Transcript of Magellan's Expedition PDF

Transcript of the Magellan's Expedition Everyone knows that Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the globe. But what if we told you you\'ve been lied to your entire life? Magellan died in the Philippines and never made it back to Spain. Out of the 270 men who set sail on the ex...

Transcript of the Magellan's Expedition Everyone knows that Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the globe. But what if we told you you\'ve been lied to your entire life? Magellan died in the Philippines and never made it back to Spain. Out of the 270 men who set sail on the expedition, only 18 completed the journey. But the unbelievable thing is that one man may have circumnavigated the world 1 year and 4 months prior to the Magellan expedition making it back to Europe. So who was this mysterious and unknown explorer? And why was he lost to the sands or in this case, the waves of time? In order to trace the path of Magellan\'s voyage and discover what actually happened during the first circumnavigation around the globe, we must start at the beginning. Before Ferdinand Magellan betrayed his home country of Portugal and set off under the flag of its biggest rival, Spain, he had already traveled to parts of the world that most Europeans could only dream of. It is around 14 80 when Magellan\'s story begins and where a series of events will lead to the first expedition to circle the world. Once and for all proving that the earth is round and not flat. Magellan was born in Villareal in Trasosmonte, Portugal. Around the age of 12, he became a part of the Portuguese court as a page. This placement would open up opportunities for him in the future. In 15/10, Magellan was part of the Portuguese undertaking to establish a colony on the west coast of India at Goa. In order to do this, Portuguese vessels sail from their homelands down the West Coast of Africa, around the southern tip of the continent, and across the Indian Ocean. This is a perilous journey, but one that the Portuguese have become increasingly good at completing. While on the expedition, Magellan witnesses Afonso de Albuquerque claim Goa in the name of Portugal, and it is here that a new hub for the eastern spice trade is set up. Goa eventually becomes the capital of the Portuguese Empire East of the Cape of Good Hope and will endure the next 450 years. In 15/11, at the age of 31, Magellan continued East with a Portuguese fleet where they established Portuguese Malacca in what will become Malaysia. Several ports are set up where spices and a much more sinister trade system develop. It is from Malay that the Portuguese began to transport slaves back to Europe. They will regain control of this region until 1641 when it\'s captured by the Dutch. But there is one individual from this part of the world that will play a particularly important role in the story of the first circumnavigation of the globe. While serving in the Portuguese expeditionary force that\'s colonizing the islands of Malaysia and Indonesia, Ferdinand Magellan purchases a slave by the name of Enrique. It\'s not clear where the 14 year old boy is originally from but he speaks Malay and a few other languages. The boy quickly picks up Portuguese and will spend the next several years by Ferdinand Magellan\'s side. Unknown to anyone at the time and many today, Enrique de Malacca will become one of the most important people in human history. Upon returning from the conquests of the east, Magellan begins to fall out with the Portuguese crowd. East, Magellan begins to fall out with the Portuguese crowd. Ferdinand Magellan is accused of illegal trading. And when he proposes an ambitious plan to sail west in order to reach India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Manuel the first, king of Portugal, turns him down. Magellan is sure that he can reach the far east by traveling westward, and he intends to prove it. Many of the world\'s greatest explorers, scholars, and philosophers have shown through multiple forms of evidence that the earth is spherical. Therefore, Magellan believes that it\'s not only possible, but could be quicker to reach the Portuguese colonies in the east by traveling around the southern tip of the Americas and proceeding across whatever body of water lies on the other side. WhenManuel the first refuses to fund the expedition, Magellan renounces his Portuguese citizenship and relocates to Sevilla, Spain in 15/17. He presents Charles the first of Spain with his plan to reach the spice producing lands of the east by traveling around the Americas. At first, Charles is skeptical. Magellan leverages Spain\'s desire to strengthen their empire and to gain a slice of the lucrative pie that is the East Indies. After several meetings, Charles the first agrees to fund the expedition. He grants Magellan Spanish citizenship and 5 vessels. On top of this, Charles bestows upon the captain of the expedition a decade long monopoly on any route he might discover, a percentage of the profits, and a noble title. Unfortunately for Magellan, he will not live long enough to reap the benefits of these rewards. From the onset, the voyage is rife with conflict. The Spanish crew is not afraid to voice their displeasure with having to follow the orders of a Portuguese commander. Spain and Portugal have been bitter rivals for years. Charles is not just the king of Spain, but also the holy Roman Empire under the name of Charles the 5th. Spain has conquered vast amounts of territories in the Americas, while Portugal has a firm hold on the colonies in the East Indies. Due to the religious upheaval led by Martin Luther at the time, along with several political crises across Europe, only Spain and Portugal have been able to expand their empires in any meaningful way thus far. On 10th August 15 19, the 5 ships of Magellan\'s expedition, the Trinidad, Santiago, Victoria, Concepcion, and San Antonio, leave Sevilla and proceed down the Guadalquivir River to Sanlucar de Barrameda. The fleet is given the name Armada de Moluca and remains in the harbor of Sanlucar de Barrameda for just over 5 weeks, in preparation for the perilous journey ahead. As we\'ll see, only one of these ships will complete the intended journey with a fraction of the crew of 270 men who embark on the expedition. On the morning of September 20, 15 19, Magellan\'s fleet is ready to depart and the voyage to circumnavigate the world begins. The Trinidad is the flagship of the fleet. On board, Ferdinand Magellan looks to the west as his final adventure officially begins. Also on board the Trinidad is Enrique is no longer a slave, but a servant of Magellan. He has proven himself to be extremely talented when it comes to interpretation and translation. On the fleet\'s manifest, Enrique de Malacca is listed as a supernumerary or interpreter and is being paid 1,500 Maravetes per month. Interestingly, it seems that Enrique has been deemed especially important as Antonio Pigafetta, the expedition\'s chronicler, is only being paid a 1,000 Marvedis per month. Along with being paid, Magellan gives Enrique his word that if he dies during the voyage, Enrique will no longer be indentured to anyone and will be a free man. After 16 days at sea, the ships lay anchor at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The vessels take on more supplies such as vegetables to eat and pitch to make repairs as needed, both of which are cheaper on the islands than back in Spain. It\'s during this stop that Ferdinand Magellan learns from a secret letter sent by his father-in-law, Thiago Barbosa, that the captain of the San Antonio, Juan de Cartagena, has been planning a mutiny with his Castilian crew. Magellan does not have time to deal with this threat at the moment as a more immediate problem has presented itself. King Manuel of Portugal has dispatched 2 fleets to arrest Magellan and stop his voyage before it has even begun. 2\. Joined Magellan\'s Expedition The crew makes haste to load the ship with supplies and get underway. On October 3rd, 15 19th, the circumnavigation fleet left the Canary Islands. The 5 vessels sail south along the western coast of Africa. There is squabbling between the captains as disagreement erupts over the best route to the Atlantic. Some want to travel straight West while Ferdinand Magellan argues that the fleet needs to travel further South along the African coast to evade the Portuguese ships pursuing them. Ultimately Magellan, as the commander of the voyage, makes the final decision and the fleet continues south. As they reach the equator towards the end of October, the weather begins to deteriorate. A series of storms batters the armada. And for several days, the ships must lower their sails to prevent damage. The crews aboard the ships are explorers, but also highly religious. In fact , they have been tasked with bringing Christianity to any non believers they encounter along the way. During the trip south, the men witness Saint Elmo\'s fire, a phenomenon that is seen as good luck on a voyage. Saint Elmo\'s fire occurs when the air becomes electrically charged and the molecules seek a way to release this charge and return to equilibrium. When this happens, the particles discharge their energy in a luminous plasma that looks like lightning via the grounding of a tall structure such as the mast of a ship. Saint Elmo is considered the patron saint of sailors. Hence, the name the phenomenon is given. Antonio Pigafetta, a Venetian explorer, joined Magellan\'s expedition as the chronicler of the voyage. In his notes, he recounts such religious events by saying, during these storms, the body of Saint Anselme appeared to us several times. Amongst others, one night that it was very dark on account of the bad weather, the said saint appeared in the form of a fire lighted at the summit of the main mast and remained there near 2 hours and a half, which comforted us greatly for we were in tears only expecting the hour of perishing. And when that holy light was going away from us, it gave out so greater brilliance in the eyes of each that we were near a quarter of an hour like people blinded and calling out for mercy. For without any doubt, nobody hoped to escape from that storm. Invigorated by this good omen, the fleet maneuvers west and follows the south equatorial current and trade winds. However, during the crossing, Juan de Cartagena voices his displeasure with Magellan\'s decision and claims he should be removed from command. This act of mutiny is enough for Magellan to have Cartagena arrested. He\'s thrown in stocks. But rather than being executed as was the traditional punishment for mutiny, captains Quesada and Mendoza convince Magellan to relieve Cartagena of command and confine him to the Victoria. Magellan agrees and promotes Antonio de Coco as the new captain of the San Antonio. On November 29th, the Armada finished its crossing of the Atlantic. It is now 27 leagues or approximately 93 miles from the coast of South America. Just over 2 weeks later, Magellan\'s expedition reached Rio de Janeiro on December 13th. The danger is that this is Portuguese territory, but no enemy ships seem to be docked in the harbor. And therefore, it\'s decided that the fleet can stop to resupply. Magellan and his crew are greeted by the indigenous people of the region. The fleet stays in the harbor for 13 days while they make repairs and trade. The Europeans stock up on foods such as yam, cassava, and tropical fruits along with gallons of fresh water. They had brought numerous items to trade with when encountering indigenous populations along their route. Enrique de Malacca is tasked with facilitating trade deals in the hopes that his multi language skills will allow him to communicate better with non Spanish or Portuguese speaking people. However, this is not the region of the world he is from, and there are no commonalities between the languages of his homeland and that of indigenous Americans. Still, Enrique does his best to facilitate deals between the Europeans and Americans through gestures and drawings. This will be a common practice for much of the voyage until the expedition reaches the Western Pacific, where something astonishing will happen. After departing Rio de Janeiro, the fleet continues south along the coast. By February of 15 20, they were approaching the southern terminus of the continent. Magellan is sure that there\'s a straight that will allow him to circle around the tip of South America and reach the western portions of the landmass. In fear of missing the strait, the ships are ordered to travel as close to the coast as possible and only sail during the day. This is a dangerous proposition as there are no reliable maps of the region, and running aground is a very real possibility. Each day that passes, the temperature begins to drop. The expedition is in the southern hemisphere, so winter is not ending, but just about to begin. On March 21, 15 20, Ferdinand Magellan gave the order to anchor the ships and prepare for winter. The fleet has stopped in a bay which is given the name Port Saint Julien. No Europeans have ventured this far south in the Americas. So Magellan\'s fleet are in uncharted territories. For the next 5 months, the men in Magellan\'s expedition struggle to survive the brutal South American winter. Tensions run high and there will be discontent among the crew. However, as the frigid temperatures and harsh weather will not allow for safe travel, there is no means of escape and a mutiny begins to take shape. At midnight on March 31st, Easter day, the Spanish captains on the expedition launched a coup against their Portuguese commander. As the day marking the resurrection of Christ begins, chaos aboard the ships erupts. Like the disagreement in the Atlantic, the mutiny is led by the former captain of the San Antonio, Juan de Cartagena. However, this time, due to the disgruntled men and dissatisfaction among many of the Spaniards, Cartagena is supported by Gaspar de Quesada, captain of the Concepcion, and Luis Mendoza of the Victoria. They claim that Magellan is unfit to continue leading the expedition and that his decisions have endangered the fleet and the men aboard the ships. The mutineers covered their faces in charcoal and boarded the San Antonio. As they board the ship, a sailor by the name of Juan de Eloriaga desperately tries to warn the others that a mutiny has begun. In the blackness of night, Eloriaga is stabbed several times by Gaspar de Casada to silence his warnings. The mutineers make their way through the vessel and take control of San Antonio. They now control 3 of the 5 ships in Magellan\'s fleet. Only Santiago commanded by Juan Serrano and the flagship Trinidad are under Magellan\'s authority. 3\. Magellan\'s Ship The mutineers fire the San Antonio\'s cannons at Magellan\'s ship but do not cause any significant damage. The sun rises. There\'s a standoff between the two factions as both sides decide what their next course of action should be. On April 2, 15 20, the mutineers decided to consolidate their forces. Unfortunately, the current in Port Saint Julien is strong and one of the longboats is pushed into the vicinity of the Trinidad where it is captured. The mutineers are forced to divulge their comrades\' plans. Learning of the next move by his adversaries, the Portuguese commander decides to launch a counteroffensive. Magellan and several marines switch clothes with the captured nightmares and board their longship. They row toward Victoria in disguise. Simultaneously, another group of loyal marines circles around the opposite side of the Victoria. The leader of this second party, Gonzalo de Espinosa, claims he has a message for captain Louie Mendoza. He is brought on board and shown to the captain\'s quarters. Mendoza waits patiently for Espinosa to relay his message. But instead, Espinosa pulls out a knife and stabs the mutineering captain in the neck. Moments later, Magellan and his marines disguised as mutineers board the victoria and attack the crew. Those loyal to Magellan successfully take the victoria, shifting the balance of power back in the Portuguese commander\'s favor. Cartagena realizes that he can no longer capture the entire fleet and tries to negotiate with Magellan. Quesada gave the order to flee, but sailors loyal to Magellan had sabotaged San Antonio by cutting several ropes and cables, rendering the sails of the ship useless. Magellan and his men capture the remaining two vessels and force the mutineers to surrender. On April 7th, 1 week after the Easter mutiny, the trials of the traitors begin. Gaspar de Quesada is beheaded. The bodies of both Quesada and Mendoza are strung up and their bodies are displayed for 3 full months. As a reminder to everyone what will happen if they try to mutiny again. Juan de Cartagena is sentenced to be marooned on a small island in the bay, where his options are to starve to death or to try and brave the frigid, choppy waters. A death sentence within itself. The remainder of the mutineers are forced to work in chains and shackles aboard the ships of the fleet. Magellan decides that in late April, he needs a plan for once the winter comes to an end and the expedition can resume. He orders Juan Serrano to take the Santiago out of the bay and scout further south for the strait that will allow them to pass around the tip of South America. On May 3rd, Santiago reaches the estuary of the Santa Cruz river. Here, they find an abundance of fish and other natural resources such as strong wood for making repairs. After exploring a little further, Serrano decides to return to the rest of the fleet. However, on May 22nd, Santiago encountered an intense winter storm. The ship is slammed into a sandbar. The sailors abandoned ship and make it shore moments before the Santiago capsizes. Serrano asks for volunteers to hike back up the coast to inform Magellan of what has happened. It takes them 11 days to reach Port Saint Julien where the remaining 4 ships are harbored. Magellan sends 24 men back over land to aid the stranded men at Santa Cruz. The shipwrecked crew of the Santiago have built small huts to shelter themselves from the elements. The abundance of seafood in the area ensures they don\'t starve while they wait for rescue. The rescue party reaches them and the entire group returns to Saint Julian safely. After the disaster of the Santiago, Magellan decides to keep the fleet sheltered in the bay until the winter begins to subside. By August, he determines that it\'s safe enough to relocate the ships to Santa Cruz, where the Santiago had been shipwrecked. The survivors had informed Magellan of the abundance of resources in the area. So moving the fleet is determined to be worth the risk. The ships set sail around August 24th and arrive safely at the estuary of the Santa Cruz river. They remain there for several more weeks to wait out the rest of winter before resuming their search for the elusive strait. On October 18, 15 20, Magellan ordered the expedition to continue their mission. They reach Cape Vergenes at 52 degrees south latitude, where they find a large bay. Suddenly, the weather changes drastically. The winds pick up and a storm sweeps through the bay. Magellan orders the vessels to retreat back to open water to reduce the risk of being wrecked on the jagged rocks jutting out of the bay. The Trinidad and Victoria managed to make it out unharmed. But the Concepcion and San Antonio are pushed deeper and deeper into the unexplored inlet. For 3 days, the ships are separated. But once the storm diminishes, the fleet is reunited. The captains of the of the Concepcion and San Antonio inform Magellan that the storm had pushed them further into the bay, where they stumbled upon a straight that seemed to continue west well out of sight. Magellan and the captains decide this may be the straight they\'ve been searching for. The fleet travels back into the bay and towards the coordinates of the straight. As the vessels enter the passageway, they test the water\'s salinity. Unlike in estuaries where the rivers flow from inland, the water salt content in this region has remained the same. This is a good indication that the waterway the fleet is traveling through is in fact a passageway around South America. At the time, Magellan referred to this stretch of water as the Estreccio de Todos Los Santos or All Saints Channel. But it will later be renamed to the Strait of Magellan. Around October 28th, the expedition reaches an island almost halfway through the strait. Magellan gives the order for the fleet to split up to explore multiple pathways around the island and ensure they don\'t miss the route through the channel. 4\. Magellan Directs His Ship Trinidad, Victoria, and Concepcion regroup on the other side of the island. However, San Antonio is not there. Magellan orders the fleet to wait for the missing ship. But with each day that passes, hope diminishes that they will be reunited. Gonzalo de Espinosa is tasked with continuing onward to explore whether the passage lets out into the body of water on the western side of South America. He sails for 3 days and is greeted by open waters. Espinosa turns his ship around and returns to Magellan with the good news that he\'s been waiting for. They have found it. The strait that connects the Atlantic to what lies beyond. It now seems that Magellan\'s dream of sailing west to reach east Asia will become a reality. Magellan sheds tears of joy upon news of the discovery. He gives the order for the fleet to carry on. At this point, it is believed that San Antonio has either been lost or deserted. It will turn out to be the latter as San Antonio is already on its way back to Spain. On November 28, 15 20, Trinidad, the Concepcion, and the Victoria pass through the strait and are in what Magellan calls Marpacifico or the Pacific Ocean due to its calm waters. The ships proceed up the coast of South America until they reach what will eventually become Santiago, Chile. After gathering whatever supplies and food they can from the coast, Magellan orders the fleet to proceed northwest into the open ocean on December 18th 15 20. And explore a part of the world that no European has encountered before. It is over a month before the men aboard the Trinidad, the Concepcion and the Victoria sealand again. On January 24th, 15 21, a series of small islands were spotted. The main island is given the name sharks island, which is likely what is known as the Pukapuka atoll today. The island is uninhabited and has very little resources of use. The expedition continues. And on February 13th, the ships cross the equator. Several days later, another island is spotted which is given the name San Pablo. But this piece of land is also uninhabited and devoid of anything of use for the malnourished sailors. The expedition leaders had no way of knowing how large the Pacific ocean would be. Magellan assumed that Asia would be relatively close to the western shores of the Americas or at the very least, there would be inhabited islands along the way. Neither of these things end up being true. The ships were not stocked with enough food or water when they left South America. What little meat they had spoiled in the intense equatorial heat. Antonio Pigafetta records the horrors of this stretch of the voyage, recounting that there were only old biscuits full of maggots to eat. To make matters worse, the rats aboard the ship had gotten into the food stores and defecated on much of the supply. The crew even resorts to eating sawdust and any rats that they can catch. The men begin to suffer from scurvy and the crew looks more like skeletons than able-bodied sailors. On March 6, 15/20 1, when hope was all but lost, the fleet spotted the island of Guam. This island is different from the previous ones as there are people living on it. The sailors shout with joy as there must be food and water on the islands. Enrique de Malacca is tasked with translating Magellan\'s questions and desires to the indigenous peoples they encounter, but there is no common language between them. The people on the island belong to the Chamorro culture, which has very little contact with east asia. Due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication while a group of Chamorros are on board the trinidad, a small boat is presumed to be stolen. This leads to the Europeans taking up arms. The islanders flee the ship, but the next day, Magellan orders a raiding party to go ashore. These men end up slaughtering the people of a nearby village and burning it to the ground. The Europeans take whatever they want from the decimated village, which gives them enough food and water to continue their journey. On March 9th, the fleet leaves Guam and continues in a southwesterly direction. One week after leaving Guam, Magellan\'s expedition reaches the outlying islands of the Philippines. It is here where a series of events will unfold that will lead to betrayal, death, and revelation. When the fleet spots land on March 16, 15 21, they adjust their course and head straight for the closest island. This will be the first contact between Europeans and the islands of the Philippines. However , it is likely not the first time that Europeans have encountered Filipinos as trade has been happening between the Philippine Islands, Indonesia, and Malaysia for centuries. This means that some of the traders that the Portuguese have been dealing with in Malacca may have been Filipinos, and the slaves being purchased or taken in Malaysia might have originally been from the Philippine Islands. Other than finding a western route around South America to the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Magellan has also been tasked by the King of Spain to convert any peoples he came in contact with to Christianity, along with claiming any and all territory not yet spoken for Spain. It is not clear how much converting had been done at previous points of contact. But once Magellan reaches the Philippines, he begins to take the conversion part of his job very seriously. The fleet reaches Suluon Island and is greeted by the Filipinos. Magellan directs his ship to the coast of the larger Homonhon Island just to the west, where the expedition trades with the Filipino inhabitants and stays docked for almost 2 weeks. The crew rests while food and water are secured and brought aboard the ships. On March 27th, the fleet continues its journey. The following morning, they encounter more Filipino people in canoes near the island of Limassawa. It is in these waters that the expedition comes across 2 Balangay ships carrying Filipinos from Mindanao. It is this encounter between the Mindanao people and the expedition that Enrique of Malacca is first able to communicate with the local people the Europeans meet. There are varying interpretations of this interaction, but the fact that Enrique can understand and speak the dialect that the Filipinos are communicating in could mean he is close to where he was originally from before being sold into slavery and brought to Europe. From accounts of this part of the journey, it is clear that some of the Filipinos like Enrique speak Malay. This is because it is the predominant trading language in the region. 5\. Magellan\'s Expedition LateR that day, the Europeans are brought to the leaders of Mindanao called Raja Colombo and Raja are brought to the leaders of Mindanao called Raja Colombo and Raja Siawy. The Europeans note that the Filipino leaders wore gold ornaments. And when asked if they had more gold, they were informed that the precious metal is plentiful on their home islands of Butuan and Calagan to the south. The Filipinos are happy to trade their gold for iron, a lucrative venture for the Europeans, who hold gold in much higher regard. On April 2nd, Magellan debates with the other captains about the next course of action. Many want to head southwest towards Malacca and the islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. This has been their goal all along, and they are clearly very close. However, Ferdinand Magellan decides to press further into the Philippines. The next day, the fleet sails towards Cebu, guided by Colombo. On April 7th, Magellan\'s expedition made landfall on the islands. In order to impress the Cebuano ruler, Magellan gives a demonstration of his weapons and cannons. He discusses Christianity with the leader of the island, Raja Humabon. On April 14th, Humabon and his entire family were baptized and given a sculpture of the baby Jesus, known as Santo Nino de Cebu. This will later become a sacred relic for the island. Following the example of their leader, approximately 2,200 Filipinos from the area decide to convert to Christianity as well. This is all possible thanks to the translation provided by Enrique. During their time in Mindanao and Cebu, Antonio Pigafetta records Enrique\'s interactions with the local people. He writes that Enrique can easily understand the islanders, which suggests that the translator does not just speak Malay, but is well versed in the local Filipino dialect of Cebuano or Bisaya as well. Pigafetta also records around 150 vocabulary words, most of which are Cebuano and were likely translated by Enrique. According to the first hand accounts we have, it appears that Enrique is a true polyglot who is able to speak Portuguese, Spanish, Malay, and Cebuano. He learned Portuguese and Spanish as a slave. And since Enrique was sold into slavery in Malacca, it comes as no surprise that he also speaks Malay, which is the dominant language in the region. But the fact that he can communicate in Cebuano is surprising. It is the knowledge of this dialect that suggests Enrique of Malacca isn\'t originally from Malacca at all but from the Philippines. If this is true, then Enrique has just become the first person to circumnavigate the globe as his starting point is not Europe like the rest of the crew or even Malacca which lies almost a 1000 miles to the west, but somewhere much closer to where the expedition is currently located. As Magellan makes his way through the Philippines, he claims each island in the name of Spain. However, when he encounters the Mactan people near Cebu, who are the rivals of Humabon, a war breaks out that will end Ferdinand Magellan\'s journey prematurely. The leader of the Mactan people is a man by the name of Lapu Lapu. When Magellan demands that he and his people convert to Christianity, Lapulapu refuses. Magellan is enraged by the insolence of these Filipinos and gathers a force of 60 well armed men to subjugate the Mactan On April 27, 15 21, the European force set out from Cebu to Mactan. Some of the already converted Cebuenos also joined the expedition. Magellan sends a final envoy to Lapulapu giving him one last chance to surrender and convert to the one true faith or face the consequences. When Lapulapu refuses, Magellan launches his attack. 49 men jump out of the longboats. They wade through water up to their thighs and approach the shore. The remaining 11 men stay behind to guard the boats. They cannot be brought all the way up to the beach due to the sharp rocks and coral surrounding the shore. Once the Europeans make landfall, they are greeted by 1500 Mactan warriors led by Lapu Lapu. The European armor and weapons are far more advanced than that of the Filipinos, but the islanders have numbers on their side. The Mactans race toward the Europeans, releasing war cries that pierce the stillness before the battle. Magellan and his men release arrow after arrow from their crossbows. The musketeers fire into the oncoming flood of warriors. A bloody struggle commences on the beach. The Mactan recognize Magellan and focus their attack on the leader of the european force. They knock his helmet off, leaving Magellan vulnerable to deadly blows. A bamboo spear flies through the air and impales Ferdinand Magellan. He continues to fight on, but the wound is so severe that he can barely raise his sword. When the warriors realize the Magellan is wounded, they focus even more attention on their enemy\'s leader. Pigafetta later writes that at this point, the captain of the expedition fell face down in the sand when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. Due to the sheer size of the Mactan force, they secured a decisive victory over the Europeans, which culminated in the death of Ferdinand Magellan. His body is left behind as the European soldiers retreat back to their boats. With the death of Magellan, the expedition needs a new leader. An election is held, which results in Duarte Barbosa, Magellan\'s brother-in-law, and Juan Serrano becoming co commanders. Even though Magellan promised Enrique freedom if he were to die, the new commanders believe that the interpreter is too important to be released. They force Enrique to remain with the expedition and continue his duties. But due to the fact that he can communicate with Filipinos in either Cebuano or Molay, Enrique has other plans. On May 1st, 4 days after the battle with the Mactan where Ferdinand Magellan was killed, Raja Humabon invites the Europeans for a great feast in their honor. Around 30 men, consisting of mostly officers, including the newly elected co commanders and Enrique, make their way to Cebu. The Filipinos bring fresh fruits and seafood for the Europeans to enjoy. They laugh and indulge themselves. However, towards the end of the meal, the welcoming atmosphere that the Cebuanos have portrayed during the feast suddenly disappears. Filipino warriors flow into the room, murdering any European they can get their hands on. 27 of the 30 men who were at the feast are killed. Juan Serrano is dragged out of the hall and forced to his knees facing the Spanish ships anchored off the coast. 6\. The Magellan Expedition He is being held for ransom. Serrano pleads with his men to pay whatever the Cebellanos ask for in exchange for his life. But the newly elected commander has very few sailors loyal to him as the ships weigh anchor and sail away. It is at this point that all firsthand accounts of what happens in this part of the Philippines end Due to Pigafetta and the rest of the Europeans leaving the region for the Spice Islands. It is presumed that Juan Serrano is killed when the ransom isn\'t paid and the ships leave. However what happens to Enrique is a different story. The May 1st massacre had likely been orchestrated by Enrique and the Cebuano leadership. The fact that the Europeans had no idea what Enrique was saying to the Filipinos at any given time meant that he could put a plan into motion to secure his freedom which had first been stripped away when he was purchased as a slave and then again when he had not been released upon Magellan\'s death. Enrique probably was not originally from Cebu. However, it is highly plausible that he was Filipino or at least from somewhere in the region. Pigafita wrote in his notes that Enrique was originally from Sumatra. But this seems unlikely if he understood and spoke Visayan or Cebuano, as Filipino languages would not have been spoken in Sumatra. Perhaps he was born in the Philippines and then sold into slavery in Sumatra, where he eventually ended up in Malacca. The linguistic connection could suggest that Enrique de Malacca was actually Enrique of the Philippines. Regardless of where exactly Enrique was from, at this point, he is much closer to where his life began and his home than any of the Europeans are. After the Spanish left, it would have made sense for Enrique to return to his people, whether that be on a different island in the Philippines or in Indonesia or Malaysia. It seems that the slaughter of the Europeans on the 1st May was set out by Enrique to regain his freedom, possibly in exchange for whatever could be stolen or ransom from the Europeans. Upon the departure of the 3 remaining Spanish ships, it will be another year and 4 months before anyone in the expedition makes it back to Spain to complete their circumnavigation of the globe. It is probable that Enrique would have returned to his home or at least traveled along the trade routes in the region long before the Europeans made it back to Spain. This means that an enslaved man from the islands of Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines was likely the first person to circumnavigate the globe over a year before any Europeans from the Magellan expedition completed the same feat. On May 2, 15 21, less than half of the 227 men who started the journey were still alive. Joao Lopez Carvalho is elected the newest leader of the expedition. The crews decide that there are not enough of them to continue operating 3 ships, so the food and goods aboard the Concepcion are transferred to the Victoria and Trinidad and the vessel is set on fire. The remaining 2 ships proceed through the southern Philippine Islands stopping along Mindanao before reaching Brunei in July of 15 21. Along the way, the Europeans engage in acts of piracy and looting to try and salvage the disaster of an expedition their voyage has become. If Magellan had survived to reach this stretch of the journey, he would have become the first person to circumnavigate the world. Unfortunately, he died less than 1,000 miles from completing his goal. On September 21st, Joao Lopez Carvalho is forced to step down from his role as commander due to the growing discontent of the crew. Martin Mendez and Gonzalo de Espinosa become the captains of the Trinidad And Juan Sebastian Elcano is elected captain of Victoria. As the ships continue through the waters of Indonesia, they are attacked by a germane fleet. It isn\'t until the 8th November that the remaining 2 ships of Magellan\'s expedition finally reach one of the spice islands they\'ve been searching for called Tidore. On December 21, 15 21, the Victoria, captained by Elcano, began its journey towards the Indian Ocean to start its trip back to Spain. However, the captains of the Trinidad decide to go a different route. A fatal decision that will result in the Trinidad never returning to Spain. By December 29th, the Victoria reaches Ambon Island. On January 25th, 15 22, the ship docks at Timor, its final recorded stop before venturing West across the Indian Ocean. Trinidad, however, stayed in the Spice Islands until April 6th, 1522. Commanded by Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, the ship heads east instead of west like the Victoria. Espinosa believes that the flagship of the Magellan expedition can make it back across the Pacific and reach New Spain or what is now Mexico. On April 16th, Trinidad arrived in Guam and the Mariana Islands. Espinosa has already lost the faith of some in his crew. And at least 3 men desert in the Mariana Islands. Trinidad proceeds northeast as they desperately try to locate the westerlies that will carry them across the Pacific ocean but the vital winds cannot be located. The Trinidad drifts in the vast waters of the Pacific where scurvy begins to take hold and as many as 30 men die as a result. At some point in September, the eastward expedition is deemed a total failure and Trinidad proceeds back to Indonesia. It arrives 2 months later with a crew that looks like skeletons and a weather battered vessel. A Portuguese fleet with orders to arrest Magellan comes across Trinidad near Tidore, where it is easily captured as the crew are too weak to put up a fight. The Trinidad is brought back to Portuguese held Ternate where it is caught in the storm, smashed to pieces and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. On May 6, 15 22, the Victoria rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. The crew is severely low on food and need to either make port or they will perish. Elcano decided to dock at Cape Verde, a Portuguese controlled port on July 10th, 15 22. He and the crew come up with a backstory that they\'re a Spanish vessel returning from the Americas. As they are aware, the Portuguese have been looking to arrest anyone in the Magellan expedition since its onset. Unfortunately, when the Portuguese examine the cargo aboard the Victoria, they find 26 tons of cloves and cinnamon spices from the East Indies. The crew of the Victoria spring into action and prepared to depart before their ship can be captured. Thirteen men are arrested but Elcano and the remaining sailors of the Magellan expedition manage to escape with the Portuguese in pursuit. The victoria races up the coast of Africa and on September 6, 15 22 reaches Sanlucar de Barameda in Spain. Almost 3 years to the day after the original expedition left Europe, 1 ship and 18 men managed to complete the circumnavigation of the entire globe. The Victoria carries spices from the East Indies and several severely malnourished Moluccan slaves as well. On September 8th, the Victoria proceeds upriver to Seville. The Magellan expedition traveled approximately 60,000 miles, Where the first Europeans to cross the Pacific Ocean and open new trade routes for Spain. Over 80% of the crew lost their lives during the voyage. When Elcano meets with the emperor Charles of Spain, he is given a glow with the inscription, primus circundedisteme. You were the first to encircle me. The Magellan expedition, once and for all, proved that the earth was round. 7\. Conclusion It also provided Spain with the ability to establish commercial and economic routes between its colonies in the Americas and territories acclaimed in Asia, such as the Philippines. Magellan\'s voyage also ushered in the first age of globalization in history. Ferdinand Magellan himself did not circumnavigate the globe as he died in the Philippines on an island further east than he had ever been previously. His former slave and translator on the expedition, Enrique of Malacca, on the other hand, seemed to speak the Visayan Filipino language and therefore could have either been Filipino himself or had once lived close to the Philippine Islands before being sold into slavery. Therefore, the first person to circumnavigate the world was definitely not Ferdinand Magellan and likely not one of the 18 Europeans aboard the Victoria when it returned to Spain. Instead, it was a man born somewhere in the islands off the east coast of Asia.