Conditions and Terms of Use AUTHORITIES ON FERDINAND MAGELLAN Copyright © Heritage History 2009 The authoritative sources of information on Magellan Some rights reserved may be divided into primary and secondary, the first class including the journals of those who knew him and took part in This text was produced and distributed by Heritage History, an organization his great expedition, as the "Unknown Portuguese," of Ramusio; dedicated to the preservation of classical juvenile history books, and to the Francisco Albo, whose "log-book" (trustworthy, though promotion of the works of traditional history authors. fragmentary) is contained in Navarrete's famous Coleccion; the The books which Heritage History republishes are in the public domain and "Genoese Pilot"—who wrote excellent Portuguese, by-the-way; are no longer protected by the original copyright. They may therefore be reproduced and Antonio Pigafetta, whose account of the voyage, the best within the United States without paying a royalty to the author. and most complete, was first written in Italian. The text and pictures used to produce this version of the work, however, are The second class comprises: Maximilian Transylvanus, the property of Heritage History and are licensed to individual users with some and Peter Martyr, both contemporaries, who conversed with the restrictions. These restrictions are imposed for the purpose of protecting the integrity Magellan survivors in Seville; Oviedo, who was then in Darien; of the work itself, for preventing plagiarism, and for helping to assure that Correa, author of Lendas da India; Herrera, Spanish compromised or incomplete versions of the work are not widely disseminated. historiographer, and others. In order to preserve information regarding the origin of this text, a copyright Though Pigafetta obtained permission to print as early as by the author, and a Heritage History distribution date are included at the foot of every page of text. We request all electronic and printed versions of this text include 1524, it is not known that he availed himself of the privilege these markings and that users adhere to the following restrictions. before 1536, the date of the "first Italian edition." The first English translation of his work is contained in Richard Eden's 1) This text may be reproduced for personal or educational purposes as long as Decades of the Newe World, London, 1555, and follows Martyr, the original copyright and Heritage History version number are faithfully Ramusio, and Transylvanus. reproduced. An excellent translation was published by the Hakluyt 2) You may not alter this text or try to pass off all or any part of it as your own Society (Lord Stanley of Alderley's) in 1894; but by far the best, work. as well as most recent, is that by J. A. Robertson, from, and with, 3) You may not distribute copies of this text for commercial purposes unless the original text—a limited edition, the A. H. Clark Company, you have the prior written consent of Heritage History. Cleveland, Ohio, 1906. A compact and comprehensive volume is the Life of Magellan (with all authorities cited), by F. H. H. 4) This text is intended to be a faithful and complete copy of the original Guillemard, London and New York, 1890. document. However, typos, omissions, and other errors may have occurred during preparation, and Heritage History does not guarantee a perfectly reliable reproduction. Permission to use Heritage History documents or images for commercial purposes, or more information about our collection of traditional history resources can be obtained by contacting us at [email protected] Original Copyright 1907 by Frederick A. Ober. 2 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE YOUNG MOUNTAINEER ................................................... 4 IN THE EAST INDIES ................................................................ 8 HIS HEROIC EXPLOITS .......................................................... 12 MALACCA, MOROCCO, AND HOME ....................................... 17 MAGELLAN EXPATRIATED .................................................... 21 A KING CONVINCED ............................................................. 25 A KING INCENSED ................................................................ 30 THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE ......................................... 35 MURDER AND MUTINY ......................................................... 41 PATAGONIA AND THE GIANTS ............................................... 46 THE LONG-SOUGHT STRAIT ................................................. 51 FIRST TRANSPACIFIC VOYAGE.............................................. 57 DISCOVERY OF THE PHILIPPINES ........................................... 60 "CONVERTING" THE NATIVES ............................................... 65 DEATH OF MAGELLAN .......................................................... 70 TREACHERY AND MASSACRE ............................................... 74 HE PICERIES AT AST T S L ........................................................ 79 VOYAGE OF THE VICTORIA .................................................... 84 FERDINAND MAGELLAN Original Copyright 1907 by Frederick A. Ober. 3 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 CHAPTER I to forget that he was a Magellan. Ferdinand did not forget, and no deed of his besmirched the family escutcheon, which, in the language of heraldry, was "On a field argent three bars checky, THE YOUNG MOUNTAINEER gules and argent; the crest an eagle, wings displayed." The "eagle," it is true, looked more like a cormorant than 1480–1504 any other bird; but there was no mistaking the "three bars cheeky" on a silver shield, which signified that some distant In an obscure corner of Traz-os-Montes, the northeastern progenitor had signally achieved something, probably in conflict province of Portugal, we find the picturesque hamlet of with the Moors. There was also the legend "Magalhaes" below Saborosa, where, about the year 1480, Ferdinand Magellan was the shield, which was the family name, in Portuguese, inscribed born. Few portions of the Iberian Peninsula are more wild and as Ferdinand himself was wont to write it in his autograph. rugged than this region: for rivers, hills and mountains are its Respecting the different spellings of his name, it may be as well salient features, its forests are vast, its scenery magnificent, to make mention of them now, in this connection, since there are though gloomy in the extreme. several, depending upon which language is adopted—whether The climate of Traz-os-Montes is proverbially bad, its Portuguese, Spanish, or English. roads are almost impassable; thus few strangers are attracted In the vernacular of our hero, his name was written thither; and hence the people resident there are quite as isolated Fernao de Magalhnes; in Spanish, Fernando de Magallanes, as though surrounded by the sea. A sea of mountains, in truth, which we have anglicized into Ferdinand Magellan. The first separates them from their compatriots of the coast; but its waves name was bestowed upon him at his christening, the second are rigid, immovable, and of their qualities the ignorant when he made Spain his adoptive country, and the third after his mountaineers seem to partake. Indeed, one may visit Saborosa deeds became world-famous and the chronicle of them was to-day and find there men and women unchanged from their translated into English. Those familiar with him, doubtless, ancestors of Magellan's time, four hundred years ago. addressed the young man as Fernan, or Hernan, these being Ferdinand Magellan was born a mountaineer, and though abbreviated forms of Fernando and Hernando, which have the he became a sailor (and through having become a sailor same meaning in Spanish and Portuguese. achieved the voyage which made his name immortal) he carried Fernan Magellan, then (assuming ourselves to be on a with him to sea the characteristics of one reared amid rugged familiar footing with him), was the son of Pedro (or Peter) de surroundings. His views were elevated, his confidence in himself Magalhaes, an hidalgo of repute in Traz-os-Montes, who was was supreme, his integrity unimpeachable; yet was he bound by possessed of some wealth and owned a castle, together with vast obstinacy as by hoops of steel. His courage was dauntless, his estates consisting mainly of wild and mountainous lands covered perseverance knew no limits, and his belief in a fortunate star with forests. In these forests roamed wild boars and deer, which amounted to a superstition. Fernan, when arrived at a suitable age, greatly delighted to hunt. At the time of Ferdinand's birth and youth, his father The shaggy crests of the mountains were also the haunts, ruled as the little lord of Saborosa, and was called a fidalgo, or tradition relates, of nomadic brigands, who would have desired nobleman. He was wont to boast that his family belonged to "the no better fortune than to capture the son of a nobleman like Peter oldest in the kingdom," and many a time cautioned his son never Magellan and hold him for ransom. If they had designs, Original Copyright 1907 by Frederick A. Ober. 4 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 however, upon Ferdinand, they were destined to be disappointed, conversed with the navigators and soldiers who advanced the for he was a reckless rider of the native horses for which the arms of Portugal in the Far East, and it is believed that he early region is celebrated, and though he had many mad adventures, a sought acquaintance with such as were accessible