Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese of notable origin who devoted all the life to travel to novel lands. He had a reputation for the skillful seafarer, perfectly knew currents and roads through the Indian Ocean.
Background
In 1513 the Spanish conquistador of Balboa crossed Isthmus of Panama – the bottleneck on the American continent. Also found the huge ocean which was called later Silent. Thereby it proved that the continent opened by Christopher Columbus was not Asia. But whether there is a sea way to it through America? Ferdinand Magellan in 1519 was also going to find out it.
At first he presented the project of the travel to the king of Portugal Manuela, but received flat refusal. Then Magellan offered it to the king of Spain, young Karl. That answered it favourably, hoping to have an opportunity to participate in trade in spices which still was monopoly of Portuguese.
Expedition
On August 10, 1519 Ferdinand Magellan left the port of Seville with five karakka – the big merchant ships loaded with provisions for long months of a way. It was supposed that back they will bring spices. Magellan ordered the Trinidad flagship. With it 265 people went.
At the beginning of December the fleet crossed the equator and went down along the coast of South America. In each gulf the travelers looked for an entrance to the passage conducting on the West. In the winter Magellan had to make a long stop during which the being homesick sailors lifted a revolt. The travel was resumed only in August, 1520.
Opening of the passage
On October 21, 1520 at the level of the 52nd parallel Magellan at last found the passage which was called later in his honor. This narrow water space between the southernmost tip of America and the archipelago of Tierra Del Fuego allows to get from the Atlantic Ocean to Silent.
Opening of islands
Having passed through the passage, Magellan went to the equator. However then nobody represented, the Pacific Ocean is how big. Within the next nearly four months the expedition was absolutely deprived of fresh food. Travelers ate only crackers and drank rotten water.
On March 16, 1521 the exhausted sailors landed on islands to get food. Later they were called Philippine. Magellan guessed that found the western way to India. However he made imprudence, having interfered with the conflict of two plemeny which lived on islands. On April 27, 1521 Magellan was killed. Command of the fleet was undertaken by his assistant Zhuan Carvalho.
The first round-the-world travel
On September 6, 1522 the expedition returned back to Spain through the Indian Ocean. It rounded the Cape of Good Hope and floated along coast of Africa. The first round-the-world trip was so made. The Spanish king understood that the western way to India is too long and dangerous to become a trade route of which he dreamed.