Funding and The Voyage of the Spice Islands
Magellan made an attempt to get the required funds from the King of Portugal. However, the King of Portugal would not fund the expedition as he did not see the need for such a foolish expense. Afterwards, Magellan looked to King Charles (aka Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Such a catchy title that is) of Spain for funding. Magellan convinced King Charles that the expedition would be useful as the property would be assigned to Spain, instead of Portugal. The warfare over ownership of these lands was prominent because the ownership of these islands would bring a substantial heft to the owning country’s pocket. King Charles saw this as primal opportunity to gain a considerable status and vastly wealth for his country, giving Magellan funding for the expedition.
The voyage began on September 20th, 1519. Magellan led a fleet of five tiny ships; ferrying 237 crew members (each ship bearing a total of 47 men, give or take a few stray sailors). After three tedious months of naval travel, Magellan anchored his fleet near the present-day Rio de Janeiro. The ships were stocked up and the crew members bargained for goods with the friendly natives, but the quiescence was brief, for Magellan and his crew were sailing hostile Portuguese waters. Magellan quickly continued the expedition en route of the Great South Sea of the Orient. Believing to have finally found the Spice Island, Magellan exclaimed, “Montevideo,” translating, “I see a mountain”; but alas, it was just the large delta of Rio de la Plata. Disappointed by the false alarm, the crew sailed onward.
Magellan pressed on, sailing further and further south. The temperature became decreasingly colder. The bone-chilling nights and cool day times left crew members in immediate danger of hypothermia, frostbite, and other serious illness. Such did the temperature; the crew’s morale also began to fall. Three insurgents were executed and two more were cast off after attempting to gain ascendancy of the ships and halt the expedition. The events only worsened when one of the five ships in the fleet became shipwrecked into a beach. The crew survived, but the supplies, along with the ship, weren’t salvageable.
In October of 1520, a lookout in the bird’s nest spotted the strait, later to be named the Straits of Magellan, and the Pacific was on a linear path. However, the anticipation in reaching the Pacific did not make travelling any easier. Hardships among the crew arose as the inventory, in means of food began to run out. Starvation caused crew members to eat rats, maggots, leather, and even sawdust just to survive. Amidst the starvation, scurvy also became prominent. A minimum of twenty men died due to complications caused by starvation. On the 6th of March, hope was brought forth when the fleet reached the island of Guam. This newfound hope was shortly lived when crew member had to resist attack of natives. They found sustenance such as food and water, which replenished their strength and morale. Magellan’s Malaysian slave addressed a group of islanders in their native language, providing Magellan with evidence that he had reached the Orient.
The voyage began on September 20th, 1519. Magellan led a fleet of five tiny ships; ferrying 237 crew members (each ship bearing a total of 47 men, give or take a few stray sailors). After three tedious months of naval travel, Magellan anchored his fleet near the present-day Rio de Janeiro. The ships were stocked up and the crew members bargained for goods with the friendly natives, but the quiescence was brief, for Magellan and his crew were sailing hostile Portuguese waters. Magellan quickly continued the expedition en route of the Great South Sea of the Orient. Believing to have finally found the Spice Island, Magellan exclaimed, “Montevideo,” translating, “I see a mountain”; but alas, it was just the large delta of Rio de la Plata. Disappointed by the false alarm, the crew sailed onward.
Magellan pressed on, sailing further and further south. The temperature became decreasingly colder. The bone-chilling nights and cool day times left crew members in immediate danger of hypothermia, frostbite, and other serious illness. Such did the temperature; the crew’s morale also began to fall. Three insurgents were executed and two more were cast off after attempting to gain ascendancy of the ships and halt the expedition. The events only worsened when one of the five ships in the fleet became shipwrecked into a beach. The crew survived, but the supplies, along with the ship, weren’t salvageable.
In October of 1520, a lookout in the bird’s nest spotted the strait, later to be named the Straits of Magellan, and the Pacific was on a linear path. However, the anticipation in reaching the Pacific did not make travelling any easier. Hardships among the crew arose as the inventory, in means of food began to run out. Starvation caused crew members to eat rats, maggots, leather, and even sawdust just to survive. Amidst the starvation, scurvy also became prominent. A minimum of twenty men died due to complications caused by starvation. On the 6th of March, hope was brought forth when the fleet reached the island of Guam. This newfound hope was shortly lived when crew member had to resist attack of natives. They found sustenance such as food and water, which replenished their strength and morale. Magellan’s Malaysian slave addressed a group of islanders in their native language, providing Magellan with evidence that he had reached the Orient.
