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On returning to Lisbon, he applied to the
authorities for an increase in his pension, which was refused twice
by the King. To add fuel to the fire, he was ordered back to
Morocco. Some historians say the king’s refusal had been based on
rumors about Megallan’s conduct. Irked by the refusal, Megallan
sought refuge in Spain.
Serving the Spanish
Magellan reached Seville on October 20, 1517 and along with a
Portuguese cosmographer, Rui Faleiro, he swore allegiance to the
King Charles I of Spain. Henceforth, he came to be known by his
Spanish name, Fernando de Magallanes. On March 22, 1518, the two
were appointed joint captains general of an expedition directed to
seek an all-Spanish route to the Moluccas. However, Faleiro was
forced by sickness to drop out of the expedition. With an army of
nearly three hundred men, Megallan set sail on his expedition on
September 20, the next year. His expedition led him through
Tenerife, Brazil, the Guinea coast, Cape St. Augustine. Rounding
Cabo Frio, the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, Río de la Plata and Port St.
Julian.
The Strait of Magellan
Historians have said that after reaching the mouth of the Santa
Cruz, near which “Santiago”, Magellan started south again, rounding
the Cape of the Virgins (Cabo Vírgenes). At approximately 52° 50'
South, he is said to have entered the passage that proved to be the
strait of his seeking and which was later named after him.
The first circumnavigation
Megallan continued his expeditions. He left for what is now
called the Philippines, on March 9, 1521, where he secured the first
alliance in the Pacific, for Spain. However, two months later, he
was killed in an encounter with the natives. There are some
historians who say that Megallan’s arrival in Philippines makes him
the first man to circumnavigate the world (even though he did not
return to Spain), because he had been further east before.
After Magellan's death, two of his vessels,
Trinidad and Victoria, reached the Moluccas. Of these,
only Victoria returned to Spain, under the command of Elcano
on September 8, 1522. |
