500 years – Magellan’s Circumnavigation

In 1519, Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan) set sail on an adventure of a lifetime: the first voyage around the world in human history.
This year, 2019, we celebrate Magellan, we celebrate innovation, discovery, science and technology.

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[pedrocsantos]

Magalhães is one of the greatest explorers of all time, he revolutionized world navigation.

The sphericity of the earth was an IDEA known since antiquity, but they were only calculations, theories never proved. Magalhaes and his journey definitely proved that the earth is round.

When in 1518 Magalhaes goes to tell Carlos I of Castile (future Charles V), King of Spain, in a sustained way, that it is not only possible to reach the spice islands from the west, but, according to his calculations, they would actually be in the area of Spanish influence, (Magalhaes would have verified that the Moluccas Islands were in Portuguese territory, a fact that placed the Portuguese navigator in a very delicate position, if he reported this verification to the king of Spain), is listened to willingly. Such is the promise of riches from spices and the discovery of new lands that Magalhaes sells to the king. It is for them that he receives an armada. Finding wealth was necessarily more credible than going around the world and it was contrary to the order of Charles V, even more so that among the king's advisers were powerful religious people and claiming that the earth was round was considered heresy. It was the combination of an economic-political context, new cartographic knowledge and the unbroken will of a man who could be born in this first trip around the world.

Magalhaes is convinced that it is possible to sail towards the west to reach the Spice Islands. His nobility status gives him access to the royal archives in Portugal, where all navigation archives are kept. he goes there to meet Ruy Faleiro, one of the best cartographers of his time.
thanks to the latter's calculations, the letters of Martin Behaim and Johann Schone, and with his own knowledge, Magalhaes acquires the unshakeable certainty that there is a passage between the Atlantic and the expanse of water observed by Balboa.
The King of Portugal D. Manuel I had already rejected his project, (due to the treaty with Spain and the Portuguese having arrived in the Moluccas in 1512 and even built a fort in 1519).
Fernão Magalhães then offered his services to the Spanish crown. Against all expectations Magellan gets the fleet and prepares for the journey. Magalhães thus becomes the master on board, even if the other four captains of the ships are unfavorable to him for being Portuguese. however its marine qualities and its relative simplicity make it to be recognized favorably among sailors of lower status. After several months of trying to discover the passage to the Pacific Ocean, without success, the already discontented Spanish officers, not believing that such a passage existed, organized a mutiny to remove Magellan from power and finally be able to return home. Among these mutineers was El Cano. The revolt was unsuccessful and Magalhaes punished the traitors, sparing El Cano as he had other plans for him.

Magailles foresaw his future, he was well aware of the fate of his predecessors in the great discoveries. Columbus put in irons, Americo Vespucci accused of lies and usurpation, Nunez de Balboa beheaded. Magalhaes was hated by the Spaniards and by the Portuguese he knew very well what his end would be, but even so he had a goal of traveling around the world and he would fulfill that dream.

Nowadays, for political reasons and Spanish influence, there is an attempt to rewrite history and refer the name of Elcano whenever this great trip is mentioned. It is a tremendous injustice and an offense to Magellan's memory... the traitor elcano is just a footnote in this great history, it was Magalhães who took care of absolutely everything, elcano was just lucky enough to be in that position and to complete the last and easiest part of the voyage through seas that were already known.


Now be honest, do you think elcano is part of this history as an equal?

This is much worst then Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

[reymanosa]

Its been 500 years since Magellan came to Philippines. And possible introduction of Christianity.