ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Nutty Productions What Happened to The Magellan 18 after Leaving Spain
On September 8, 1522, a single ship sailed into the busy Spanish harbor of Sevilla. This ship, named the Victoria, had just completed an incredible journey: the first trip around the entire world! But the journey had been tough. Out of the original 270 crew members and five ships that started the voyage three years earlier, only 18 men returned, looking thin and worn out. They were the first people ever to sail around the globe in one trip.
Our story begins with Ferdinand Magellan, a skilled sailor from Portugal. Although he was Portuguese, he sailed under the Spanish flag because the Spanish king, Charles I, supported his expedition. This was not unusual at the time; for example, Christopher Columbus was Italian but also sailed with Spanish backing.
Magellan had a lot of experience at sea. By the age of 27, he had already sailed around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and fought in battles in the Indian Ocean. However, after disagreements with the Portuguese king over his pay, Magellan decided to offer his skills to Spain.
On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Sevilla with five ships: the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria, the Santiago, and the Trinidad. His goal was to find a new route to the Pacific Islands, known for their valuable spices. Little did they know, the journey would cover over 60,000 miles!
During this time, European countries were eager to explore new lands. Columbus had recently discovered America, and Vasco de Gama had found a sea route to India. Everyone was racing to find the quickest way to the Pacific Islands.
The voyage faced many challenges. Although funded by Spain, less than two-thirds of the crew were Spanish. This mix of nationalities led to disagreements. Magellan, being Portuguese, had to deal with a Spanish nobleman, Juan de Cartagena, who was appointed as his second-in-command. Cartagena tried to take control, leading to his arrest and demotion.
As they sailed along the western coast of South America, tensions rose. The crew spent months searching for a way into the Pacific Ocean. The cold weather and Cartagena’s resentment led to a mutiny, but Magellan managed to regain control by marooning Cartagena on an island.
After overcoming these challenges, Magellan’s fleet finally found a passage into the Pacific Ocean, now known as the Strait of Magellan. The journey through the Pacific was long and difficult. The ocean was much larger than expected, and it took about 100 days to cross. Many crew members fell ill with scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, and supplies ran low.
On March 6, 1521, they reached the Mariana Islands, where they restocked their supplies. They then sailed to the Philippines, where they tried to convert the local people to Christianity. However, on the island of Mactan, they faced resistance from the local chieftain, Lapu Lapu, and Magellan was killed in battle.
Despite losing their leader and two more ships, the remaining crew pressed on. Under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, the Victoria managed to return to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe. The 18 surviving crew members became known as the Magellan 18, marking a significant achievement in history.
The struggles within Magellan’s crew reflected the larger rivalry between Portugal and Spain. Both nations were eager to control new territories. This rivalry had deep roots, going back to the time when the Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim rule. Over the centuries, Christian kingdoms emerged, leading to battles known as the Reconquista.
After Columbus’s discovery of the Americas, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, dividing the world into areas of influence. Spain got everything west of a certain line, while Portugal got everything to the east. However, both countries eventually broke the treaty, leading to further conflicts.
The story of the Magellan 18 is one of adventure, challenges, and historical significance. It highlights the spirit of exploration during a time when the world was still largely unknown. Could you imagine surviving such a voyage back then? Let us know your thoughts!
Research the key events of Magellan’s voyage and create a timeline. Use a large sheet of paper or a digital tool to plot important dates, such as the departure from Spain, the discovery of the Strait of Magellan, and the return of the Victoria. This will help you visualize the journey and understand the sequence of events.
Using a world map, trace the route taken by Magellan’s expedition. Mark significant locations like the Strait of Magellan, the Mariana Islands, and the Philippines. This activity will help you grasp the vast distances covered and the geographical challenges faced by the crew.
Imagine you are a member of Magellan’s crew. In small groups, role-play a meeting where you discuss the challenges faced during the voyage, such as scurvy, mutiny, and supply shortages. This will give you insight into the crew’s experiences and the leadership decisions made.
Investigate the disease scurvy, which affected many crew members during the voyage. Prepare a short presentation on its causes, symptoms, and how it was eventually prevented. This will help you understand the health challenges of long sea voyages in the 16th century.
Learn about the Treaty of Tordesillas and its impact on exploration. Hold a class debate on whether the treaty was fair and how it influenced the rivalry between Spain and Portugal. This will deepen your understanding of the political context of the era.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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On September 8, 1522, a lone ship entered the Spanish harbor of Sevilla. At that time, the port was bustling with Spanish ships traveling to the Americas or towards Africa and India. This ship was the Victoria, which had just completed the first circumnavigation of the globe. Missing from the ship were the crew’s captain, Ferdinand Magellan, and many others; of the original crew of 270 and five ships that set off three years earlier, only 18 men returned on one boat, thin and starving, in tattered clothes. They were the first people to sail around the world in one journey.
Welcome back to Nutty History! Today, we’re diving into the story of the Magellan 18, an epic tale of adventure, hardship, and political intrigue.
Let’s revisit Magellan. He was Portuguese but sailed under the Spanish flag with funding from the Spanish Crown. This was not uncommon at the time; for example, Columbus was Genovese but also sailed to the Americas with Spanish support. Both Portugal and Spain sought seasoned seafarers with proven track records, and Magellan fit that description well.
Magellan hailed from northern Portugal and was part of the increasing Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean. By the age of 27, he had already sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and participated in naval battles over territory in the Indian Ocean. By 31, he had played a significant role in securing Portuguese control of Malaysia and its valuable spices. However, he became disillusioned with Portugal after the king refused to pay him what he felt he deserved for his service. Consequently, he decided to take his talents to Spain, where King Charles I welcomed him.
On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Sevilla with five ships—the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria, the Santiago, and the Trinidad—and a crew of 270 men, searching for a western route to the Pacific Islands, where valuable spices awaited. They would not realize that this journey would cover over 60,000 miles.
It was a time of intense European exploration. Columbus had recently discovered America, which he mistakenly thought was India, and Vasco de Gama had found a route to India by rounding the Cape of Good Hope. In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa had reached the Pacific Islands, igniting a race to find the quickest route to these exotic lands.
Magellan’s voyage got off to a rocky start. Although the expedition was funded by Spain, less than two-thirds of the crew were actually Spanish. Magellan himself was Portuguese, along with 24 other countrymen and 27 Italians. This mix of nationalities caused discord among the ranks. Spanish officials forced Magellan to accept a Spanish nobleman, Juan de Cartagena, as his second-in-command. Cartagena began giving orders behind Magellan’s back, leading to his arrest and demotion, an act that would have serious repercussions for the voyage.
When the fleet reached the western coast of South America, tensions escalated. They spent months searching for a passage into the Pacific. As they traveled south, the weather grew colder. Cartagena, resentful and cold, organized a mutiny, resulting in a mini naval battle among the five ships. The captains of the Victoria and the Concepcion allied with Cartagena in an attempt to take control from Magellan, but they failed. Magellan ultimately marooned Cartagena on an island, and his fate remains unknown.
With control regained, Magellan pressed on, but challenges persisted. They had to pause their journey for two months due to glaciers blocking their path, and they lost the Santiago to a storm. Finally, in October, they discovered a strait and navigated through it, entering the Pacific Ocean. This strait was later named the Strait of Magellan, and the archipelago they saw to the south was named Tierra del Fuego due to the fires lit by the indigenous people living there.
However, their victory was short-lived. The Pacific Ocean was vast, much larger than anyone had anticipated, and it took the crew about 100 days to navigate it. During this time, many crew members succumbed to scurvy, suffering from rotting teeth and swollen gums, which made eating impossible. Supplies dwindled, forcing them to eat sawdust and biscuits contaminated with rat excrement.
On March 6, 1521, they finally found land in the Mariana Islands, where they restocked before heading to the Philippines. There, on the island of Limasawa, they began efforts to Christianize the native people. However, they encountered skepticism from the indigenous people on the nearby island of Mactan. Magellan decided to confront them with force, but the battle did not go in favor of the Europeans. The Mactan Islanders, led by a chieftain named Lapu Lapu, successfully repelled the Spanish, resulting in Magellan’s death.
The remaining crew of the fleet struggled to continue, losing two of their remaining three ships. Miraculously, the Victoria, under the new command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, made its way back to Spain, despite the loss of most of the crew to disease and starvation. The Magellan 18 thus became the first humans in recorded history to complete a circumnavigation of the globe.
The power struggle within Magellan’s crew mirrored the larger rivalry between Portugal and Spain during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, as both nations vied for control over newly discovered territories. To understand this rivalry, we need to look back further in history.
The Iberian Peninsula, where modern-day Portugal and Spain are located, was once controlled by the Umayyad Caliphate, a Muslim empire that took control from the Visigoths around 718. For the next several centuries, the Umayyads held much of Iberia, but Christian kingdoms began to emerge, leading to a series of battles known as the Reconquista. By 1143, Portugal became an independent nation, and less than a century later, its Reconquista was declared a success. Spain’s process was more complex, as it wasn’t officially named “España” until 1876, following the union of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon in 1469.
After Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, Spain and Portugal recognized the need to establish rules for exploiting newly discovered lands. In 1494, they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the world into spheres of influence. Spain received everything west of a designated line, while Portugal received everything to the east.
This treaty was a form of mutually agreed-upon global expansion, despite the fact that the Earth is round. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not set out to prove the Earth was round; this understanding had been established long before. However, historical narratives have sometimes misrepresented this fact.
Over time, both nations violated the treaty, with Spain colonizing the Philippines and Portugal claiming Brazil, leading to further conflicts.
Could you survive a voyage around the world in a ship back then? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more Nutty History!
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This version maintains the core information while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.
Magellan – Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. – Magellan’s journey proved that the Earth is round and much larger than previously thought.
Voyage – A long journey involving travel by sea or in space. – The voyage of the Mayflower in 1620 was a significant event in American history.
Crew – A group of people who work on and operate a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. – The crew of Columbus’s ships included sailors, a doctor, and a translator.
Pacific – The largest and deepest of Earth’s oceanic divisions, located between Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east. – The Pacific Ocean was named by Magellan because of its peaceful waters.
Spain – A country in southwestern Europe that was a powerful empire during the Age of Exploration. – Spain sponsored many explorers, including Christopher Columbus, who discovered the New World.
Islands – Land masses that are completely surrounded by water. – The Galápagos Islands are famous for their unique wildlife and were studied by Charles Darwin.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about history helps us understand how past societies have shaped the world today.
Exploration – The action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. – The exploration of the Americas led to the exchange of goods and ideas between the Old and New Worlds.
Territories – Areas of land that are under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state. – During the 19th century, many European countries expanded their territories by colonizing parts of Africa and Asia.
Conflicts – Serious disagreements or arguments, typically a protracted one. – Conflicts over land and resources often led to wars between different nations and empires throughout history.
