Knowra Magellan expedition Magellan expedition The 1519–1522 Spanish voyage led initially by Ferdinand Magellan that crossed the Pacific and began the first circumnavigation of Earth, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano.
Strait of Magellan : A navigable passage through southern Chile connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Magellan’s fleet found this passage in 1520, enabling its entry into the Pacific.
Treaty of Tordesillas : A 1494 agreement dividing newly claimed lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along a meridian. Its division of overseas claims shaped Spain’s search for a westward route to the Moluccas.
Enrique of Malacca : Magellan’s enslaved interpreter, acquired in Southeast Asia and taken on the expedition from Spain. His languages and local knowledge mattered after the fleet reached the Philippines.
First circumnavigation : The first completed voyage around Earth, achieved by the Victoria’s return to Spain in 1522. The expedition began this journey, though Magellan himself died before its completion.
Christopher Columbus's voyages : Four Spanish-sponsored Atlantic voyages by Christopher Columbus between 1492 and 1504. Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic, while Magellan’s fleet continued across the Pacific to Asia.
Pacific Ocean crossing : The first recorded European crossing of the Pacific, undertaken by Magellan’s fleet in 1520–1521. The crossing took months and caused severe hunger and disease among the crew.
Spice trade : The long-distance commerce in spices such as pepper, cinnamon, and cloves across Asia, Africa, and Europe. The expedition sought direct access to the valuable Asian spice trade.
Antonio Pigafetta : An Italian participant whose detailed account is a major source on the expedition and its circumnavigation. His surviving narrative records the voyage’s route, encounters, and hardships.
Age of Discovery : The period of European maritime exploration and overseas expansion from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries. The expedition was a landmark in Europe’s oceanic expansion.
Vasco da Gama's voyages : Portuguese voyages that established a sea route from Europe to India around the Cape of Good Hope. Da Gama’s eastern route offered Portugal a rival path to Asian commerce.
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