Fernand Magellan and the first round-the-world trip
In the first quarter of the XVI century. Europeans learned about the hitherto unexplored part of the coast of South America and the existence of a narrow strait, later called Magellan. Brave navigators for the first time crossed the Pacific Ocean, proved that the Earth is round, and the World Ocean is a single whole. This expedition was headed by Fernand Magellan, whose biography was studied by many researchers, but the information that historians have is controversial and of great interest for several centuries.
Place and exact date of birth of the famousPortuguese and Spanish navigators are the subject of discussions. Historians call two settlements where he could have been born: Porto and Sabrosa. Fernand Magellan was born in 1840 in a wealthy, but noble noble family. As a page, he was part of the retinue of Queen Leonora of Avis. Perhaps, it was the queen of Portugal that helped the young man enter the seaport school. The fleet service of the future pioneer began with participation in the eastern expedition (1505) as a supernumerary warrior.
There is information about expeditions that were equipped withthe purpose of studying the Indian Ocean, in which the young Magellan went. Fernand served in different places. He was not tall, but physically strong and confident, he showed himself to be a brave warrior in sea battles and was awarded the title of captain. In 1513, he returned briefly to Portugal, and the following year he went to Morocco, where he was injured in the leg, after which he limped for the rest of his life. Immediately after the end of hostilities, he was accused of secretly selling part of the military extraction to the opposing side. Outraged, Fernand Magellan went on his own to Portugal to justify himself, but he provoked the anger of King Manuel I, and after his resignation he was denied an increase in the pension. In response to a request to allocate a ship to search for new sea routes, the Portuguese king also refused.
Fernand Magellan moved to Spain, where heAfter a long bargaining, it was possible to convince the expedition of the more accommodating Spanish king of the need and profitability of the expedition. The main purpose of the trip was not geographical discoveries, and the Moluccas Islands - a source of spices - "gold" of the XVI century. The explorer planned to get to the islands short way from America. His calculations, having maps of the coasts of the South American continent and reports of seafarers who visited those regions, he did not build from scratch. A flotilla of five ships loaded with guns, other weapons, as well as various goods for trade, set sail on September 20, 1519.
