Ferdinand Magellan Research Paper

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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

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