June 26th, 2015

It was a time when ships were built of wood,
and the people who controlled them were forged from steel

Ask anyone and he will tell you that the first person to commit trip around the world, was the Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who died on the island of Mactan (Philippines) during an armed skirmish with the natives (1521). The same is written in history books. Actually, this is a myth. After all, it turns out that one excludes the other. Magellan managed to go only half way.

Primus circumdedisti me (you were the first to bypass me)- reads the Latin inscription on the emblem of Juan Sebastian Elcano crowned with a globe. Indeed, Elcano was the first person to commit circumnavigation.

Let's find out more about how it happened...

The San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian houses Salaverria's painting "The Return of the Victoria". Eighteen emaciated people in white shrouds, with lighted candles in their hands, staggering down the ladder from the ship to the embankment of Seville. These are sailors from the only ship that returned to Spain from the entire flotilla of Magellan. In front is their captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Much in the biography of Elcano has not yet been clarified. Oddly enough, the man who circumnavigated the globe for the first time did not attract the attention of artists and historians of his time. There is not even a reliable portrait of him, and of the documents written by him, only letters to the king, petitions and a will have survived.

Juan Sebastian Elcano was born in 1486 in Getaria, a small port town in the Basque Country, not far from San Sebastian. He early linked his own fate with the sea, making a “career” that was not uncommon for an enterprising person of that time - first changing his job as a fisherman to a smuggler, and later enrolling in the navy to avoid punishment for his too free attitude to laws and trade duties. Elcano took part in the Italian Wars and the Spanish military campaign in Algeria in 1509. Bask had mastered maritime business quite well in practice when he was a smuggler, but it was in the navy that Elcano received the “correct” education in the field of navigation and astronomy.

In 1510, Elcano, the owner and captain of a ship, took part in the siege of Tripoli. But the Spanish Treasury refused to pay Elcano the amount due for settlements with the crew. After leaving the military service, which never seriously attracted the young adventurer with low wages and the need to maintain discipline, Elcano decides to start new life in Seville. It seems to Basque that a bright future awaits him - in a new city for him, no one knows about his not entirely impeccable past, the navigator atoned for his guilt before the law in battles with the enemies of Spain, he has official papers that allow him to work as a captain on a merchant ship … But the trade enterprises, in which Elcano becomes a participant, turn out to be unprofitable as one.

In 1517, in payment of debts, he sold the ship under his command to the Genoese bankers - and this trading operation determined his entire fate. The fact is that the owner of the sold ship was not Elcano himself, but the Spanish crown, and the Basque is expected to again have difficulties with the law, this time threatening him with the death penalty. At that time it was considered a serious crime. Knowing that the court would not take into account any excuses, Elcano fled to Seville, where it was easy to get lost, and then take refuge on any ship: in those days, the captains were least interested in the biographies of their people. In addition, there were many Elcano fellow countrymen in Seville, and one of them, Ibarolla, was well acquainted with Magellan. He helped Elcano to enlist in Magellan's flotilla. Having passed the exams and received beans as a sign of a good grade (those who did not pass received peas from the examination board), Elcano became helmsman on the third largest ship in the flotilla, the Concepcione.

Ships of Magellan's flotilla

On September 20, 1519, Magellan's flotilla left the mouth of the Guadalquivir and headed for the coast of Brazil. In April 1520, when the ships settled down for the winter in the frosty and deserted bay of San Julian, the captains, dissatisfied with Magellan, mutinied. Elcano was drawn into it, not daring to disobey his commander, the captain of the Concepción Quesada.

Magellan vigorously and brutally suppressed the rebellion: Quesada and another of the leaders of the conspiracy were cut off their heads, the corpses were quartered and the mutilated remains were stumbled on poles. Captain Cartagena and one priest, also the instigator of the rebellion, Magellan ordered to be landed on the deserted shore of the bay, where they subsequently died. The remaining forty rebels, including Elcano, Magellan spared.

1. The first ever circumnavigation of the world

On November 28, 1520, the remaining three ships left the strait and in March 1521, after an unprecedentedly difficult passage through the Pacific Ocean, they approached the islands, which later became known as the Marianas. In the same month, Magellan discovered the Philippine Islands, and on April 27, 1521, he died in a skirmish with local residents on the island of Matan. Elcano, stricken with scurvy, did not participate in this skirmish. After the death of Magellan, Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla. At the head of a small detachment, they went ashore to the Raja of Cebu and were treacherously killed. Fate again - for the umpteenth time - spared Elcano. Karvalyo became the head of the flotilla. But there were only 115 men left on the three ships; many of them are sick. Therefore, the Concepcion was burned in the strait between the islands of Cebu and Bohol; and his team moved to the other two ships - "Victoria" and "Trinidad". Both ships wandered between the islands for a long time, until, finally, on November 8, 1521, they anchored off the island of Tidore, one of the "Spice Islands" - the Moluccas. Then, in general, it was decided to continue sailing on one ship - the Victoria, of which Elcano had become the captain shortly before, and leave the Trinidad on the Moluccas. And Elcano managed to navigate his worm-eaten ship with a hungry crew through Indian Ocean and along the African coast. A third of the team died, about a third was detained by the Portuguese, but still, on September 8, 1522, the Victoria entered the mouth of the Guadalquivir.

It was an unprecedented, unheard-of passage in the history of navigation. Contemporaries wrote that Elcano surpassed King Solomon, the Argonauts and the cunning Odysseus. First in history circumnavigation has been completed! The king granted the navigator an annual pension of 500 gold ducats and knighted Elcano. The coat of arms assigned to Elcano (since then del Cano) commemorated his voyage. The coat of arms depicted two cinnamon sticks framed with nutmeg and cloves, a golden padlock surmounted by a helmet. Above the helmet is a globe with a Latin inscription: "You were the first to circle me." And finally, by special decree, the king announced forgiveness to Elcano for selling the ship to a foreigner. But if it was quite simple to reward and forgive the brave captain, then it turned out to be more difficult to resolve all the controversial issues related to the fate of the Moluccas. The Spanish-Portuguese congress sat for a long time, but was never able to “divide” the islands located on the other side of the “earthly apple” between the two powerful powers. And the Spanish government decided not to delay sending a second expedition to the Moluccas.

2. Goodbye A Coruña

A Coruna was considered the safest port in Spain, which "could accommodate all the fleets of the world." The importance of the city increased even more when the Chamber of Indies was temporarily transferred here from Seville. This chamber developed plans for a new expedition to the Moluccas in order to finally establish Spanish domination on these islands. Elcano arrived in A Coruña full of bright hopes - he already saw himself as an admiral of the armada - and set about equipping the flotilla. However, Charles I did not appoint Elcano as commander, but a certain Jofre de Loais, a participant in many naval battles, but completely unfamiliar with navigation. Elcano's pride was deeply wounded. In addition, the “highest refusal” came from the royal office to Elcano’s petition for the payment of an annual pension granted to him of 500 gold ducats: the king ordered that this amount be paid only after returning from the expedition. So Elcano experienced the traditional ingratitude of the Spanish crown to the famous navigators.

Before sailing, Elcano visited his native Getaria, where he, an illustrious sailor, easily managed to recruit many volunteers to his ships: with a man who has bypassed the “apple of the earth”, you will not be lost even in the jaws of the devil, the port brethren reasoned. At the beginning of the summer of 1525, Elcano brought his four ships to A Coruña and was appointed helmsman and deputy commander of the flotilla. In total, the flotilla consisted of seven ships and 450 crew members. There were no Portuguese on this expedition. The last night before the sailing of the flotilla in A Coruña was very lively and solemn. At midnight on Mount Hercules, on the site of the ruins of a Roman lighthouse, a huge fire was lit. The city said goodbye to the sailors. The cries of the townspeople, who treated the sailors with wine from leather bottles, the sobs of women and the hymns of the pilgrims mixed with the sounds of the cheerful dance “La Muneira”. The sailors of the flotilla remembered this night for a long time. They went to another hemisphere, and now they faced a life full of dangers and hardships. AT last time Elcano walked under the narrow archway of Puerto de San Miguel and descended the sixteen pink steps to the beach. These steps, already completely worn out, have survived to this day.

Death of Magellan

3. Misfortunes of the chief helmsman

The powerful, well-armed flotilla of Loaysa put to sea on July 24, 1525. According to the royal instructions, and Loaisa had fifty-three in total, the flotilla was to follow the path of Magellan, but avoid his mistakes. But neither Elcano, the king's chief adviser, nor the king himself foresaw that this would be the last expedition sent through the Strait of Magellan. It was the Loaisa expedition that was destined to prove that this was not the most profitable way. And all subsequent expeditions to Asia departed from the Pacific ports of New Spain (Mexico).

July 26 vessels rounded Cape Finisterre. On August 18, the ships were caught in a severe storm. On the admiral's ship, the mainmast was broken, but two carpenters sent by Elcano, risking their lives, nevertheless got there in a small boat. While the mast was being repaired, the flagship collided with the Parral, breaking its mizzen mast. Swimming was very difficult. There was a lack of fresh water and provisions. Who knows what the fate of the expedition would have been if on October 20 the lookout had not seen the island of Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea on the horizon. The island was deserted - only a few skeletons lay under a tree on which a strange inscription was carved: "Here lies the unfortunate Juan Ruiz, killed because he deserved it." Superstitious sailors saw this as a formidable omen. The ships hastily filled with water, stocked up with provisions. On this occasion, the captains and officers of the flotilla were summoned to a festive dinner with the admiral, which almost ended tragically.

A huge fish of an unknown breed was served on the table. According to Urdaneta, Elcano's page and chronicler of the expedition, some sailors, "who tasted the meat of this fish, which had teeth like a big dog, had such stomach pains that they thought they would not survive." Soon the whole flotilla left the shores of the inhospitable Annobon. From here, Loaysa decided to sail to the coast of Brazil. And from that moment on, the Sancti Espiritus, Elcano's ship, began a streak of misfortune. Without having time to set the sails, the Sancti Espiritus almost collided with the admiral's ship, and then generally lagged behind the flotilla for some time. At latitude 31º, after a strong storm, the admiral's ship disappeared from sight. Elcano assumed command of the remaining vessels. Then the San Gabriel separated from the flotilla. The remaining five ships searched for the admiral's ship for three days. The search was unsuccessful, and Elcano ordered to move on to the Strait of Magellan.

On January 12, the ships stopped at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, and since neither the admiral's ship nor the San Gabriel came here, Elcano convened a council. Knowing from the experience of the previous voyage that this was an excellent anchorage, he suggested waiting for both ships, as was the instructions. However, the officers, who were eager to enter the strait as soon as possible, advised leaving only the Santiago pinnace at the mouth of the river, burying in a jar under a cross on an island a message that the ships were heading for the Strait of Magellan. On the morning of January 14, the flotilla weighed anchor. But what Elcano took for a strait turned out to be the mouth of the Gallegos River, five or six miles from the strait. Urdaneta, who despite his admiration for Elcano. retained the ability to be critical of his decisions, writes that such a mistake by Elcano struck him very much. On the same day they approached the real entrance to the strait and anchored at the Cape of the Eleven Thousand Holy Virgins.

An exact copy of the ship "Victoria"

At night, a terrible storm hit the flotilla. Raging waves flooded the ship to the middle of the masts, and it barely kept on four anchors. Elcano realized that all was lost. His only thought now was to save the team. He ordered the ship to be grounded. Panic broke out on the Sancti Espiritus. Several soldiers and sailors rushed into the water in horror; all drowned except one who managed to make it to shore. Then the rest crossed to the shore. Managed to save some of the provisions. However, at night the storm broke out with the same force and finally smashed the Sancti Espiritus. For Elcano - the captain, the first circumnavigator and the main helmsman of the expedition - the crash, especially through his fault, was a big blow. Never before has Elcano been in such a difficult position. When the storm finally subsided, the captains of other ships sent a boat for Elcano, offering him to lead them through the Strait of Magellan, since he had been here before. Elcano agreed, but took only Urdaneta with him. He left the rest of the sailors on the shore ...

But failures did not leave the exhausted flotilla. From the very beginning, one of the ships almost ran into the rocks, and only the determination of Elcano saved the ship. After some time, Elcano sent Urdaneta with a group of sailors for the sailors left on the shore. Soon, Urdaneta's group ran out of provisions. It was very cold at night, and people were forced to burrow up to their necks in the sand, which also did not warm much. On the fourth day, Urdaneta and his companions approached the sailors dying on the shore from hunger and cold, and on the same day, the Loaysa ship, the San Gabriel, and the Santiago pinnass entered the mouth of the strait. On January 20, they joined the rest of the ships of the flotilla.

JUAN SEBASTIAN ELCANO

On February 5, a severe storm broke out again. The Elcano ship took refuge in the strait, and the San Lesmes was driven further south by the storm, to 54 ° 50 ′ south latitude, that is, it approached the very tip of Tierra del Fuego. Not a single ship went south in those days. A little more, and the expedition would be able to open the way around Cape Horn. After the storm, it turned out that the admiral's ship was aground, and Loaysa and the crew left the ship. Elcano immediately sent a group of the best sailors to help the admiral. On the same day, the Anunsiada deserted. The captain of the ship de Vera decided to independently get to the Moluccas past the Cape of Good Hope. The Anunciad has gone missing. A few days later, the San Gabriel also deserted. The remaining ships returned to the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, where the sailors began to repair the admiral's ship, which was badly battered by storms. Under other conditions, it would have had to be abandoned altogether, but now that the flotilla had lost three of its largest ships, this could no longer be afforded. Elcano, who, on his return to Spain, criticized Magellan for having lingered at the mouth of this river for seven weeks, now he himself was forced to spend five weeks here. At the end of March, somehow patched up ships again headed for the Strait of Magellan. The expedition now included only the admiral's ship, two caravels and a pinnace.

On April 5, the ships entered the Strait of Magellan. Between the islands of Santa Maria and Santa Magdalena, another misfortune befell the admiral's ship. A cauldron of boiling tar caught fire, a fire broke out on the ship.

Panic broke out, many sailors rushed to the boat, ignoring Loaysa, who showered them with curses. The fire was still put out. The flotilla went further through the strait, along the banks of which at high mountain peaks, "so tall that they seemed to stretch to the very sky," lay eternal bluish snow. At night, the fires of the Patagonians burned on both sides of the strait. Elcano already knew these lights from the first voyage. On April 25, the ships weighed anchor from the San Jorge anchorage, where they replenished their water and firewood supplies, and again set off on a difficult voyage.

And where the waves of both oceans meet with a deafening roar, the storm again hit Loaisa's flotilla. The ships anchored in the bay of San Juan de Portalina. Mountains several thousand feet high rose on the shore of the bay. It was terribly cold, and “no clothes could warm us,” writes Urdaneta. Elcano was on the flagship all the time: Loaysa, having no relevant experience, completely relied on Elcano. The passage through the strait lasted forty-eight days - ten days more than Magellan's. On May 31, a strong northeast wind blew. The whole sky was covered with clouds. On the night of June 1-2, a storm broke out, the most terrible of the former so far, scattering all ships. Although the weather later improved, they were never to meet again. Elcano, with most of the crew of the Sancti Espiritus, was now on the admiral's ship, which had one hundred and twenty men. Two pumps did not have time to pump out water, they feared that the ship could sink at any moment. In general, the ocean was Great, but by no means Pacific.

4 Pilot Dies Admiral

The ship was sailing alone, neither sail nor island could be seen on the vast horizon. “Every day,” writes Urdaneta, “we waited for the end. Due to the fact that people moved to us from wrecked vessel, we are forced to cut rations. We worked hard and ate little. We had to endure great hardships and some of us died.” On July 30, Loaysa died. According to one of the expedition members, the cause of his death was a breakdown in spirit; he was so upset by the loss of the rest of the ships that he "became weaker and died." Loays did not forget to mention in the will of his chief helmsman: “I ask that Elcano be returned four barrels of white wine, which I owe him. The biscuits and other provisions that lie on my ship, the Santa Maria de la Victoria, shall be given to my nephew Alvaro de Loays, who must share them with Elcano. They say that by this time only rats remained on the ship. On the ship, many were ill with scurvy. Everywhere Elcano looked, everywhere he saw swollen pale faces and heard the groans of sailors.

Thirty people have died from scurvy since they left the channel. “They all died,” writes Urdaneta, “due to the fact that their gums were swollen and they could not eat anything. I saw a man whose gums were so swollen that he tore off pieces of meat as thick as a finger. The sailors had one hope - Elcano. They, in spite of everything, believed in his lucky star, although he was so ill that four days before the death of Loaysa he himself made a will. In honor of Elcano's assumption of the position of admiral - a position which he unsuccessfully sought two years ago - a cannon salute was given. But Elcano's strength was drying up. The day came when the admiral could no longer get up from his bunk. His relatives and faithful Urdaneta gathered in the cabin. By the flickering light of the candle, one could see how thin they were and how much they had suffered. Urdaneta kneels and touches the body of her dying master with one hand. The priest watches him closely. Finally, he raises his hand, and everyone present slowly falls to their knees. Elcano's wanderings are over...

“Monday, 6 August. The valiant lord Juan Sebastian de Elcano has died." This is how Urdaneta noted in his diary the death of the great navigator.

Four people lift the body of Juan Sebastian, wrapped in a shroud and tied to a plank. At a sign from the new admiral, they throw him into the sea. There was a splash, drowning out the priest's prayers.

MONUMENT IN HONOR OF ELCANO IN GETARIA

Epilogue

Exhausted by worms, tormented by storms and storms, the lone ship continued on its way. The team, according to Urdaneta, “was terribly exhausted and exhausted. Not a day went by that one of us didn't die.

Therefore, we decided that the best thing for us is to go to the Moluccas.” Thus, they abandoned the bold plan of Elcano, who was going to fulfill the dream of Columbus - to reach east coast Asia, following the shortest route from the west. “I am sure that if Elcano had not died, we would not have reached the Ladrone (Marian) Islands so soon, because his always intention was to search for Chipansu (Japan),” writes Urdaneta. He clearly considered Elcano's plan too risky. But the man who for the first time circumnavigated the "earthly apple" did not know what fear was. But he also did not know that in three years Charles I would cede his “rights” to the Moluccas to Portugal for 350 thousand gold ducats. Of the entire Loaysa expedition, only two ships survived: the San Gabriel, which reached Spain after a two-year voyage, and the Santiago pinnace under the command of Guevara, which passed along the Pacific coast South America to Mexico. Although Guevara saw only once the coast of South America, his voyage proved that the coast does not protrude far to the west anywhere and that South America has the shape of a triangle. This was the most important geographical discovery of Loaisa's expedition.

Getaria, in the homeland of Elcano, stands at the entrance to the church stone plate, a half-erased inscription on which reads: “... the glorious captain Juan Sebastian del Cano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the Victoria ship. In memory of the hero, this slab was erected in 1661 by Don Pedro de Etave y Asi, Knight of the Order of Calatrava. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who first traveled around the world. And on the globe in the San Telmo Museum, the place where Elcano died is indicated - 157 degrees west and 9 degrees north latitude.

In the history books, Juan Sebastian Elcano undeservedly found himself in the shadow of the glory of Ferdinand Magellan, but he is remembered and revered in his homeland. The name Elcano is a training sailboat in the Spanish Navy. In the wheelhouse of the ship, you can see the coat of arms of Elcano, and the sailboat itself has already managed to carry out a dozen round-the-world expeditions.

The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

CIRCUITS AND TRAVELING, expeditions around the Earth, during which all the meridians or parallels of the Earth are crossed. Round-the-world voyages passed (in different sequences) through the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, they were made initially in search of new lands and trade routes, which led to the Great geographical discoveries. The first circumnavigation of the world in history was made by a Spanish expedition in 1519-22 led by F. Magellan in search of a direct western route from Europe to the West Indies (where the Spaniards went for spices) under the command of six successive captains (the last - J. S. Elcano) . As a result of this most important navigation in the history of geographical discoveries, a giant water area called the Pacific Ocean was revealed, the unity of the World Ocean was proved, the hypothesis of the predominance of land over water was questioned, the theory of the sphericity of the Earth was confirmed, irrefutable data appeared to determine its true size, the idea arose of the need for an international date line. Despite the death of Magellan in this voyage, it is he who should be considered the first navigator around the world. The second round-the-world voyage was carried out by the English pirate F. Drake (1577-80), and the third - by the English pirate T. Cavendish (1586-88); they penetrated through the Strait of Magellan into the Pacific Ocean to plunder Spanish-American port cities and capture Spanish ships. Drake became the first captain to complete a full circumnavigation of the world. The fourth round-the-world voyage (again through the Strait of Magellan) was carried out by the Dutch expedition of O. van Noort (1598-1601). The Dutch expedition of J. Lemer - V. Schouten (1615-17), equipped by competing compatriot merchants to eliminate the monopoly of the Netherlands East India Company, laid new way around Cape Horn, discovered by her, but company agents seized their ship off the Moluccas, and the surviving sailors (including Schouten) completed their circumnavigation already as prisoners on her ships. Of the three round-the-world voyages of the English navigator W. Dampier, the most significant is the first, which he performed on different ships with long breaks in 1679-91, collecting materials that made it possible to consider him one of the founders of oceanography.

In the 2nd half of the 18th century, when the struggle to seize new lands intensified, Great Britain and France sent a number of expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, including the first French round the world expedition under the leadership of L. A. de Bougainville (1766-69), who discovered a number of islands in Oceania; among the participants of this expedition was J. Bare - the first woman to circumnavigate the world. These voyages proved, though not completely, that in the Pacific Ocean, between the parallels 50° north latitude and 60° south latitude, east of the Asian archipelagos, New Guinea, and Australia, there are no large land masses other than New Zealand. The English navigator S. Wallis, in his circumnavigation of 1766-68, for the first time, using a new method of calculating longitudes, quite accurately determined the position of the island of Tahiti, several islands and atolls in the western and central parts Pacific Ocean. The English navigator J. Cook achieved the greatest geographical results in three round-the-world voyages.

In the 19th century, hundreds of round-the-world voyages were made for commercial, fishing and purely scientific purposes, and discoveries were continued in the Southern Hemisphere. In the first half of the 19th century, the Russian sailing fleet played an outstanding role; during the first round-the-world voyage made on the sloops "Nadezhda" and "Neva" by I. F. Kruzenshtern and Yu. Dozens of other Russian round-the-world voyages that followed connected St. Petersburg with a relatively cheap sea route. Far East and Russian possessions in North America, strengthened Russian positions in the North Pacific. Russian expeditions made a major contribution to the development of oceanography and discovered many islands; O. E. Kotzebue during his second round-the-world voyage (1815-18) for the first time made a correct assumption about the origin coral islands. The expedition of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev (1819-21) on the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" on January 16, February 5 and 6, 1820 almost came close to the coast of the hitherto mythical South Earth - Antarctica (now the Coast Princess Martha and Princess Astrid Coast), revealed an arc-shaped underwater ridge 4800 km long, mapped 29 islands.

In the second half of the 19th century, when sailing ships were replaced by steamships and the main discoveries of new lands were completed, three round-the-world voyages took place, which made a great contribution to the study of the topography of the bottom of the oceans. The British expedition of 1872-76 on the Challenger corvette (Captains J. S. Nares and F. T. Thomson, who succeeded him in 1874) discovered a number of basins in the Atlantic Ocean, the Puerto Rico Trench, and underwater ridges around Antarctica; in the Pacific Ocean, the first determinations of depths were made in a number of underwater basins, underwater uplifts and elevations were identified, Mariana Trench. The German expedition of 1874-76 on the military corvette "Gazelle" (commander G. von Schleinitz) continued to discover bottom relief elements and measure depths in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Russian expedition of 1886-89 on the Vityaz corvette (commander S. O. Makarov) for the first time revealed the main laws of the general circulation of surface waters in the Northern Hemisphere and discovered the existence of a “cold intermediate layer” that preserves the remnants of winter cooling in the waters of the seas and oceans.

In the 20th century, major discoveries were made during circumnavigations, mainly Antarctic expeditions, who established in general terms the contours of Antarctica, including the British expedition on the ship "Discovery-N" under the command of D. John and W. Carey, which in 1931-33 discovered the Chatham Rise in the South Pacific Ocean, followed for almost 2000 km of the South Pacific Ridge and conducted an oceanographic survey of Antarctic waters.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, round-the-world voyages began to be carried out for educational, sports and tourist purposes, including solo ones. The first solo circumnavigation was made by the American traveler J. Slocum (1895-98), the second by his compatriot G. Pidgeon (1921-1925), the third by the French traveler A. Gerbaud (1923-29). In 1960, the first round-the-world voyage took place on the Triton submarine (USA) under the command of Captain E. Beach. In 1966, a detachment of Soviet nuclear submarines under the command of Rear Admiral A. I. Sorokin completed the first round-the-world voyage without surfacing to the surface. In 1968-69, he made the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world on sailing yacht"Suhaili" English captain R. Knox-Johnston. In 1976-78, the Polish traveler K. Chojnowska-Liskiewicz was the first woman to circumnavigate the world by herself on the Mazurek yacht. Great Britain was the first to introduce round-the-world single races and made them regular (since 1982). The Russian navigator and traveler F.F. Konyukhov (born in 1951) made 4 single round-the-world voyages: the 1st (1990-91) - on the Karaana yacht, the 2nd (1993-94) - on the Formosa yacht, 3rd (1998-99) - on the yacht "Modern Humanitarian University", participating in the international sailing race "Around the World - Alone", 4th (2004-05) - on the yacht " Scarlet Sails". The first round-the-world voyage of the Russian training sailboat Kruzenshtern in 1995-1996 was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet.

The first round-the-world trip from west to east was made by P. Teixeira (Portugal) in 1586-1601, circumnavigating the Earth on ships and on foot. The second in 1785-1788 was made by the French traveler J. B. Lesseps, the only surviving member of the expedition of J. La Perouse. In the last third of the 19th century, after the publication of J. Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days (1872), round-the-world travel in record time became widespread. In 1889-90, the American journalist N. Bly circumnavigated the Earth in 72 days; in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this record was repeatedly improved. In the 2nd half of the 20th century, round-the-world voyages and travels no longer seemed something exotic, latitudinal ones were added to them. In 1979-82, for the first time in the history of mankind, R. Fiennes and C. Burton (Great Britain) made a round-the-world trip along the Greenwich meridian with relatively short deviations to the east and west through both poles of the planet (by ships, cars, motor narts, motor boats and on foot) . Travelers contributed to the geographical study of Antarctica. In 1911-13, the Russian athlete A. Pankratov made the first ever round-the-world trip on a bicycle. The first round-the-world flight in the history of aeronautics belongs to the German airship "Graf Zeppelin" under the command of G. Eckener: in 1929, in 21 days, he overcame about 31.4 thousand km with three intermediate landings. In 1949 American bomber B-50 (commander - Captain J. Gallagher) made the first non-stop round-the-world flight (with in-flight refueling). The first space flight around the Earth in the history of mankind was performed in 1961 by the Soviet cosmonaut Yu. A. Gagarin on the Vostok spacecraft. In 1986, the British crew made the first round-the-world flight in an airplane without refueling in the history of aviation (D. Rutan and J. Yeager). Husbands Kate and David Grant (Great Britain) with their three children traveled around the world in a van drawn by a pair of horses. They left the Orkney Islands (UK) in 1990, crossed the oceans, countries of Europe, Asia and North America and returned to their homeland in 1997. A horseback round-the-world trip in 1992-98 was made by Russian travelers P.F. Plonin and N.K. Davidovsky. In 1999-2002, V. A. Shanin (Russia) traveled around the world in passing cars, planes, cargo ships. On the hot-air balloon solo for the first time circled the Earth in 2002 S. Fossett (USA), he also in 2005 made the first solo circumnavigation in the history of aviation non-stop flight on a plane without refueling.

Lit .: Ivashintsov N. A. Russian travels around the world from 1803 to 1849, St. Petersburg, 1872; Baker J. History of geographical discoveries and research. M., 1950; Russian sailors. [Sat. Art.]. M., 1953; Zubov N. N. Domestic navigators - explorers of the seas and oceans. M., 1954; Urbanchik A. Alone across the ocean: One hundred years of solo navigation. M., 1974; Magidovich IP, Magidovich VI Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. 3rd ed. M., 1983-1986. T. 2-5; Fiennes R. Around the world along the meridian. M., 1992; Blon J. The great hour of the oceans. M., 1993. T. 1-2; Slocum J. One under sail around the world. M., 2002; Pigafetta A. Journey of Magellan. M., 2009.

The first circumnavigation of the world under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan began on September 20, 1519 and ended on September 6, 1522. The idea of ​​the expedition was in many ways a repetition of the idea of ​​Columbus: to reach Asia, following to the west. The colonization of America had not yet had time to bring significant profits, unlike the colonies of the Portuguese in India, and the Spaniards themselves wanted to sail to the Spice Islands and reap the benefits. By then it had become clear that America was not Asia, but Asia was supposed to lie relatively close to the New World.

In March 1518, Ferdinand Magellan and Rui Faleiro, a Portuguese astronomer, appeared in Seville at the Council of the Indies and declared that the Moluccas, the most important source of Portuguese wealth, should belong to Spain, since they are located in the western, Spanish hemisphere (according to the treaty of 1494), but to get to these "Spice Islands" it is necessary by the western way, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, through the South Sea, open and annexed by Balboa to the Spanish possessions. And Magellan convincingly argued that between the Atlantic Ocean and South Sea there must be a strait south of Brazil.

After a long bargain with the royal advisers, who negotiated for themselves a substantial share of the expected income and concessions from the Portuguese, an agreement was concluded: Charles 1 undertook to equip five ships and supply the expedition with supplies for two years. Before sailing, Faleiro abandoned the enterprise, and Magellan became the sole head of the expedition.

Magellan personally supervised the loading and packing of food, goods and equipment. Rusks, wine, olive oil, vinegar, salted fish, dried pork, beans and beans, flour, cheese, honey, almonds, anchovies, raisins, prunes, sugar, quince jam, capers, mustard, beef were taken on board as provisions. and fig. In case of clashes, there were about 70 guns, 50 arquebuses, 60 crossbows, 100 sets of armor and other weapons. For trade, they took matter, metal products, women's jewelry, mirrors, bells and mercury (it was used as a medicine).

Magellan raised the admiral's flag on the Trinidad. The Spaniards were appointed captains of the remaining ships: Juan Cartagena - "San Antonio"; Gaspar Quesada - "Concepcion"; Luis Mendoza - Victoria and Juan Serrano - Santiago. The staff of this flotilla was estimated at 293 people, there were 26 more freelance crew members on board, among them the young Italian Antonio Pigafetga, the historian of the expedition. An international team went on the first round-the-world voyage: in addition to the Portuguese and Spaniards, it included representatives of more than 10 nationalities from different countries Western Europe.

On September 20, 1519, a flotilla led by Magellan left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River).

The discoveries of Russian travelers are amazing. Let's go in chronological order short descriptions seven most significant round-the-world trips of our compatriots.

The first Russian round-the-world trip - Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky's round-the-world expedition

Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern and Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky were combat Russian sailors: both in 1788-1790. participated in four battles against the Swedes. The voyage of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky is the beginning of a new era in the history of Russian navigation.

The expedition started from Kronstadt on July 26 (August 7), 1803 under the leadership of Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, who was 32 years old. The expedition included:

• The three-masted sloop Nadezhda. The total team size is 65 people. Commander - Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern.
• Three-masted sloop "Neva". The total number of the ship's crew is 54 people. Commander - Yury Fedorovich Lisyansky.

The sailors were all Russians - this was Kruzenshtern's condition

In July 1806, with a difference of two weeks, the Neva and Nadezhda returned to the Kronstadt raid, making the whole trip in 3 years 12 days. Both of these sailboats, like their captains, have become world famous. The first Russian round-the-world expedition was of great scientific importance on a world scale.
As a result of the expedition, many books were published, about two dozen geographical points were named after famous captains.

On the left is Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern. Right - Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky

Description of the expedition was published under the title "Journey around the world in 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806 on the ships Nadezhda and Neva, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kruzenshtern", in 3 volumes, with an atlas of 104 maps and engraved paintings, and has been translated into English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Italian and Danish.

And now, answering the question: "Which of the Russians was the first to circumnavigate the world?", You can easily answer.

Discovery of Antarctica - round-the-world expedition of Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev

Aivazovsky's work "Ice Mountains in Antarctica", based on the memoirs of Admiral Lazarev

In 1819, after a long and very thorough preparation, the southern polar expedition set off from Kronstadt on a long voyage, consisting of two sloops of war - Vostok and Mirny. The first was commanded by Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, the second - by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. The crew of the ships consisted of experienced, seasoned sailors. There was a long journey to unknown countries. The expedition was given the task of how to fully penetrate further to the south in order to finally resolve the question of the existence of the southern mainland.
The expedition members spent 751 days at sea, covered more than 92 thousand kilometers. 29 islands and one coral reef have been discovered. The scientific materials she collected made it possible to form the first idea of ​​​​Antarctica.
Russian sailors not only discovered a huge continent located around the South Pole, but also carried out the most important research in the field of oceanography. This branch of spiders was just in its infancy at that time. F. F. Bellingshausen was the first to correctly explain the causes that cause sea currents (for example, the Canary), the origin of the algae of the Sargasso Sea, as well as coral islands in tropical regions.
The discoveries of the expedition turned out to be a major achievement of Russian and world geographical science of that time.
And so January 16 (28), 1820 is considered - opening day of Antarctica. Bellingshausen and Lazarev, in spite of dense ice and fog, passed around Antarctica at latitudes from 60° to 70° and irrefutably proved the existence of land in the region of the south pole.
Strikingly, the evidence for the existence of Antarctica was immediately recognized as outstanding. geographical discovery. However, later scientists argued for more than a hundred years what was discovered. Was it the mainland, or just a group of islands covered by a common ice cap? Bellingshausen himself never spoke about the discovery of the mainland. It was possible to finally confirm the continental character of Antarctica only in the middle of the 20th century as a result of lengthy studies using sophisticated technical means.

Cycling around the world

On August 10, 1913, the finish of the round-the-world bicycle race took place in Harbin, which was passed by a 25-year-old Russian athlete Onisim Petrovich Pankratov.

This journey lasted 2 years 18 days. Pankratov chose a rather difficult route. The countries of almost all of Europe were included in it. Leaving Harbin in July 1911, the courageous cyclist arrived in St. Petersburg at the end of autumn. Then his path ran through Koenigsberg, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia, Turkey, Greece and again through Turkey, Italy, France, Southern Spain, Portugal, Northern Spain and again in France.
The Swiss authorities considered Pankratov crazy. No one would dare to cycle through the snow-covered rocky passes, which are accessible only to experienced climbers. Overcoming the mountains for a cyclist cost no small effort. He crossed Italy, passed through Austria, and Serbia, and Greece and Turkey. He had to sleep just under the starry sky, from food he often had only water and bread, but he still did not stop the journey.

Crossing the Pas de Calais by ship, the athlete crossed England on a bicycle. Then, having also got to America on a ship, he again got on a bicycle and traveled the entire American mainland, adhering to the route New York ─ Chicago ─ San Francisco. And from there by ship to Japan. Then he crossed Japan and China on a bicycle, after which Pankratov reached the initial point of his grandiose route ─ Harbin.

On a bicycle, a distance of more than 50 thousand kilometers was covered. To make such a trip around the earth, Onesimus was offered by his father

Pankratov's round-the-world trip was called great by his contemporaries. The Gritsner bicycle helped him to circumnavigate the world, during the trip Onisim had to change 11 chains, 2 handlebars, 53 tires, 750 spokes, etc.

Around the Earth - the first space flight

At 9 o'clock. 7 min. Moscow time, the Vostok satellite took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Flying around the globe, he safely returned to Earth after 108 minutes. On board the spacecraft was a major pilot-cosmonaut.
The weight of the spacecraft-satellite is 4725 kilograms (excluding the last stage of the launch vehicle), the total power of the rocket engines is 20 million horsepower.

The first flight took place in automatic mode, in which the astronaut was, as it were, a passenger of the ship. However, at any moment he could switch the ship to manual control. Throughout the flight, two-way radio communication was maintained with the astronaut.

In orbit, Gagarin conducted the simplest experiments: he drank, ate, made notes with a pencil. "Putting" the pencil next to him, he accidentally discovered that he instantly began to float away. From this, Gagarin concluded that it is better to tie pencils and other objects in space. He recorded all his feelings and observations on the on-board tape recorder.
After the successful completion of the planned research and the completion of the flight program at 10 o'clock. 55 min. Moscow time, the satellite ship "Vostok" made a safe landing in a given area Soviet Union- near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky district, Saratov region.

The first people who met the astronaut after the flight were the wife of a local forester Anna (Anikhayat) Takhtarova and her six-year-old granddaughter Rita. Soon the military from the division and local collective farmers arrived at the scene. One group of military men guarded the descent vehicle, while the other group took Gagarin to the location of the unit. From there, Gagarin reported by phone to the commander of the air defense division:

I ask you to tell the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force: I completed the task, landed in a given area, I feel good, there are no bruises or breakdowns. Gagarin

The charred descent module of Vostok-1 was covered with a cloth immediately after Gagarin's landing and taken to Podlipki, near Moscow, to the regime territory of the Royal Design Bureau-1. Later, it became the main exhibit in the museum of the rocket and space corporation Energia, which grew out of OKB-1. The museum was closed for a long time (it was possible to get into it, but it was rather difficult - only as part of a group, by prior letter), in May 2016 the Gagarin ship became publicly available, as part of the exhibition.

First round-the-world voyage of a submarine without surfacing

February 12, 1966 - a successful round-the-world cruise of two nuclear submarines of the Northern Fleet started. At the same time, our boats passed the entire route, the length of which exceeded the length of the equator, in a submerged position, not surfacing even in the little-studied regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The heroism and courage of the Soviet submariners were of outstanding nationwide importance and became a continuation of the combat traditions of the submariners of the Great Patriotic War.

25 thousand miles were covered and at the same time the highest degree of secrecy was shown, the duration of the voyage took 1.5 months

To participate in the campaign, two serial production submarines were allocated without any modifications. Project 675 K-116 missile boat and the second Project 627A K-133 boat with torpedo armament.

In addition to its enormous political significance, it was an impressive demonstration of the scientific and technological achievements and military power of the state. The campaign showed that the entire World Ocean has become a global launching pad for our nuclear submarines, armed with both cruise and ballistic missiles. At the same time, it opened up new opportunities for maneuvering forces between the Northern and Pacific fleets. More broadly, it can be said that in the midst of " cold war» historical role of our fleet was to change the strategic situation in the oceans, and the Soviet submariners were the first to do this.

The first and only voyage in the history of solo circumnavigations, made on a pleasure dinghy 5.5 meters long

On July 7, 1992, Evgeny Alexandrovich Gvozdev on the Lena yacht (micro class, only 5.5 meters long) from Makhachkala set off on his first solo circumnavigation. On July 19, 1996, the journey was successfully completed (it was 4 years and two weeks). This set a world record - the first and only voyage in the history of single circumnavigation of the world, made on an ordinary pleasure dinghy. Evgeny Gvozdev set out on a long-awaited round-the-world trip when he was 58 years old.

Surprisingly, the ship did not have an auxiliary engine, walkie-talkie, autopilot and stove. But there was a coveted "sailor's passport", which the new Russian authorities issued to the yachtsman after a year of struggle. This document not only helped Yevgeny Gvozdev to cross the border in the direction he needed: in the future, Gvozdev traveled without money and without visas.
On his journey, our hero experienced a severe psychological shock after a collision with treacherous Somali "partisans", who robbed him cleanly at Cape Ras Hafun and almost shot him.

His entire first trip around the world can be summed up in one word: "contrary". The chance of survival was too small. Yevgeny Gvozdev himself sees the world differently: it is a world similar to a single brotherhood of kind people, a world of complete disinterestedness, a world without barriers to global circulation ...

In a balloon around the Earth - Fedor Konyukhov

Fedor Konyukhov was the first in the world to circle the Earth in a balloon (on the first attempt). A total of 29 attempts were made, and only three of them were successful. During the trip, Fedor Konyukhov set several world records, the main of which is the duration of the flight. The traveler managed to fly around the Earth in about 11 days, 5 hours and 31 minutes.
The balloon was a two-level design that combined the use of helium and solar energy. Its height is 60 meters. A gondola was attached below, equipped with the best technical devices, from where Konyukhov piloted the ship.

I thought that I committed so many sins that I would burn not in hell, but here

The journey took place under extreme conditions: the temperature dropped to -40 degrees, the balloon fell into a zone of strong turbulence with zero visibility, and a cyclone with hail and strong wind passed. Due to complex weather conditions equipment failed several times and Fedor had to manually troubleshoot.

During the 11 days of the flight, Fedor hardly slept. According to him, even a moment of relaxation could lead to irreversible consequences. In moments when it was no longer possible to fight sleep, he took a wrench and sat down over an iron plate. As soon as the eyes were closed, the hand let go of the key, which fell on the plate, making a noise, which caused the aeronaut to instantly wake up. At the end of the journey, he did this procedure regularly. He almost exploded at a great height when he mistakenly began to interfere with various types of gas. It's good that I managed to cut off the ignited balloon.
During the entire route, air traffic controllers from various airports around the world helped Konyukhov as best they could, clearing air space. So he flew over the Pacific Ocean in 92 hours, crossed through Chile and Argentina, rounded the storm front over the Atlantic, passed the cape good hope and safely returned to Australia, from where he began his journey.

Fedor Konyukhov:

I flew around the Earth in 11 days, it is very small, it must be protected. We have no idea about this, we, people, are only at war. The world is so beautiful - explore it, learn

Ferdinand Magellan is considered the first traveler to travel around the globe. However, he had no intention of becoming the first world traveler. His task was completely different - more mundane. And then all the glory from global discoveries did not go to him at all.

Idea author

The idea of ​​the expedition that led to the discoveries was proposed by Ferdinand Magellan, who was born in 1470 and died in 1521. A nobleman by birth, he was born in Portugal, was a royal page. It is known that Magellan was well educated, engaged in cosmography, navigation and astronomy. His first voyage took place when Fernand was twenty years old: he participated in military battles. Magellan managed to suppress the uprising of the natives in Malacca, and then remained in the service in Africa. The false accusation stopped the career of a sea captain. The idea to go by ship to the west, proposed to the Portuguese king, was rejected.

In 1517, Magellan, with the approval of the King of Portugal, left for Spain, becoming her subject. He managed to convince King Charles V of the existence of a transition between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. If it were possible to find this strait, Spain would receive all the lands that are west of canary islands(at the behest of Pope Alexander VI).

A friend, the astronomer Ruy Falière, and also the aristocrat De Aranda, who offered to give him 20% of the profit that the expedition would bring, in exchange for supporting the project, helped to get the royal “good”. So the project of finding a way to the Spice Islands was accepted by the king. However, Faler managed to reduce De Aranda's stake to 8%.

When Magellan proposed the idea of ​​his journey, the world already knew about Central and parts of South America, as well as about the ocean that stretches beyond them. The Isthmus of Panama has already been crossed. But then no one suspected that East and West could be connected by another path.

Magellan decided to find evidence that the location of the Spice Islands was in the New World, and not in Asia. This would mean that spicy wealth is the area of ​​influence of Spain, and not Portugal, as was then believed.

Magellan did not think about a round-the-world trip. He was looking for a strait that could be in South America. He wanted to get to the Spice Islands, buy goods, bring them to Spain and make a profit.

Preparing for the expedition

Five ships set sail. There was enough money for their equipment. Many of the merchants of Europe decided to participate in the enterprise. They wanted to access the profitable spices directly, without the mediation of Portugal.

Despite attempts by the Portuguese authorities to thwart the expedition, as there was fear that it would actually succeed, the voyage took place.

The Portuguese ambassador to Spain, Alvaro da Costa, did everything possible to prevent Magellan from going on an expedition. He spread rumors about the impracticability of his idea. The fact that the Spaniards do not trust the captain, and only trouble can be expected from royal officials who will also participate in the voyage. Magellan was also told that the Portuguese king was waiting for him at home, where a favorable place was prepared for him.

Everything was in vain. Then the ambassador organized an attempt on Magellan, which failed. Alvaro da Costa continued his work: he arranged for the ships to be supplied with equipment and products of poor quality, he put up various obstacles. All this was not successful.

True, in Spain there were many dissatisfied that the expedition would be led by the Portuguese, who, in addition, would also receive a good jackpot: a fifth of the profits, a twentieth from the new discovered lands, and the right to own a third of the new islands.

This led to a mutiny on the flagship, when Magellan's personal standard flew over it: it strongly resembled the flag of Portugal. The rebellion was crushed, but concessions had to be made. There could be no more than five people from Portugal on the ship, and the standard was replaced.

The expedition went to sea on September 20, 1519. Throughout the journey, Magellan was pursued by conflicts with the Spaniards, who sailed with him.

The first happened to Captain Juan de Cartagena. He was outraged that Magellan decided to change the approved route in order to avoid meeting with the Portuguese. The admiral decided to go to Africa, and not to America, as planned.

Magellan and Cartagena even got into a fight. The Spaniard was stripped of his captain's position and transferred to passengers on another ship. This increased the authority of Magellan, but he had an angry enemy.

Atlantic Ocean

Path along Atlantic Ocean went pretty smoothly. It was here that Magellan first applied his own signaling system, with the help of which the ships were able to communicate with each other. This helped ships not to get lost in the ocean.

From the equator, the ships went to the Land of the Holy Cross, as Brazil was then called, and on December 13 they stopped in the bay of Santa Lucia. Now here is Rio de Janeiro. Having reached the coast of Brazil, the sailors found out that La Plata is the mouth of the river, and not the strait, as previously assumed.

rebellion

By the end of March 1520, Magellan decides to stop for the winter in the harbor of San Julian. The strait, which they had been looking for for so long, was very close, but the sailors were not yet aware of this.

I had to reduce my food intake. This was the reason for the organization of a new rebellion. The rebellion was led by officers from Spain. They succeeded in capturing three ships. One of the officers was killed for refusing to join the rebellion.

Magellan had to act decisively. Captured by cunning big ship and blocked the other two. The rebels had no choice but to surrender. The court sentenced the two main instigators (de Catagena and one priest) to leave in Argentina, on the rocks where the penguins lived. The fate of these people is unknown.

During the winter, one ship, a reconnaissance ship, was badly damaged and out of order. About thirty people died from scurvy and other diseases.

The captains on the ships were people whom Magellan trusted - immigrants from Portugal. At this time, five natives were taken prisoner by cunning, but they all died on the way to Europe.

Strait of Magellan

The ships left San Julian on the twenty-fourth of August. Having reached the Santa Cruz River, they stopped and spent almost two months here. Food supplies could be replenished.

The strait was found at the 52nd south parallel. Two ships sent out to reconnoiter found out that this was not a river. This meant that a new path to the East had been found.

It took thirty 38 days to cross the strait. It was difficult and required courage from the leader of the expedition and all its participants. All four remaining ships passed this way safely. But just before the very end of the strait, a riot began again on one of them. The ship was commanded by a Portuguese, and a native of Portugal, Gomes, also became the leader of the rebels. He said that this is the end of the world - and we must go back, otherwise everyone will die. The team arrested the captain and traveled back to Spain, where they were arrested. Magellan decided that the ship was lost in the strait: he was not aware of the rebellion.

Pacific Ocean

For about 15 thousand kilometers, the ships sailed through the vast expanses, not meeting a single island where people lived.

Food was running out. People even ate rats, which became a delicacy, and leather upholstery, which was removed from the masts and sides. Three months were very difficult.

However, in some ways the sailors were lucky: there were no storms along the way. This was the reason to call the new ocean the Pacific. He turned out to be much larger than Magellan thought before.

It was possible to stock up on food and water on the island of Guam. Here I had to fight a little with the locals, who were angry that they could not steal anything on the ships.

In April 1521, the expedition reached the Philippines. And here the slave of Magellan, who was born in Sumatra, managed to see people who spoke the same language as he did. This was another proof that the Earth is spherical.

Death of Magellan

In the Philippines, Magellan was unexpectedly supported by Arab merchants who persuaded the local population not to engage in battle with the sailors. Magellan convinced one ruler, Humabon, to become a Christian and a vassal of the king of Spain. Humabon soon complained that the neighboring rajah was being disobedient.

The sailors got involved in a battle that turned out to be difficult. The arrows of the natives hit the Spaniards exactly at the feet, and the bullets of the sailors could hardly penetrate their wooden shields. Magellan died in this battle. He was 41 years old.

After that, the sailors had to urgently leave the Philippines. Since there were few people left, they could not manage three ships. It was decided to burn the Conciepsin, setting off on two ships - the Victoria and the Trinidad.

Completion of the expedition

It was not easy for the squadron to get back. I had to dodge the Portuguese ships. The expedition reached the Moluccas of the Spice Islands, where they bought goods.

There were many battles, transitions, ships fell into storms. It was decided to disperse. "Victoria" went along the African continent, and "Trinidad" - along the Isthmus of Panama.

The first ship returned to Spain, and the second, unable to overcome the headwinds, went to the Moluccas. Off the African coast, the team had to fight the Portuguese, who had been waiting here since the expedition led by Magellan had just set off. The sailors were captured and sent to penal servitude in India.

"Victoria" was led by the Spaniard Juan Sebastian del Cano (Elcano). Once he took part in a rebellion against Magellan, but the admiral forgave him. Kano managed to navigate the ship for several months on rough seas, overcoming a lot of dangers. Upon returning to his homeland, he got all the glory and a good profit.

It turned out that the calendar of sailors from the Victoria was a day behind the Spanish one. Later, such a discrepancy was described in the novel by Jules Verne.

Expedition results

The result of this campaign was the opening of the western route to Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Philippine Islands, the coast of South America and the island of Guam, and the first trip around the world.

Spanish ambitions were satisfied. The country stated that the Mariana and Philippine Islands were discovered by its subjects. The rights to the islands of the Moluccas were also presented.

It also became known for sure that the Earth is round, and most of it is covered with water. Before that, people believed that the main area of ​​​​the planet is land.

Of the three hundred people who set sail with Magellan, only 18 returned home, then another 18 were released by the Portuguese from hard labor in India.

The money for the spices and the gold went to cover the expenses, but still the savers made a good profit. The royal Spanish court also received income.

Where Magellan was buried is unknown: his body remained with the natives. At that time, no one spoke of him as a discoverer and the first to travel around the Earth. On the contrary, he was accused of disobeying the royal will. Now the name of this person is the strait he discovered and two constellations - the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.