CHAPTER 2:
Content and Contextual
Analysis of Selected
Primary Sources
LESSON 3
First Voyage Around the
World
Ferdinand Magellan
He was famous as the
great explorer who led 5
Spanish ships and 251
men in the first voyage
around the World.
Short Biography
•Date of Birth: Born in 1480
•Place of Birth: Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz
os Montes in Portugal
•Parents: Mayor Pedro Ruy de Magalhaes (Father) and
Alda de Mezquita (Mother)
•Background Facts, Information & Ancestry: Came
from a wealthy family who had strong connections with
the Portuguese court.
1480
 Born at Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal.
 Well tutored at home and then spent his early years at the Portuguese court.
1505
 Ferdinand Magellan joined the expedition of Francisco d'Almeida to India.
1512
 Took part in the Portuguese expedition to Morocco and was badly wounded.
 Has a serious disagreement with a commanding officer and leaves the
service without prior permission.
1513
 Requests permission from King Manuel of Portugal to sail to the Spice Islands in
the Far East but is refused following the unfavorable reports from Morocco.
 Resumes his studies in Portugal for a couple more years but fails to gain favor
with the Portuguese court and therefore renounces his Portuguese nationality.
1518
 Magellan leaves Portugal and heads for Spain.
1519
 March 22: Magellan convinces King Charles I of Spain to support
his voyage to the Spice Islands and the King promises Magellan
one-fifth of the profits from the voyage to the Spice Islands
 Spain provides five ships for the expedition:
 Magellan commands the Trinidad
 Juan de Cartagena commands the San Antonio
 Gaspar de Quesada commands the Concepcion
 Luis de Mendoza commands the Victoria
 Juan Serrano commands the Santiago
 Leads the five Spanish ships with 251 men in what was to become
the first voyage around the World
 20 September: The fleet sail across the Atlantic Ocean to South
America and Rio de Janeiro and then start to search for a
passage to the Pacific Ocean.
1520  March: The fleet anchor for the winter at Puerto
San Julian in Southern Argentina
 September: A storm destroys the Santiago and
a mutiny breaks out
 October: Ferdinand Magellan and his crew
resume their voyage on the remaining ships
 21 November: Enters the straits which would be
named the Magellan Straits becoming the first
Europeans ever to sail across the Pacific Ocean.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahU
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2593Elcano_circumnavigation&psig=AOvVaw3CendpZ7qJzcsdMeOI
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url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2F
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1521
• March 6: Magellan reached the Pacific island of Guam
• March16: Discovers the Philippines
• April 27: Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives on the
island of Mactan.
Only 110 of the original crew members remained so they
abandoned one of the ships - the Conception. The Trinidad
tried to return back to Spain the same way they had came
but was forced to return to the Spice Islands where they
were imprisoned by the Portuguese. The Victoria was the
last remaining ship.
1522
 September 6: The Victoria reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in
Spain with only 18 survivors
Antonio Pigafetta First Voyage Around the
World
Antonio Pigafetta
In particular, Pigafetta wrote
the description of the different
places he had seen, the people he
met and their diverse and
fascinating culture. The historic
expedition began in 1519 and was
successfully completed in 1522
(Ligan, et.al. 2018)
Short Biography
He was born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza,
Venice, Italy, was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta.
Studied astronomy, geography, and cartography.
A well-educated young man possessing an avid
curiosity of the world around him
An Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of
Venice.
He traveled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew by order of the King Charles I of
Spain on their voyage around the world.
During the expedition, he served as Magellan's
assistant and kept an accurate journal of their journey.
Pigafetta was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines,
where Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in April
1521 nevertheless, he recovered and was among the 18
who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on board
the Victoria on the return voyage to Spain.
The voyage completed the first circumnavigation of the
world; Juan Sebastián Elcano served as captain after
Magellan's death.
 Pigafetta's journal is the source for much of what we
know about Magellan and Elcano's voyage.
What is the Historical
Background of the Document?
The manuscript volume dating from around 1525,
details Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage accompanied by
Antonio Pigaffeta around the world.
Pigafetta kept a detailed journal, the original of which
is lost. However, an account of the voyage written by
Pigaffeta between 1522 and 1525, survives in four
manuscript versions. One in Italian and three in
French.
The second, or Paris, edition of Transylvanus’ De
Moluccis, printed in 1523, several moths after the first
or the Cologne edition (Massachussetts Historical
Library.
Second French manuscript by Pigaffeta, the writing is
more legible and seems newer that the preceeding
two copies.
The fourth edition of Transylvanus ’ De Moluccis,
printed in 1524, about a year and half after it first
appeared in Cologne.
Historical Context
In the 15th century, spices were at
the epicenter of the world
economy,
Magellan was exposed to stories of
the great Portuguese and Spanish
rivalry for sea exploration and
dominance over the spice trade in
the East Indies.
Intrigued by the promise of fame
and riches, Magellan developed an
interest in maritime discovery in
those early years.
In search of fame and fortune,
Portuguese
explorer
Ferdinand
Magellan (c. 1480-1521) set out from
Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships
to discover a western sea route to the
Spice Islands.
March 16,1521 – Antonio Pigafetta
together with Ferdinand magellan and
the crew landed Samar.
Magellan befriended the locals and
struck with a sudden religious zeal, and
he sought to convert them to
Christianity.
Historical Analysis
There is already a sense of
colonial mentality.
Natives have already
feeling of Hospitality.
the
There
was
a
peaceful
relationship of the spanish
voyagers with the natives of
Cebu before meeting Lapu
lapu.
The natives have their own
traditions/ceremonies
when
their chiefs dies.
 It is not Lapu-Lapu killed
Magellan but his men.
Contemporary Relevance
The excerpt promotes understanding of
Philippine History from an eyewitness.
 Pigafetta’s journal became the basis for
his 1525 travelogue.
 The Voyage is not always bad as others
thought but it also useful for it
contributes Christianity among Filipino
people.
Pigafetta’s chronicle contributed
immensely
to
European
historiography as it preserved and
popularized the achievements of
Magellan-elcano expedition.
They proved that the Earth is not
flat but an oblate sphere.
They demolished the myth that
there is boiling water at the
equator.
Resulted in the inclusion of new
territories in their world view.
It reminds that natives of the mentioned
places have already colorful culture and
up to now are still existing.
Develop sense of Patriotism
Serves as new source in reconstructing
the history.
 It shows that many of our utensils came
from the culture of the Spanish.