Ferdinand Magellan was a sixteenth century Portuguese explorer who was the first person to circumnavigate the world. He sailed under the flag of Spain, with whom Portugal had many conflicts with due to border disputes. Because of the on-going ancient feud between Portugal and Spain, the accounts of Magellan’s voyage are biased either against Magellan or favoring depending on whether they are Spanish or Portuguese. Although they are biased, one against and the other favoring Magellan, Peter Martyr’s De Orbe Novo and Antonio Pigafetta’s notes about Magellan’s voyage substantially reflect what really happened through the facts that agree with each other and other later sources.
Signed on June 7, 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement
…show more content…
The notes about Magellan’s voyage show the knowledge and discovery of the international date line at the time. The acting captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano, was surprised that their calendar was off by one day when returning home; therefore, he discovered time zones and the international date line because they had collectively added a day throughout the voyage (Stefoff). The following excerpt from Peter Martyr’s De Orbe Novo, which reads, “...Cape Santa Maria. This promontory lies 5 degrees beyond the equinoctial line” proves the knowledge of the international date line after the voyage because the “equinoctial line” means the line where day turns to night, therefore the international date line. In addition, De Orbe Novo by Peter Martyr confirms the discovery of the Magellan Strait. The attempt to find the elusive sea passage began again in earnest in October 1520, and after only three days a passage was found between the South American mainland and Tierra del Fuego which has been known ever since as the Magellan Strait (Craig). Martyr also describe Magellan’s death in great detail. Having been in battle with Indians, Magellan, along with seven of his other companions, died at the Filipino island of Matam in 1521(Martyr). According to Antonio Pigafetta, “an Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain’s face, but later immediately killed him with his …show more content…
Martyr states that Magellan “commanded five vessels, of which the flagship was called Trinidad, and the others San Antonio, Victoria, Concepcion, and Santiago” (Martyr). Here he clearly states that there were five ships and gave each of their names leaving modern day people with a clearer understanding of the voyage. Martyr also remarks about the poor quality of the ships; he says, “His five ships were small and clumsy and leaked so badly that endless pumping was required to keep them afloat” (Martyr). Martyr is describing the bad quality of the ships and further peaking into the life and conditions of the voyage. Martyr also reveals information about individual ships Instead of continuing with the others, the San Antonio “turned back and arrived [in Spain] some time ago, bringing the saddest accusations against Magellan” (Martyr). He also notes that the Santiago was broken into pieces by waves (Martyr). Martyr’s descriptions of Magellan’s ships in De Orbo Novo clearly describes the ships and provides a vivid look into the past of what they were
Christopher Columbus and Alvez Nunez Cabeza de Vaca were both explorers for Spain, but under different rulers and different times. The more famous, Christopher Columbus, came before de Vaca’s time. Columbus sailed a series of four voyages between 1492 and 1504 in search for a route to Asia which led accidentally to his discovery of new land inhabited with Indians. Christopher sailed under the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella for his journey to the “Indies,” whom he was loyal to by claiming everything in their name. De Vaca , followed in Christopher’s footsteps and journeyed to Hispanionola for Spain’s emperor, Charlves V, the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella. Both, Columbus and de Vaca composed a series of letters addressing the main issue of their journey to the new land, but both were expressed in a different manner, included different material, and were motivated to write for dissimilar reasons.
One question posed by the authors is “How did Columbus’s relationship with the Spanish crown change over time, and why?” In simple terms, Columbus’s relationship with the
Reading both passages of the two explorers, Christopher Columbus and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, gives a great description of how the world was back in the 1500s. Now, although both were Spaniard explorers, each had different experiences and discoveries. One of the differences is how they approached exploring the new world. For instance, Columbus went to find new land in the west, while Cabeza de Vaca went as an expedition to already found lands. In addition, Columbus had a lot of success, while Cabeza de Vaca since the beginning, because of Narváez, “endured many disasters” (Baym, et al., 2013, p. 28). Furthermore, Christopher Columbus considered most important to find more land, and especially the route to reach Asia.
What is a key attribute of a strong leader? Would he be strong, bold, courageous, fearless? Magellan, a portuguese captain during the fifteen hundreds crossed the world through the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Ferdinand Magellan did not deserve defense. He would treat his crewmen unfairly, put himself first, and was distracted from his goal. (Document A, B, C, D, E)
3In early 1520’s a man named Ferdinand Magellan circulated the world and was the first one to do it with five ships and aro
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.
Many people have heard of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. However, only some know of all the things they accomplished. They might be best known for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, but they also greatly contributed to the unity of Spain (“Isabella l”). Together, they brought many kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula together to form what Spain is today. Through Spain’s unification, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella strengthened Spain into an economic and dominant world power, enabling the spread of Christianity and the colonization of a New World.
The accounts of great explorers like Marco Polo and of the various Spanish conquistadores are important not only because they introduced things that the Western World had been unaware of for centuries, but because they show many of their preconceived ideas. Polo’s admiration is overwhelmingly present in his writing, which shows that what he has found clearly exceeded his expectations. On the other hand, the Spanish abhorrence of the Aztec culture shows that they had many preconceived ideas, which were too powerful to be overcome by the reality they found, which was far more amazing than they could have ever imagined. Works Cited Polo, Marco, and Rustichello di Pisa. The Travels of Marco Polo. 1926.
It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory voyage from King John II of Portugal, but he was refused. In 1485, Columbus took his son Diego and went to Spain to get some help.
Christopher Columbus began many of his adventures with preexisting sources and models from well-known philosophers and explores, mixture of inventions, misrepresentations and concealment (Bodmer,10). Despite his knowledge of geography and cosmology, he used models that were complex and contradicting, providing factual and mythical reports of what he could expect to find on the islands he would soon explore. The most detailed information which was creditable based on objectivity and accurate accounts were described by Marco Polo. The book ‘Travels’, would become a resource used by Columbus to compare his discoveries, for here it would reveal actual and potential problems that were identified by Marco Polo (Bodmer, 13,14). According to Polo, land that was located beyond the reach of commercial expeditions would belong to the first man who could reach them, according to the rules of the imperialistic pattern of appropriation (Bodmer, 16). As Columbus’s imagines of finding lands rich ...
There were many important events in Spain that paved the way for the colonization of the New World. For example, Europeans craved the spices of the East, but due to warfare in Asia, they tried to find new trade routes . At the time, Europeans knew that the Earth was round, but they did not know how far the ocean stretched, let alone the existence of other continents beyond the Atlantic Ocean. The demand for such spices allowed for many expeditions to occur, including Christopher Columbus. In addition, the explorers of the time were considered “renaissance men” who used new navigation tools such as the globe and sextant, and also referred back to Greek and Latin maps . The Renaissance and its innovations and new ways of thinking are responsible for the expeditions and the ambitiousness of the explorers. As the explorers were traveling in all sorts of directions around the world, they gained more knowledge and improved the maps, which are key aspects of the Renaissance. Furthermore, after the re-conquest of Grenada, the men of Spain still had a frontier mentality that carried over to the New World . As Spain used the plantations on the Az...
There have been circular arguments,internaionally, concerning whether Columbus discoverd or invaded the west Indies. through this essay I will explore all counter arguments for this particular topic. Its complex yet simple, one step at a time.
After reading the two letters written by Christopher Columbus in the midst of his many voyages, I have found many similarities and differences between the two. The first letter was written to Luis de Santangel on February 15, 1493 at sea. Ten years later, the second letter was written to Ferdinand and Isabella. This letter, regarding his fourth voyage, was written on July 7, 1503. The tone in this letter compared to the first letter was abysmal. Some did not believe it was written by the same person. This makes what happened in that ten year gap become very important. It is what happened during that time that will lead one to discover the changes in attitude made by Columbus between the two letters he wrote.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
This evidence shows that Magellan was a good navigator and was imperative to his crew. According to the map titled “Voyage of Magellan,” it is seen that he managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean, sailed into a strait that had never been navigated before, and then continued to cross the Pacific Ocean. This shows how he was able to sail through tough bodies of water and succeed due to his expertise. Overall, based on the evidence, Magellan was good at navigating the sea. The second reason that Magellan was worth defending is that he was a persistent captain.