Ferdinand Magellan
The Life and Times of the First Explorer to Circumnavigate the Earth
With a little persuasion, Portugal's most famous explorer was able to convince Spain's King Charles that he was the right explorer to get the spice-route-finding job done
An Unhappy Former Court Page Receives a Jester’s Pie to the Face
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in Sabrosa, Portugal, to a family of minor nobles, and spent many of his early years as a court page.
He must not have cemented any lasting connections among the movers and shakers, because in later years when he returned to that same court to propose a voyage westward in order to reach the Spice Islands, he received the equivalent of a court-jester pie to the face.
The New World discovery a few years earlier was not the resounding, heel-clicking triumph it was at first thought to be where spices were concerned. While a continent or two had indeed been discovered, the great sea route to the East remained unfound.
Cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, ginger and other spices were highly sought after in Europe during this time, and could command high prices. It was this compelling need for spices that drove men like Magellan.
Old Soft-Touch Charles Was Actually Quite Young
Following in the footsteps of Columbus before him, Magellan, in 1518, now paid a visit to the Spanish court. Here there would be no kick to Magellan’s backside; neither would there be a court jester’s pie to his face. The teenage King Charles readily gave his royal stamp of approval to Magellan.
King Charles (later to become known as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) was a soft touch and easily swayed. He provided even more than an explorer of quality could reasonably expect. With the money that Magellan was given, he was able to purchase five ships--the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria and the Santiago, along with the services of 270 men.
Mutinous Elements Who Do Not Believe in Wasting Any Time Where Mutinous Matters Are Concerned
Magellan set sail in September, 1519, on a south-westerly course in the direction of Brazil. By November already of that same year there was an attempt of mutiny against Magellan. The ringleader of the mutinous dogs was Juan de Cartagena, the commander of the San Antonio. Taking a dim view of the mutinous attempt, Magellan had Cartagena arrested and held prisoner aboard the Victoria. Like all the other captains, Cartagena was Spanish, while Magellan was Portuguese, which was one of the reasons for Cartegena’s unfriendly, malcontent mutinous sentiments.
On December 13 Magellan’s ships anchored off the coast of what is today Rio de Janiero, which was sufficiently out of the way of the Portuguese sphere of influence. There the fleet stocked up on fresh provisions before continuing down the east coast of South America.
When the fleet reached Patagonia, which is present-day Argentina, Magellan’s old mutiny-happy pal Cartegena attempted another mutiny after having been released by the captain of the Victoria, Luis de Mendoza.
Magellan responded as any good 16th-century commander would. He marooned the pesky fly-like Cartegena in the barren, no-where land of Patagonia, had some of the mutinous elements executed and imprisoned the leftover mutineers.
The last leg of Magellan’s journey will be related in an upcoming article.
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