Magellan's Journey

Setting Sail

Sep 20, 1519

Approximately 270 Spaniards, Portuguese, and other nationalities set sail in five ships from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, led by Ferdinand Magellan. The total cost of their ships and food was nearly 2.3 million 2024 USD.

Arrival at Tenerife

Sep 26, 1519

The fleet stopped at the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. They purchased supplies such as vegetables and pitch as they were cheaper in Tenerife than in Spain. At this time, Magellan received a communication that some of his crew members were planning a rebellion.

South America

Nov 29, 1519

The fleet reached the approximate latitude of Cape (Cabo de) Saint Augustine on the coastline of Brazil. This area was known to Spanish and Portugese explorers for about 20 years. Members of the crew had brought maps of the Brazilian coastline although these were not very accurate.

Rio de Janeiro

Dec 13, 1519

Rio de Janeiro was known as a Portuguese occupied area. However, at the time, there was no permemant Portuguese settlement. Magellan and his crew spent time trading with the indigenous people. The ships were repaired, the rations were stocked, and many natives were converted to Christianity.

Río de la Plata

Jan 11, 1520

On the eleventh, the fleet spotted what they thought was el paso, a passage around the Southern tip of South America. The ships split up and attempted to find the route. One of the ships did find a river that led to fresh water, but this was not the intended path. They had found the Río de la Plata; a river plate on the coast of Argentina.

Searching South

Feb 3, 1520

The fleet continued South along the coast. Magellan was sure they would soon find the passage to the Pacific. The ships were sailed as close to the coast as possible which risked running the ships aground due to shoals as well as more severe weather such as squalls, storms, and freezing temperature as winter approached. The fleet only sailed during the day for better visibility.

Wintering

Mar 31, 1520

Weather conditions became harsh due to the fleet's movement south and the approaching winter. In the 3rd week of March, Magellan decided to find a harbor to spend the winter. On the 31st, the crew found Port St. Julian. They would spend five months at the Port before returning to sea.

Mutiny

Apr 1, 1520

One of the largest mutiny attempts occurred on April 1st. The crew accused Magellan of putting them in unnecessary danger. The mutineers captured three of the ships, but Magellan and his officers were able to outsmart them and stop the mutiny.

The loss of the Santiago

May 22, 1520

Magellan sent the Santiago to search for a passage to the Pacific in late April. In early May, they reached a river that the captain named the Santa Cruz River. On the 22nd of May, the crew set to return to St. Julian but got caught in a sudden storm and the ship ran aground. The crew made it off safely and Magellan sent a rescue party to retrieve them, but the supplies and the ship were lost.

Cape Virgenes

Oct 21, 1520

After spending September in Santa Cruz, Magellan's fleet set sail on October 18th. When the ships reached Cape Virgenes, a strong storm pushed the Concepción and San Antonio into a bay. Luckily, the fleet was able to regroup and the two ships reported they were pushed into a strait that was unseen from most of the bay. The fleet entered the strait and discovered the water was continually deep and salty which indicated this was the strait they were looking for now known as the Strait of Magellan.

The Strait of Magellan

Oct 28, 1520

On the 28th, the fleet reached an island, likely Isabel Island or Dawson Island, in the strait. Magellan had his fleet split up to explore the two paths. When the ships reached the rendezvous point, the San Antonio was nowhere to be found. The rest of the fleet waited three days for the San Antonio and then decided to continue to the Pacific. Eventually, the San Antonio returned to Spain after the crew threatened with mutiny.

The Pacific

Nov 28, 1520

The fleet of three remaining ships reached the Pacific by the 28th of November. They followed the Chilean coast north but by mid-December, they had turned to head west-north-west. At this time, they were running out of food quickly. They had not planned for a journey the length that it had become. Unfortunately, the fleet's path put them on a course away from most groups of nearby islands. The crew began suffering from scurvy and malnutrition.

The Marina Islands

Mar 6, 1521

The fleet reached the Marina Islands on March 6th and anchored at Guam. There, they met the native Chamorro people. The Chamorro came aboard their ships and began stealing anything valuable. There was then a physical confrontation that left at least one Chamorro dead. The next day, Magellan sent a raiding party onto the island that burned forty to fifty Charmorro homes and killed seven men. The fleet left the next day, March 9th, and headed West.

The Philippines

Mar 16, 1521

The fleet reached the Philippines on the 16th of March and remained there until the 1st of May. Magellan's crew represented the first European contact with the Philippines. Throughout the fleet's travel through the islands of the Philippines, the crew repeatedly converted large groups of natives to Christianity. Towards the end of March, the crew spent time restocking their supplies and trading gifts with the natives.

Cebu

Apr 6, 1521

Throughout April, Magellan traveled around the Philippine islands converting large amounts of natives to Christianity. When Magellan arrived at Cebu, he converted and baptized all the local chieftains and their families. When Magellan learned that a group on the island of Mactan, led by Lapu-Lapu, resisted Christian conversion, he ordered his men to burn their homes. When they continued to resist, Magellan decided to bring his fleet and force them to convert.

Mactan

Apr 27, 1521

Magellan brought a force of 60 armed men from his crew to oppose Lapu-Lapu's forces, but he was vastly outnumbered. The native forces totaled an estimated 1,500. Magellan's forces were driven back and decisively defeated. Magellan died in battle, along with several comrades. After Magellan's death, an election was held to select a new leader. Two co-commanders were selected: Duarte Barbosa, Magellan's brother-in-law, and Juan Serrano.

The Second Massacre

May 1, 1521

On May 1st, another native leader invited the men ashore for a great feast. It was attended by around thirty men, mostly officers, including Serrano and Barbosa. Towards the end of the meal, armed Cebuanos entered the hall and murdered the Europeans. Twenty-seven men were killed including Serrano.

Two Ships Remain

May 2, 1521

With only 115 surviving men, it was decided the fleet did not have enough men to continue operating three ships. On 2 May, the Concepción was emptied and set on fire. With Carvalho as the new captain-general, the remaining two ships, the Trinidad and Victoria, spent the next six months meandering through Southeast Asia in search of the Moluccas. On the way, they stopped at several islands including. During this time, they engaged in acts of piracy, including robbing a junk bound for China.

Moluccas

Nov 8, 1521

The ships reached the Moluccas on 8 November, when they reached the island of Tidore. They were greeted by the island's leader, al-Mansur (also known as Almanzor). Almanzor was a friendly host to the men and readily claimed loyalty to the king of Spain. A trading post was established in Tidore and the men set about purchasing massive quantities of cloves in exchange for goods such as cloth, knives, and glassware.

The Trinidad

Dec 15, 1521

Around 15 December, the ships attempted to set sail from Tidore, laden with cloves. But the Trinidad, which was heavily damaged, was found to be taking on water. The departure was postponed while the men, aided by the locals, attempted to find and repair the leak. When these attempts were unsuccessful, it was decided that the Victoria would leave for Spain via a western route and that the Trinidad would remain behind for some time to be refitted, before heading back to Spain by an eastern route.

Travel Back to Europe

Dec 21, 1521

The Victoria set sail via the Indian Ocean route home on 21 December 1521, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano. By 6 May 1522 the Victoria rounded the Cape of Good Hope, with only rice for rations. The Victoria had made it safely back through the largest route for European boats to travel at the time.

Cape Verde

Jul 9, 1522

Twenty crewmen died of starvation by 9 July 1522, when Elcano put into Portuguese Cape Verde for provisions. They had no trouble making purchases at first, using the cover story that they were returning to Spain from the Americas. However, the Portuguese detained 13 crew members after discovering that Victoria was carrying spices from the East Indies. The Victoria managed to escape with its cargo of 26 tons of spices.

Return to Spain

Sep 6, 1522

On 6 September 1522, Elcano and the remaining crew of Magellan's voyage arrived in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain aboard Victoria, almost exactly three years after they departed. They then sailed upriver to Seville and from there overland to Valladolid, where they appeared before the Emperor. When Victoria, the one surviving ship of the fleet, returned to the harbor of departure after completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth, only 18 men out of the original 270 men were on board.