El Cano's command, reached the Spice Islands and loaded spices, which were highly profitable upon return. The return journey was fraught with danger, including avoiding Portuguese territories and a near-encounter with Australia. The Victoria, with only 18 survivors, completed the first circumnavigation, arriving in Spain and confirming the Earth's roundness. The expedition's success was bittersweet, with a high cost in human lives but significant gains in geographical knowledge and trade opportunities.

10:04

📜 Final Accounts and Legacy of the First Global Voyage

The final paragraph of the script highlights the aftermath of the first voyage around the world, emphasizing the successful return of the Victoria and the letter written by Juan Sebastian El Cano to Emperor Carlos the First. The cargo of spices brought back from the Spice Islands more than covered the expedition's costs, yielding a profit of four percent. El Cano's letter to the Emperor underscores the historical significance of the voyage, which not only proved the Earth's roundness but also opened up new possibilities for global exploration and trade. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the enduring impact of this pioneering journey on the world's understanding of its geography and the potential for global connectivity.

Keywords

💡Magellanic Expedition

The Magellanic Expedition, led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and later by Juan Sebastián Elcano, was the first maritime voyage to circumnavigate the Earth. This historic journey is central to the video's theme, illustrating the daring and determination of early explorers. The expedition's name is derived from Magellan, who initiated the journey, and it exemplifies the human spirit of adventure and discovery.

💡First Circumnavigation

The first circumnavigation refers to the completion of a voyage around the entire Earth. In the context of the video, this is a pivotal achievement that was accomplished by the crew of the Victoria, marking a significant milestone in human history. The video emphasizes the importance of this feat by highlighting the challenges and the ultimate success of the expedition.

💡Victoria

The Victoria was the only ship of the Magellanic Expedition to complete the circumnavigation. As the video script mentions, it was captained by Juan Sebastian Elcano after Magellan's death. The ship's successful return to Spain with its crew and cargo of spices symbolizes the endurance and survival against all odds, which is a key narrative in the video.

💡Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes connecting the East and West. The video references the closure of the Silk Road by the Turks in 1453, which led to Spain and Portugal seeking maritime routes to the East. This historical event is crucial as it set the stage for the exploration and eventual circumnavigation, illustrating the economic and political drivers behind the expedition.

💡Spice Islands

The Spice Islands, also known as the Maluku Islands, were highly sought after for their valuable spices like cloves, nutmeg, and mace. The video mentions the Portuguese reaching these islands and starting to trade spices, which was a primary objective for the Magellanic Expedition. The Spice Islands represent the lucrative prize that motivated the exploration and the economic significance of the expedition.

💡Mutiny

Mutiny refers to an open rebellion against authority, as seen in the video when some officers demanded to either continue looking for the Straits or return to Spain via the Portuguese route. The mutiny is a critical event in the video's narrative, showcasing the internal conflicts and leadership challenges faced during the expedition.

💡Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean, named by Magellan for its calm waters, was first crossed by the expedition as part of their journey. The video highlights the crossing of the Pacific as a significant part of the circumnavigation, emphasizing the vastness and the challenges of navigating this ocean.

💡Scurvy

Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, which affected many sailors on long sea voyages due to a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. The video mentions that many crew members died from hunger and scurvy during the Pacific voyage, underscoring the harsh conditions and health risks faced by the explorers.

💡Treaty of Tordesillas

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Spain and Portugal that aimed to divide the newly discovered lands outside Europe. The video refers to this treaty in the context of Magellan's mission to find a new route and determine the location of the Spice Islands. The treaty is significant as it influenced the political and territorial ambitions of the time.

💡Circumnavigation Proof

The proof of circumnavigation is the confirmation that the Earth is round and can be encircled by sea. The video concludes with the successful return of the Victoria, which provided empirical evidence supporting the heliocentric model of the Earth. This concept is central to the video's message, demonstrating the scientific and geographical significance of the expedition.

Highlights

The Magellano-Elcano expedition was the first circumnavigation of the world, marking the greatest maritime adventure of all time.

The journey was initiated by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and completed by the Basque adventurer Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Only two testimonials from the 18 survivors of the expedition provide detailed accounts of the voyage.

Greek sailor Francisco de Albor, an expert helmsman, kept a faultless log of the journey, noting the latitude and course taken.

Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta wrote a first-person detailed account of everything that happened during the three-year expedition.

The expedition's original goal was to find a new maritime route to the Spice Islands, also known as the Maluku Islands, in the Indonesian archipelago.

The fleet set sail from Seville on August 10, 1519, with five ships and a crew of 245 men from various nationalities.

The crossing of the Magellan Straits took almost a month, and on November 28, 1520, the fleet entered the Pacific Ocean.

During the Pacific crossing, many crew members died from hunger and scurvy, forcing the survivors to eat sawdust, rats, and leather.

Magellan died in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines on April 27, 1521, leading to Elcano taking command of the expedition.

Elcano led the expedition to the Spice Islands, where they loaded the ships with valuable spices, especially cloves.

The Victoria, under Elcano's command, completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth, proving that the world was round.

The return voyage involved great risks, including evading Portuguese-controlled areas and navigating without stopovers.

The expedition successfully returned to Spain on September 6, 1522, with only 18 survivors, fulfilling their promise to sail around the world.

The valuable cargo of spices brought back by the Victoria more than covered the cost of the expedition, yielding a profit of four percent.

Transcripts

the first voyage around the world the

maggianocano expedition

it was the greatest Maritime adventure

of all time a human Saga started by the

Portuguese explorer Francisco de

magallanes

and finished by The Basque Adventurer

from guitaria Juan Sebastian El Cano

completing in the now Victoria the first

ever circumnavigation of the world

was the inscription that the king gave

to elkano and his coat of arms together

with the spices that they brought from

the East Indies

from this great journey two testimonials

out of the 18 men who made it back have

allowed us to know in detail the

circumstances in which it happened

the great feat of the Greek sailor

Francisco de albor expert Helmsman on

the now Victoria trusted by Maggiano's

and right-hand man to El Cano who kept

the onboard log which was technically

faultless keeping a note of their

latitude during the whole journey as

well as the course they took

another very important testimonial was

that of Antonia bigafetta an Italian

explorer and writer who wrote in first

person a detailed account of everything

that happened during the three years of

the expedition

amongst other documents that illustrate

the journey there are those of the sale

The Cabin Boy Martin

or the letter that El Cano wrote to

Carlos the First on completing the

voyage

in the year 1453 the Turks took

Constantinople and so closed the Silk

Road and commerce with the East to the

Christian and Western world

therefore Spain and Portugal started

looking for an alternative Maritime

route to get there

the Portuguese looked for the Spice

Islands also known as the malukas

islands sailing in parallel to the

African continent

1498 the Portuguese sailor Vasco de Gama

got to India and in 1512 the Portuguese

reached the malukas and started trading

with spices

meanwhile Spain continued to advance in

America and searched for the passage to

the East and The New Southern Ocean

discovered by the Spanish explorer and

conqueror Nunez de Balboa namely the

Pacific Ocean

Fernando de magallanes presented his

project to his King Manuel the first to

Portugal and on not receiving the

compensation he thought he deserved he

decided to offer it to another king

it would be the young Spanish Monarch

who would accept and organize the fleet

through the house of hiring for India in

Seville

the Portuguese sailor wasn't intending

to sail around the world but to find a

new route and show who the malacca's

Islands located in the Indonesian

archipelago belonged to according to the

Treaty of toradice

on the 10th of August 1519 five ships

set sail from severe

the lead ship was the Trinidad and it

was accompanied by the San Antonio the

Concepcion Victoria and the Santiago

245 men in total were enlisted not only

Spaniards but also Portuguese Italians

British Greeks and Flemish

in the majority of cases they were

expert Maritime professionals with big

ambitions

the basis of their seafaring diet was

biscuits cake and wine

they also took live animals on board

with them such as cows and pigs

the cost of the expedition was estimated

at 8 million maravedi an absolute

Fortune at that time

the Victorious thought to travel 70 000

kilometers sailing in three oceans the

Atlantic the Pacific and the Indian

after leaving Sevilla they stayed a

month at San Lucas

on 20th of September 1519 the embarked

on their Adventure

they stopped off in Tenerife and then

magayanes decided on a southern course

who was remaining parallel to the

African Coast towards the Gulf of Guinea

they immediately suffered from great

calms days when they didn't Advance at

all

moreover due to the bad weather and the

refusal of magayanas to share his

decisions with those he was obliged to

by order of the king namely Juan de

Cartagena the disagreement started

almost four months after setting sail

they finally cited American land

arriving at the coast of what is today

the city of Rio De Janeiro

the fleet reached the River Plate and

followed the American Coast to the South

each entrance and Inlet to the West Was

a possible passage to the Pacific Ocean

their first objective which had to be

explored

They carried on sailing until they

reached what they call the Port of San

Julian in the south of Argentina where

magayanes decided to spend the winter

suffering from food shortages and poor

weather

two days after this a mutiny happened

when some officers demanded to continue

looking for the Straits and others to

head for the Cape of Good Hope via the

Portuguese route without docking

magayanes put this Mutiny down in no

uncertain terms ordering the arrests and

execution of Gaspar de quesada

Mendoza at the same time leaving behind

Juan de Cartagena and the cleric Pedro

Sanchez De La Reina

in the port of Santa Cruz the Santiago

became Shipwrecked when it ran aground

on the coast and the San Antonio

abandoned the Expedition and returned to

Spain with 50 of the sailors

the crossing of The magayan Straits took

almost a month and finally on the 28th

of November 1520 they sailed out into

the ocean they named the Pacific as on

that day by chance there were no storms

and the wind was always favorable

during the voyage in the Pacific that

lasted three months many of the crew

died due to hunger and scurvy

they ended up eating sawdust rats and

leather from the rigging

they reached the Philippines on the 27th

of April 1521 and in the Battle of

macdan fighting against the Islanders

magayanas died

after his and many other Sailors deaths

the small crew Left Alive decided to

burn the conception

it was in Borneo where Juan Lopez

caravallo who was then the captain was

Tried by his Shipmates who decided to

replace him with Gonzalo Gomez de

Espinosa captain of the Trinidad and

Juan Sebastian El Cano captain of the

Victoria

the Expedition continued and finally on

the 8th of November 1521 they reached

the Spice Islands the original objective

of the voyage where they loaded up on

the coveted spaces especially clothes

which would sell at a high price on

their return to Spain

just when they're about to depart the

Trinidad sprang a leak so the captain

Gonzalo Gomez the Espinosa decided to

stay behind to repair the ship and tried

to return by a gang crossing the Pacific

Ocean to Panama where they hoped to get

help from other Spaniards

to avoid the risk of being discovered by

the Portuguese it would be El Cano

captaining the Victoria who would

continue with the original plan of

returning via the Indian Ocean

therefore conceiving the first voyage

around the world and proving through

facts that the Earth was indeed round

however this option involved the risk of

entering the areas controlled by the

Portuguese which forced them to avoid

ducking and to travel halfway around the

world without stopovers

they knew that if they were caught

prison or death awaited them which is

why arcano decided to always sail far

from the coast

on the return Voyage of Spain they

passed close to Australia so almost

discovered it by chance

they managed to round the Cape of Good

Hope despite the Mast and for sale

breaking in two

in the Atlantic they were able to sail

quicker but the arduousness of the

journey and the lack of supplies

continued to take that toll

they decided therefore to dock in the

islands of Cape Verde where the

Portuguese arrested 13 crew members and

elkano had to make a swift Escape

on the 6th of September 1522 the

Victoria arrived at San Lucado de

parameda in Cadiz and it was towed at

the guadalcavir to Sevilla where the 18

survivors disembarked Barefoot carrying

candles in their hands in A procession

thus fulfilling their promise they had

become the first vessel in history to

travel around the world

elkano and his men had crossed the three

main oceans on the planet the Atlantic

the Pacific and the Indian

of those 245 men who departed from

severe excluding those 50 who deserted

and returned to Spain in the San Antonio

and the 13 arrested in Cape Verde

finally only 18 men made it back on

board the Victoria

of the Shipmates on the Trinidad only

four managed to make it back years later

the valuable cargo of spice is more than

covered the cost of the trip and made

profits of four percent

[Music]

Juan Sebastian elkano wrote to Emperor

Carlos the first

and as your majesty will know

that which we should most esteem and

hold on to is that we have discovered

and traveled around the whole of the

world going to the west and returning

from the East