Do you know who Magellan is and what he did?

Fernao de Magalhaes, which should be given a great place in the history of discoveries as well as in the history of world naval history, was born in Portugal in 1480 as the child of a noble family. Between 1505 and 1512, he was in the service of the King of Portugal. He joins the fleet of Francisco de Almeida, Portugal's first governor of India. Participated in several wars in Mozambique, India, and Malacca, these wars resulted in Portugal gaining the upper hand over most of the Indian Ocean. It helps them to create checkpoints like Goa, and Macao. Returning to Portugal in 1512, Magellan is assigned to Morocco to take Azamor Castle the following year. In November 1514, he returns to Lisbon and asks for his salary and rank to be increased. King Manuel, who refuses this request, tells him to return to Morocco and to enter the service of another ruler if he wishes.

At the disposal of the King of Spain

Upon the negative answers he received from the king, Magellan decided to enter the service of the King of Spain and went to Seville on 20 October 1517. In Seville, he meets with the geographer Rui Faleiro, who is also Portuguese, and they set out for the city where the King of Spain is located. It was adopted by King Carlos I (Emperor Karl V / Charles V 1500-1558) and later changed his name to Fernando de Magallanes.

According to a papal edict published in 1493, the ones to the east of a certain border line from the newly discovered or to be discovered lands will belong to Portugal, and those to the west will belong to Spain. The rich Maluku Islands (Indonesia) in the Far East are considered to be Portuguese property as a result of this sharing. Despite the richness of this region in terms of spices, the American continent, which is considered the property of Spain, is insufficient in terms of spice production and is an area only suitable for looting. Although the looting economy, which is uncertain how long it will last, is initially attractive, the Spanish administration, which thinks that it will be insufficient in the long run, believes that a different way should be found to reach the Far East.

The solution between Portugal and Spain

Magellan believed that one could pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through a passage located at the lowest tip of South America. In this way, it will be possible to reach the Maluku Islands by always going west and a solution can be created in accordance with the Papal edict. The proposals of Magellan and Faleiro were approved by the king on May 22, 1518, and the two were appointed captain of the expedition to find a sea route through Spanish waters to the Maluku Islands with joint responsibility. They will take responsibility for the management of the lands to be discovered during this expedition and one-twentieth of the net profits of the expedition.

Heading the road

Before Magellan's thought, some people claimed that one could travel around the world by constantly going west, without traveling around the Cape of Good Hope, which was under the control of the Portuguese. After a year and a half of preparatory work, five ships, including 270 people from nine countries, set sail on 20 September 1519 from the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the Guadalquivir River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The flagship of the five-ship fleet is “Trinidad” and the other ships accompanying it are; “San Antonio”, “Concepción”, “Victoria” and “Santiago”. Meanwhile, Faleiro cannot join the expedition due to a fit of madness. Six days later the fleet reaches Tenerife. Here, some deficiencies are corrected and on October 3, 1519, he sails to Brazil. After sailing for a little over two months, the Rio de Janeiro Bay was reached on 13 December 1519. After resting for a short time, we move south. They enter almost every river, looking for a way out to the west. This grueling journey resulted in the revolt of the Spanish captains against Magellan on March 31, 1520. Magellan decisively and ruthlessly suppresses the uprising. He has one captain, one of the leaders of the uprising, executed, and leaves another ashore. More than ten months after their departure from Rio de Janeiro, they enter the passage that will henceforth be called the "Strait of Magellan". Meanwhile, Santiago was abandoned because it ran aground, and San Antonio decided to abandon the fleet and return to Spain. Therefore, three ships reach the end of the pass, and Magellan welcomes the sight of the Pacific Ocean with great joy. On November 28, 1520, they entered the sea known as the "South Sea", which was later called "Pacifico: calm, calm" in Spanish, due to the very calm nature of their voyage. Due to the stagnation of the sea, it is difficult to navigate, the drinking water on the ships runs out, the crew caught scurvy have to eat even the skins at the ends of the spars due to hunger. On March 6, 1521, at Guam in the Mariana Islands, he set foot on land for the first time since the start of the expedition.

Keep going

It has been almost a year and a half since the departure from Spain. In this sea, which he probably knew more or less from the conversations he had with Portuguese sailors who had traveled the Cape of Good Hope before and had information about the region, he turned the route to the Philippine Islands, both to store food and drink and to repair ships, before reaching the Maluku Islands. After reaching the Philippines, he made a treaty with the local ruler in Massawa, giving Spain its first ally in the Pacific Ocean. Two months later, he is killed in a battle with the natives on Macdan Island.

After Magellan's death, two ships "Victoria and Trinidad" arrive in the Maluku Islands. Ships loading spices depart from here, but only the 85-tonne Victorian ship under the command of Elcano can return to Spain. On September 8, 1522, nearly three years after the start of the voyage, seventeen Europeans entered the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on a ship loaded with spices. By the order of the emperor, a sphere with the inscription "Primus circumdedisti me / The first to circumnavigate" is engraved on the coat of arms of Elcano.

Strait of Magellan

Behind Magellan's unforgettable name for so many years lies his mastery and broad worldview in the management of the expedition that resulted in the circumnavigation of the world by sea. Although he could not complete this expedition, it is a great success in terms of proving that the world is a navigable circle. The Bosphorus discovered by Magellan is not a preferred mode of transportation because it is too far to the south and is full of winding and harsh currents. However, this road, which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and provides sea transportation to Asia from the east, continued to be used for four hundred years until the "Panama Canal", which was opened on August 15, 1914.

Younger generations

The story of Magellan was best told by Stefan Zweig; “The world changes whenever a younger generation starts working hard.” Today, although most people know his name, they do not know who Magellan is and what he did. However, people like him have overcome many difficulties with their knowledge and willpower and paved the way for humanity. Learning his story may inspire some of us to succeed. For this, I recommend reading Zweig's book, there are many lessons to be learned for all of us.