Twenty-five years before Magellan's voyage, much of Eurasia and Africa had been mapped but exploration of the seas and their unknown lands awaited. Since Portuguese and Spanish mariners dominated that exploration, Pope Alexander VI arbitrarily drew a line from pole to pole that cut through eastern Brazil (then yet discovered), declaring that Portugal could claim lands east of that line and Spain had rights to lands to its west. Of course, Columbus had claimed Caribbean islands for Spain on his voyages in the late 15th Century and Portuguese mariners would discover the Brazilian Coast soon thereafter (in 1500 AD).
When Magellan's armada stopped in the Canary Islands to take on more supplies, he learned that the King of Portugal had sent a fleet to arrest him and disrupt his search for a western route to the Spice Islands (Indonesia). Magellan thus left early and avoided the established route to Brazil, sailing far down the African Coast before crossing the Atlantic; though he outwitted his Portuguese pursuers, the voyage was much longer than expected, fueling discontent among his crew.
Finally reaching Rio de Janeiro in late December (4 months after leaving Seville), Magellan's fleet worked their way down the South American Coast, dealing with storms, dangerous shoals and both friendly and hostile native tribes. An Easter Mutiny was aborted but one ship, the Santiago, was lost in a storm (though most of the crew survived). Large bays along the Argentinian Coast were explored and sounded, hoping that they might be the Strait to the Spice Islands, but no such strait was found. After waiting out the Southern winter in Port St. Julian Bay, the remaining four ships reached the eastern entrance to the Strait of Magellan on October 21, 1520, 14 months after leaving Seville.
Note: Most of this information was taken from Over the Edge of the World, by Laurence Bergreen, a detailed yet highly readable account of Magellan's voyage. See previous post.
When Magellan's armada stopped in the Canary Islands to take on more supplies, he learned that the King of Portugal had sent a fleet to arrest him and disrupt his search for a western route to the Spice Islands (Indonesia). Magellan thus left early and avoided the established route to Brazil, sailing far down the African Coast before crossing the Atlantic; though he outwitted his Portuguese pursuers, the voyage was much longer than expected, fueling discontent among his crew.
Finally reaching Rio de Janeiro in late December (4 months after leaving Seville), Magellan's fleet worked their way down the South American Coast, dealing with storms, dangerous shoals and both friendly and hostile native tribes. An Easter Mutiny was aborted but one ship, the Santiago, was lost in a storm (though most of the crew survived). Large bays along the Argentinian Coast were explored and sounded, hoping that they might be the Strait to the Spice Islands, but no such strait was found. After waiting out the Southern winter in Port St. Julian Bay, the remaining four ships reached the eastern entrance to the Strait of Magellan on October 21, 1520, 14 months after leaving Seville.
Note: Most of this information was taken from Over the Edge of the World, by Laurence Bergreen, a detailed yet highly readable account of Magellan's voyage. See previous post.
