Juan Sebastian Elcano what he discovered. Juan Sebastian Elcano's circumnavigation of the world

Who was this man, Juan Sebastian Elcano?
Juan Sebastian Elcano was born in 1480 in Getaria, a small fishing village on the Bay of Biscay, 15 kilometers west of San Sebastian. In 1510, Elcano, as the owner and captain of a ship, took part in the siege of Tripoli. When the Spanish Treasury refused Elcano money to pay the ship's crew, Elcano sold the ship and paid off the crew. Selling the ship was then considered a serious crime, and Elcano was forced to flee to Seville. There he met his fellow Basque Ibaroll, who was well acquainted with Ferdinand Magellan, who was preparing an expedition to circumnavigate the world by order of King Charles I of Spain. After completing special navigation courses, Elcano managed to get a job as a helmsman (according to other sources, as a boatswain - contramaestre) on the sailing ship Concepcion.

On September 20, 1519, five ships, Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria and Santia, with a crew of a total of 270 people (according to other sources 265), left under the command of the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan from the port of San Lucar de Barrameda, located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River ( north of present-day Cadiz) and headed to the shores of Brazil. The expedition member, Italian Antonio Pigafetta, described in detail in his diaries how the voyage proceeded before the death of Ferdinand Magellan on April 21, 1521 in a skirmish with local tribes on the island of Matan (Philippines) and the further adventures of the sailors. Day after day, he meticulously recorded all events in a journal in calligraphic handwriting. He miraculously managed to survive and return to Seville among the other 18 sailors, keeping his diaries. Thanks to him, humanity learned what suffering the participants of this expedition went through. And they went through hunger, cold, disease, riots, severe hurricanes, the death of ships and their crews. Nobody imagined that Earth so huge. For example, Magellan expected to cross the Pacific Ocean in three to four days. In fact, the path from Tierra del Fuego (Strait of Magellan) to Mariana Islands took more than 100 days. In November 1521, only Trinidad and Victoria, as well as 115 of their crews, remained in the flotilla. Among the sailors, many were exhausted, all suffered from scurvy. Every week someone died. It was decided to leave the Trinidad in the Moluccas. Juan Sebastian Elcano became the captain of Victoria. Few of the remaining sailors believed that they would ever see their homeland. They had to eat ship rats and rawhide from the ship's equipment. The rancid drinking water was brown in color.

But Elcano managed to navigate his worm-eaten ship with sailors maddened by disease and hunger across the entire Indian Ocean, then along the western coast of Africa to their home port. A third of the crew died during this final voyage from hunger and disease, and 13 people were detained by the Portuguese on the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. Only 18 lucky ones managed to return on September 8, 1522 to the mouth of the Guadalquivir River and then to Seville. In the ship's logs and Antonio Pigafetta's diary the date was September 7. Sailors did not yet know that when circumnavigating the globe from east to west, one day “disappears.” The first circumnavigation of the world was completed. Three years of hardship and mortal risk for the sailors were not in vain.

In the San Telmo Museum in the city of San Sebastian there is a painting by the artist Salaverria, The Return of Victoria. Bearded, emaciated men in shabby white clothes walk down the ramp onto the Seville embankment. In the hand of each of them is a burning candle. In front is their captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano.

King Charles I of Spain appreciated Elcano's feat and knighted him. Hopes for the existence of a western route to the spice islands in “India” were justified. The eastern route around the coast of Africa had long been under the control of Portuguese ships and was considered dangerous and long. Victoria delivered a decent amount of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in her holds for the royal court. The cost of the cargo significantly exceeded all expenses of the expedition. Spices were valued more than gold in those days.

In order to consolidate the influence of the Spanish crown in the Moluccas, King Charles I ordered the organization of a more prepared expedition of seven ships, appointing Juan Sebastian de Elcano (as his surname began to sound after he was awarded a knighthood), deputy commander of the flotilla of Admiral García Jofre de Loayza.

On July 24, 1525, seven ships left the port of La Coruña and headed to the shores of Brazil. The flotilla had to follow the path of Magellan, while avoiding his mistakes. The swimming was very difficult. In mid-January, the ship Sancti Espiritus, commanded by Elcano, sank in a terrible storm at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan. Only a small part of the team, led by the captain, managed to escape. They managed to swim to the shore. When the storm subsided, the victims in distress were picked up by other ships of the flotilla. And again one fierce storm followed another. Only at the end of March 1526 the remaining 4 ships decided to enter the Strait of Magellan ( southern route around Cape Horn was then unknown). The strait greeted the thinning flotilla with fog and a piercing cold wind. Rocky mountains, kilometer-high, covered with eternal snow, approached on both sides. Forty-eight days and nights the squadron advanced towards the exit to the Pacific Ocean. On the night of June 1–2, a terrible storm broke out, scattering the ships of the squadron in different directions. The flagship San Gabriel continued sailing alone. There was not enough food and water. On July 30, Admiral Loayza dies, having appointed Elcano in his place before his death, giving him the rank of admiral. Juan Sebastian de Elcano did not outlive Loais much. His strength was running out. On August 6, he too passed away. He was 46 years old. He was buried according to maritime custom. The ship's priest read a prayer over Elcano's body, wrapped in a shroud. Then the body was tied to a board, a weight was added, and it was lowered into the abyss of the sea.

In Getaria, Elcano's hometown, there is a stove at the entrance to the church. There is an inscription on it: "... the illustrious captain Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the ship Victoria. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who was the first to travel around the world."

Sometimes history is unfair. She did not leave us the image of Elcano. What was he like? His grave is not there either. Only on the globe in the same San Telmo museum is indicated the place where Elcano’s body was committed to the sea: 157 degrees west longitude and 9 degrees north latitude.
The middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.
No less remarkable is the fate of the sailing ship named Elcano.
The training ship (brigantine), now part of the Armada Espanola (Spanish Navy) and belonging to the Cadiz Naval School, was laid down at the Cadiz shipyard Echevarrieta y Larrinaga on November 24, 1925, in accordance with the Royal Decree of April 17, 1925. By that time, the Cadiz School, which had a glorious almost century-old history, had one after another 4 training sailing ships: Blanca, Almansa, Asturias, Nautilus. (Now four Elcano masts bear these names, counting from the bow of the ship to the stern). The school needed a new modern sailboat.

The construction of the 4-mast brigantine was carried out according to the design of the shipyard engineers. The famous English shipbuilder Nicholson was invited to develop sailing weapons. In England, linen working sails were ordered. Spare sails were manufactured in Gijon (province of Asturias). On March 5, 1927, the ship was launched. At the launching ceremony, Carmen Primo de Rivera, the daughter of the then chairman of the country's government, became the godmother of the ship.

In the wheelhouse of the sailing ship was installed the coat of arms of Elcano, topped with an image of the globe with the inscription in Latin: Primus circumdedisti me (You were the first to circumvent me), assigned to him by King Charles I in 1522.

On February 29, 1928, the ship entered service navy Spain. Its main characteristics were as follows:
Length - 94 meters
Width - 13.1 meters
Draft - 7.25 meters
Sail area - 3.153 sq. meters.
The maximum height (from the keel to the top of the masts) is 49 meters.
Total displacement - 3,420 tons.
The hull and two main masts are steel. The ship was equipped with a powerful radio station and a gyrocompass. The auxiliary diesel engine had a power of 800 hp. The maximum recorded speed under sail is 20 knots. The crew size is 143 people. The sailing ship could take on board from 70 to 140 midshipmen of the school for maritime practice.
Until 2002, the sailing ship made 9 voyages around the world. He was the winner of international sailing regattas many times. Thousands of future officers of the Spanish Navy underwent good maritime practice on it.
In 1956 and 1978, the sailboat underwent major repairs and modernization. A new 2000 hp engine was installed. and modern satellite navigation equipment. The decoration of the interior of the ship, especially the cabins of senior officers, still amazes with its luxury. Externally, the sailboat looks almost the same as on the day it was first launched and still delights viewers with its grace and perfection.
Very soon, in early July 2007, the largest sailing ships from all over the world will begin to arrive in Alicante. The arrival of Russian sailing ships Kruzenshtern, Mir, Sedov is expected. And, of course, the brigantine Juan Sebastian de Elcano will be the decoration of the regatta. On July 7, after the ceremonial parade of sailing ships at the roadstead of the port of Alicante, the regatta starts along the route Alicante - Barcelona - Toulon - Genoa.
We wish Elcano and his team from the bottom of our hearts: Buen viento y вuena mar!
Always return safe and healthy to your home port!

The article was prepared using materials from Spanish sources for the 80th anniversary of the famous sailing ship.

Alicante (Spain), March 2007
The remaining 30 photos are on www.lib.ru (Foreign countries - Spain - Vladimir Vetrintsev)

Juan Sebastian del Cano(later the surname was changed to a more euphonious one Elcano; Spanish Juan Sebastián del Cano (Elcano) , Basque Juan Sebastian Elkano; / , Getaria, Basque Country, province of Guipuzcoa, Kingdom of Castile, now Spain - August 4, Pacific Ocean) - Spanish navigator, the first person to circumnavigate the globe.

Biography

In April 1520, he took part in the mutiny of Magellan's officers, who despaired of searching for a strait between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and were about to turn the ships around. During the mutiny he received command of the galleon San Antonio. However, he received mercy, like the rest of the rebels, except for Quesado, who committed the murder.

Known for leading Magellan's expedition after the latter's death and completing it on September 8, 1522, bringing the ship Victoria from South-East Asia to Spain. Elcano's return journey was very risky, since in order to avoid clashes with the Portuguese, he led the Victoria through southern waters Indian Ocean and around Africa, without approaching the coast. Although part of the crew began to demand that the captain set a course for Mozambique, which belonged to the Portuguese crown, and surrender into the hands of the Portuguese. However, most of the sailors and Captain Elcano himself decided to try to sail to Spain at any cost. "Victoria" barely rounded the cape Good Hope and then for two months she walked non-stop to the northwest along the African coast.

Links

• (English)
• (Spanish)
• Full text of the last will and testament of Juan Sebastian Elcano

Excerpt characterizing Elcano, Juan Sebastian

“I know who took it,” Rostov repeated in a trembling voice and went to the door.
“And I’m telling you, don’t you dare do this,” Denisov shouted, rushing to the cadet to hold him back.
But Rostov snatched his hand away and with such malice, as if Denisov were his greatest enemy, directly and firmly fixed his eyes on him.
- Do you understand what you are saying? - he said in a trembling voice, - there was no one in the room except me. Therefore, if not this, then...
He couldn't finish his sentence and ran out of the room.
“Oh, what’s wrong with you and with everyone,” were the last words that Rostov heard.
Rostov came to Telyanin’s apartment.
“The master is not at home, they have left for headquarters,” Telyanin’s orderly told him. - Or what happened? - added the orderly, surprised at the upset face of the cadet.
- There is nothing.
“We missed it a little,” said the orderly.
The headquarters was located three miles from Salzenek. Rostov, without going home, took a horse and rode to headquarters. In the village occupied by the headquarters there was a tavern frequented by officers. Rostov arrived at the tavern; at the porch he saw Telyanin's horse.
In the second room of the tavern the lieutenant was sitting with a plate of sausages and a bottle of wine.
“Oh, and you’ve stopped by, young man,” he said, smiling and raising his eyebrows high.
“Yes,” said Rostov, as if it took a lot of effort to pronounce this word, and sat down at the next table.
Both were silent; There were two Germans and one Russian officer sitting in the room. Everyone was silent, and the sounds of knives on plates and the lieutenant’s slurping could be heard. When Telyanin finished breakfast, he took a double wallet out of his pocket, pulled apart the rings with his small white fingers curved upward, took out a gold one and, raising his eyebrows, gave the money to the servant.
“Please hurry,” he said.
The gold one was new. Rostov stood up and approached Telyanin.
“Let me see your wallet,” he said in a quiet, barely audible voice.
With darting eyes, but still raised eyebrows, Telyanin handed over the wallet.
“Yes, a nice wallet... Yes... yes...” he said and suddenly turned pale. “Look, young man,” he added.
Rostov took the wallet in his hands and looked at it, and at the money that was in it, and at Telyanin. The lieutenant looked around, as was his habit, and suddenly seemed to become very cheerful.
“If we’re in Vienna, I’ll leave everything there, but now there’s nowhere to put it in these crappy little towns,” he said. - Well, come on, young man, I’ll go.
Rostov was silent.
- What about you? Should I have breakfast too? “They feed me decently,” Telyanin continued. - Come on.
He reached out and grabbed the wallet. Rostov released him. Telyanin took the wallet and began to put it in the pocket of his leggings, and his eyebrows rose casually, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he was saying: “yes, yes, I’m putting my wallet in my pocket, and it’s very simple, and no one cares about it.” .
- Well, what, young man? - he said, sighing and looking into Rostov’s eyes from under raised eyebrows. Some kind of light from the eyes, with the speed of an electric spark, ran from Telyanin’s eyes to Rostov’s eyes and back, back and back, all in an instant.
“Come here,” Rostov said, grabbing Telyanin by the hand. He almost dragged him to the window. “This is Denisov’s money, you took it...” he whispered in his ear.
– What?... What?... How dare you? What?...” said Telyanin.
But these words sounded like a plaintive, desperate cry and a plea for forgiveness. As soon as Rostov heard this sound of the voice, a huge stone of doubt fell from his soul. He felt joy and at the same moment he felt sorry for the unfortunate man standing in front of him; but it was necessary to complete the work begun.
“People here, God knows what they might think,” Telyanin muttered, grabbing his cap and heading into a small empty room, “we need to explain ourselves...
“I know this, and I will prove it,” said Rostov.
- I…
Telyanin's frightened, pale face began to tremble with all its muscles; the eyes were still running, but somewhere below, not rising to Rostov’s face, sobs were heard.
“Count!... don’t ruin the young man... this poor money, take it...” He threw it on the table. – My father is an old man, my mother!...
Rostov took the money, avoiding Telyanin’s gaze, and, without saying a word, left the room. But he stopped at the door and turned back. “My God,” he said with tears in his eyes, “how could you do this?”
“Count,” said Telyanin, approaching the cadet.
“Don’t touch me,” Rostov said, pulling away. - If you need it, take this money. “He threw his wallet at him and ran out of the tavern.

In the evening of the same day, there was a lively conversation between the squadron officers at Denisov’s apartment.
“And I’m telling you, Rostov, that you need to apologize to the regimental commander,” said a tall staff captain with graying hair, a huge mustache and large features of a wrinkled face, turning to the crimson, excited Rostov.
Staff captain Kirsten was demoted to soldier twice for matters of honor and served twice.
– I won’t allow anyone to tell me that I’m lying! - Rostov screamed. “He told me I was lying, and I told him he was lying.” It will remain so. He can assign me to duty every day and put me under arrest, but no one will force me to apologize, because if he, as a regimental commander, considers himself unworthy of giving me satisfaction, then...
- Just wait, father; “Listen to me,” the captain interrupted the headquarters in his bass voice, calmly smoothing his long mustache. - In front of other officers, you tell the regimental commander that the officer stole...

(1486 )

Juan Sebastian del Cano(later the surname was changed to a more euphonious one Elcano; Spanish Juan Sebastián del Cano (Elcano) , Basque Juan Sebastian Elkano; / , Getaria, Basque Country, province of Gipuzkoa, Kingdom of Castile, now Spain - August 4, Pacific Ocean) - Spanish navigator, one of 18 people (participants of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, who returned to Spain on the only one of the five surviving ships) who were the first to circumnavigate the earth ball .

Biography

In April 1520, he took part in the mutiny of Magellan's officers, who despaired of searching for a strait between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and were about to turn the ships around. During the mutiny he received command of the galleon San Antonio. However, he received mercy, like the rest of the rebels, except for Quesado, who committed the murder, captain Cartagena and one priest.

After Magellan's death in the Battle of Mactan, he led the expedition and completed it on September 8, 1522, bringing the ship Victoria from Southeast Asia to Spain. Elcano's return journey was risky because, in order to avoid clashes with the Portuguese, he sailed the Victoria through the southern waters of the Indian Ocean and around Africa, without approaching the shore. Although part of the crew began to demand that the captain set a course for Mozambique, which belonged to the Portuguese crown, and surrender into the hands of the Portuguese, most of the sailors and Captain Elcano himself decided to try to sail to Spain at any cost. "Victoria" barely rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then went non-stop to the northwest along the African coast for two months.

On March 18, 1522, Elcano discovered the island of Amsterdam, but did not give it any name. In addition to him, 17 more people from the Victoria crew reached Spain (later those detained by the Portuguese on the Islands returned Cape Verde sailors from the Victoria and 4 people from the crew of the ship Trinidad). Unlike Magellan, who did not expect to continue his journey to the west after the “spice islands,” Elcano deliberately chose a route around the world.

For this expedition, Emperor Charles V awarded Elcano a personal coat of arms, which, among other things, depicted a globe with the motto Primus circumdedisti me(lat. You were the first to go around me), and assigned an annual pension. Based on his stories, the imperial secretary Maximilian Transylvanus compiled the first travel report, which became very famous in Europe.

Elcano participated as the captain of one of the ships in the expedition of García Jofre de Loaiza, which was heading along the route laid by Magellan to the Spice Islands. The voyage turned out to be very difficult, and the mortality rate on the ships was extremely high. On July 30, 1526, Admiral Loaiza died, appointing Elcano as his successor, who by that time was himself seriously ill. On August 6, his assistant, Andres Urdaneta, noted in his journal: “The gallant Senor Juan Sebastian del Elcano has died.” On the same day the deceased was buried at sea. The new commander, Torivio Alonso Salazar, saw land (one of the Marshall Islands) two weeks later.

In the navigator’s homeland, in Getaria, the memory of Elcano was immortalized with a stone slab with the inscription: “... the illustrious captain Juan Sebastian del Cano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the ship Victoria. In memory of the hero, this slab was erected in 1661 by Don Pedro de Etave y Azi, Knight of the Order of Calatrava. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who was the first to travel around the world.”

Elcano had an illegitimate son, Domingo, born to Maria Hernandez Dernialde.

Primus circumdedisti me (you were the first to circumvent me)- reads the Latin inscription on the coat of arms of Juan Sebastian Elcano crowned with a globe. Indeed, Elcano was the first person to commit circumnavigation.

Basque navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano born in 1480 in Getaria, a small fishing village near Donostia. In 1519, as a helmsman, he took part in Ferdinand Magellan's round-the-world expedition. The details of this dramatic expedition have come to us thanks to the diary kept by its participant, the Italian Antonio Pigafetta. The sailors were plagued by riots, diseases, and severe hurricanes, which carried away one after another human lives. Death did not spare Magellan himself, who died in the Philippines in 1521 during a skirmish with the natives. It was then that Elcano took command of the expedition - or rather, the only ship with a crew half-dead from exhaustion and illness.

Their return was like a miracle. Elcano managed to navigate the worm-eaten ship across the Indian Ocean, around Africa and, against all odds, return home. Of the 270 people who set off on an expedition around the world three years ago, only 18 survived. Among the lucky ones was Antonio Pigafetta, who nevertheless completed his diary.

In 1525, by order Spanish king A new expedition to the Moluccas took place. Oddly enough, it was not headed by Elcano, but by Admiral García Jofre de Loaiza. Elcano, who suffered such injustice with pain, was appointed his deputy. The voyage was very difficult from the very beginning, and a black streak of failures did not leave the sailors. And one day a strong storm scattered the ships, completely ending the hope for the successful completion of the mission.

Ironically, Elcano, like the last time, led the expedition after the death of its commander, Admiral Loaiza, but did not survive him much. Elcano's luck ran out. He died on August 6, 1526, aged 46. He was buried according to maritime custom, giving his body to the ocean abyss. This occurred between 157º west longitude and 9º north latitude.

In Elcano's homeland in Getaria, near the old church there is a slab on which the inscription is carved: "...the illustrious captain Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the ship Victoria. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who was the first to travel around the world."

You can learn more about Elcano’s biography and travels from the essay by Valery Pestushko, the original text of which was published in the “Magazine of Virtual Travel Around the World”.

Juan Sebastian Elcano

In the San Telmo Museum of the city of San Sebastian there is Salaverria's painting "The Return of the Victoria". Eighteen emaciated people in white shrouds, with lit candles in their hands, stagger down the ramp from the ship to the embankment of Seville. These are sailors from the only ship that returned to Spain from the entire Magellan flotilla, with their captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano, leading the way.

Much in Elcano’s biography is still unclear. Oddly enough, the man who first circumnavigated the globe did not attract the attention of artists and historians of his time. There is not even a reliable portrait of him, and of the documents he wrote, only letters to the king, petitions and a will have survived. In 1510, Elcano, the owner and captain of a ship, took part in the siege of Tripoli. But the Spanish Treasury refused to pay Elcano the amount due for settlements with the crew. Elcano had to borrow this money from Savoyard merchants. When they began to demand payment of the debt, Elcano was forced to sell them his ship, which at that time was considered a serious crime. Knowing that the court would not take into account any excuses, Elcano fled to Seville, where it was easy to get lost and then hide on any ship: in those days, captains were least interested in the biographies of their people. In addition, there were many of Elcano’s fellow countrymen in Seville, and one of them, Ibarolla, was well acquainted with Magellan. He helped Elcano enlist in Magellan's flotilla. Having passed the exams and received beans as a sign of a good grade (those who failed received peas from the examination committee), Elcano became a helmsman on the third largest ship in the flotilla, the Concepcion.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan's flotilla left the mouth of the Guadalquivir and headed for the shores of Brazil. In April 1520, when the ships settled for the winter in the frosty and deserted Bay of San Julian, the captains dissatisfied with Magellan mutinied. Elcano found himself drawn into it, not daring to disobey his commander, captain of the Concepcion Quesada.

Magellan energetically and brutally suppressed the rebellion: Quesada and another of the leaders of the conspiracy had their heads cut off, the corpses were quartered and the mutilated remains were stuck on poles. Magellan ordered Captain Cartagena and one priest, also the instigator of the rebellion, to be landed on the deserted shore of the bay, where they subsequently died. Magellan spared the remaining forty rebels, including Elcano.

1. The first circumnavigation in history

On November 28, 1520, the remaining three ships left the strait and in March 1521, after an unprecedentedly difficult passage across the Pacific Ocean, they approached the islands, which later became known as the Marianas. In the same month, Magellan discovered the Philippine Islands, and on April 27, 1521, he died in a skirmish with local residents on the island of Matan. Elcano, stricken with scurvy, did not take part in this skirmish. After the death of Magellan, Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla. At the head of a small detachment, they went ashore to the Rajah of Sebu and were treacherously killed. Fate again - for the umpteenth time - spared Elcano. Karvalyo became the head of the flotilla. But there were only 115 people left on the three ships; There are many sick people among them. Therefore, the Concepcion was burned in the strait between the islands of Cebu and Bohol; and his team moved to the other two ships - "Victoria" and "Trinidad". Both ships wandered between the islands for a long time, until finally, on November 8, 1521, they dropped anchor off the island of Tidore, one of the “Spice Islands” - the Moluccas. Then it was generally decided to continue sailing on one ship - the Victoria, of which Elcano had recently become captain, and leave the Trinidad in the Moluccas. And Elcano managed to navigate his worm-eaten ship with a starving crew across the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa. A third of the team died, about a third was detained by the Portuguese, but still, on September 8, 1522, Victoria entered the mouth of the Guadalquivir.

It was an unprecedented transition, unheard of in the history of navigation. Contemporaries wrote that Elcano surpassed King Solomon, the Argonauts and the cunning Odysseus. The first circumnavigation in history has been completed! The king granted the navigator an annual pension of 500 gold ducats and knighted Elcano. The coat of arms assigned to Elcano (since then del Cano) immortalized his voyage. The coat of arms depicted two cinnamon sticks framed with nutmeg and cloves, and a golden castle topped with a helmet. Above the helmet is a globe with the Latin inscription: “You were the first to circle me.” And finally, by a special decree, the king granted Elcano a pardon for selling the ship to a foreigner. But if it was quite simple to reward and forgive the brave captain, then resolving all the controversial issues related to the fate of the Moluccas turned out to be more difficult. The Spanish-Portuguese Congress met for a long time, but was never able to “divide” the islands located on the other side of the “apple of the earth” between the two powerful powers. And the Spanish government decided not to delay the departure of the second expedition to the Moluccas.

2. Goodbye La Coruña

La Coruña was considered the safest port in Spain, which “could accommodate all the fleets of the world.” The importance of the city increased even more when the Chamber of Indian Affairs was temporarily transferred here from Seville. This chamber developed plans for a new expedition to the Moluccas in order to finally establish Spanish dominance on these islands. Elcano arrived in La Coruña full of bright hopes - he already saw himself as an admiral of the armada - and began equipping the flotilla. However, Charles I appointed as commander not Elcano, but a certain Jofre de Loais, a participant in many naval battles, but completely unfamiliar with navigation. Elcano's pride was deeply wounded. In addition, from the royal chancellery came the “highest refusal” to Elcano’s request for payment of the annual pension granted to him of 500 gold ducats: the king ordered this amount to be paid only after returning from the expedition. Thus, Elcano experienced the traditional ingratitude of the Spanish crown towards famous navigators.

Before sailing, Elcano visited his native Getaria, where he, a famous sailor, easily managed to recruit many volunteers onto his ships: with a man who has walked around the “apple of the earth,” you will not be lost in the devil’s mouth, the port brethren reasoned. In the early summer of 1525, Elcano brought his four ships to A Coruña and was appointed helmsman and deputy commander of the flotilla. In total, the flotilla consisted of seven ships and 450 crew members. There were no Portuguese on this expedition. The last night before the flotilla sailed in La Coruña it was very lively and solemn. At midnight, a huge bonfire was lit on Mount Hercules, on the site of the ruins of a Roman lighthouse. The city said goodbye to the sailors. The cries of the townspeople who treated the sailors with wine from leather bottles, the sobs of women and the hymns of pilgrims mixed with the sounds of the cheerful dance “La Muneira”. The sailors of the flotilla remembered this night for a long time. They were sent to another hemisphere, and they now faced a life full of dangers and hardships. For the last time, Elcano walked under the narrow arch of Puerto de San Miguel and descended the sixteen pink steps to the shore. These steps, already completely erased, have survived to this day.

Province of Guipuzcoa, Kingdom of Castile, now Spain - August 4, Pacific Ocean) - Spanish navigator, one of 18 people (participants of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, who returned to Spain on the only one of the five surviving ships) who were the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Juan Sebastian Elcano
Spanish Juan Sebastián Elcano
Date of Birth	(1486 )
Place of Birth	Getaria, Kingdom of Castile
Date of death	August 6(1526-08-06 )
A place of death	Pacific Ocean
Nationality	Spain
Occupation	navigator
Children	Domingo Elcano
Autograph
Juan Sebastian Elcano at Wikimedia Commons

Biography

In April 1520, he took part in the mutiny of Magellan's officers, who despaired of searching for a strait between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and were about to turn the ships around. During the mutiny he received command of the galleon San Antonio. However, he received mercy, like the rest of the rebels, except for Quesado, who committed the murder, captain Cartagena and one priest.

After Magellan's death in the Battle of Mactan, he led the expedition and completed it on September 8, 1522, bringing the ship Victoria from Southeast Asia to Spain. Elcano's return journey was risky because, in order to avoid clashes with the Portuguese, he sailed the Victoria through the southern waters of the Indian Ocean and around Africa, without approaching the shore. Although part of the crew began to demand that the captain set a course for Mozambique, which belonged to the Portuguese crown, and surrender into the hands of the Portuguese, most of the sailors and Captain Elcano himself decided to try to sail to Spain at any cost. "Victoria" barely rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then went non-stop to the northwest along the African coast for two months.

On March 18, 1522, Elcano discovered the island of Amsterdam, but did not give it any name. In addition to him, 17 more people from the Victoria crew reached Spain (later, the sailors from the Victoria detained by the Portuguese in the Cape Verde Islands and 4 people from the crew of the ship Trinidad returned). Unlike Magellan, who did not expect to continue his journey to the west after the “spice islands,” Elcano deliberately chose a route around the world.

For this expedition, Emperor Charles V awarded Elcano a personal coat of arms, which, among other things, depicted a globe with the motto Primus circumdedisti me(lat. You were the first to go around me), and assigned an annual pension