The Significance of Magellan’s Circumnavigation of the Globe

The significance of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe is widely spread and popular. Three questions appear about Magellan’s Strasse and the subsequent Pacific crossing. First, it begs the question: When he crossed the Malacca Strait and entered the Pacific, why did he find himself in such a stunningly wonderful climate? Around Chile’s southern coast, most people who followed him across the Magellan Strait or around Cape Horn faced terrible weather. Second, why would he go so far north of the equator when it was well known that the Moluccas were located close to the equator? Furthermore, why would he traverse the doldrums on a damaged ship with a starving crew? Third, after crossing such a vast ocean, how come he only came across two deserted islands?

The Beginning of the Expedition

Magellan from Portugal led an expedition to the islands named Spice islands that consisted of five ships. The Victoria crew consisted of a single carrack, led by Juan Sebastián Elcano as they set sail on their voyage. They reached a pivotal turning point in the history of nautical travel when they became the first people to sail around the world in a continuous westward direction.

Two Powers Separated by a Single Line

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, forbade Castilian ships from travelling to the Spice Islands through the east and around Africa, both of which were regions under the control of the Portuguese. Several individuals expressed interest in sailing to the West, hoping to find an alternative path to the Maluku Islands. In 1492, Christopher Columbus set out to achieve this goal.

Searching for a Way to Get to the West

Many Europeans who came to America in quest of the East Indies believed the path was much farther south of the Atlantic Ocean. Juan Daz de Sols led an expedition that landed at the Rio de la Plata in 1516, but they were unsuccessful in their search for the passage. Magellan successfully persuaded Charles V to let him proceed with his journey.

The Path Taken

The voyage started in Seville on August 10, 1519, and finished in Sanlucar de Barrameda on September 20, 1519. Both dates are in the year 1519. The Trinidad served as the flagship, while other ships in the fleet were the San Antonio, Victoria, Concepción, and Santiago.

They arrived at Tenerife on September 26 and departed on October 3 of that same year. During the journey, the crew will undergo several different transformations.

They arrived in Brazil on November 29 and landed in the port of Santa Luzia between December 13 and 27. Santa Luzia is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro today. When they first arrived in the Americas, they established contact with the native people and bartered with them for food and other supplies.

The Landfall at the Mouth of the Plata River on January 12, 1520

• On March 31, they landed at Port St. Julian in southern Patagonia. Magellan had planned to spend the winter there. A revolt led by the commanders of the other ships had to be put down with extreme violence
• On May 3, Santiago’s carrack was lost as it explored a river when it sank. On October 21, the fleet could locate the entrance to the strait and then started crossing it. They navigated through a labyrinth of islands and went around the Cape of Eleven Thousand Virgins. In May of 1521, it returned to Seville, stating that it had no idea what had become of the other people who had escaped
• They travelled across the world’s most enormous ocean, about 63.8 million square miles in size, for one hundred days, stopping at just a few remote atolls along the way. The name that was chosen for it was Pacific. They were suffering from scurvy in addition to the heat and hunger they had been experiencing
• On March 6, 1521, they finally saw dry ground for the first time after arriving at the Mariana Islands. They landed in Guam and the Philippines on March 16, many days after their departure. Because of a significant leak discovered on December 21, the carrack Trinidad was compelled to stay in port at Tidore. They decided to go back to Spain through the eastern route. It was a dismal failure
• In addition to proving without a doubt that our world is spherical, the first circumnavigation of the Earth also led to the discovery of a western route leading to the abundant Maluku Islands
• In April of 1521, the expedition landed on the island of Cebu, a part of Guam and the Philippines and located in the Pacific Ocean. The crew of Magellan’s ship was the first Europeans to set foot on these islands, and their arrival paved the way for the extensive Spanish colonisation of the archipelago, which did not end until 1898. Magellan made friends with the local monarch, Raja Humabon, and got involved in the area’s politics which ultimately contributed to his downfall

The ships embarked on a six-month-long piracy campaign while still making their way to the Spice Islands. In November, they landed on the island of Tidore in the Malukus and loaded their ships with cloves. It was determined that the sinking Trinidad could not be saved; therefore, its crew and passengers were sent adrift.

Conclusion

The significance of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe is the starting point for the development of global commerce and the process of globalisation that characterises our world today. The gang’s journey was about to embark on was challenging. It also led to significant advances in scientific understanding, such as expanding our knowledge of the circumference of the Earth and providing fresh perspectives on the passage of time throughout the world.