A Brief Summary of the First

Voyage around the World By

Magellan
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA
Group 1
Who is Antonio Pigafetta?
o Famous Italian traveler born in Vicenza around 1490 an died in
the same city in 1534.
o Also known as Antonio Lombardo or Francisco Antonio Pigafetta.
o Linked to the order of Rhodes, which was Knight.
o Went to Spain in 1519, accompanied by Mosignor Francisco
Chiercato, and was made available from Carlos V to promote the
company initiated by the Catholic Monarchs in the Atlantic.
o Soon he became a great friends with Magallanes, who accompanied
together with Juan Sebastian Elcano.
o In the famous expedition to the Mollucas begun in August of 1519
and finished in September 1522.
o He was founded at the battle of the island of Cebu (Philippines) in
which Magellan found death.
o The output of Seville made it aboard of the trinity: the return,
along with a handful of survivors (17 of the 239 who left this
adventure) in victory, ship that entered in Sanlucar de Barrameda
(Cadiz) on September 6, the designated year.
o In the last years of his life, he traveled by land from France to
finally return to Italy in 1523.
o He wrote the relation of that trip, which was the first voyage
around the world, Italian and with the title of Relazioni in lathe to
Primo Viaggio di Circumnavigazione.
o Notizia del Mondo Nuovo with figure you dei paesi scoperti, which
was published posthumously, in 1536.
o The account of Pigafetta ios the single most important source
about the voyage of the circumnavigation, despite its tendency to
include fabulous details.
o He took notes, daily, as he mentioned when he realizes his surprise
at Spain and see that he had lost a day (due to its driving
direction).
o Includes description of numerous animals, including sharks, the
Storm Petrek (Hydobrates Pelagicus), the pink spoonbill and the
Phylium Orthoptera, an insect similar to a sheet.
o Pigafetta captured a copy of the latter near Borneo and kept it in a
box, believing a moving blade who lived in the air.
o His report is rich in ethnographic details.
o He practiced as an interpreter and came to develop, at least in
two Indonesian Dialect.
Pigafetta’s Work
o His work instantly became a classic that
prominent literary men in the West like William
Shakespeare, Michael de Montaigne, and
Giambattista Vico referred to the book in their
interpretation of the New World.
o Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most primary
resources in the study of the precolonial
Philippines.
o In Pigafetta’s account, their fleet reached what he
called the Ladrones Islands or the “Islands of the
Thieves.”
o He recounted:
“These people have no arms, but use sticks,
which have a fish bone at the end. They are poor,
but ingenious, and great thieves, and for the sake
of that we call these three islands of the Ladrones
Islands.
 THE
LADRONES
ISLAND
Ladrones Islands
o The Ladrones Islands is presently known as the Marianas
Islands.
o Ten days after they have reached Ladrones Islands,
Pigafetta reported that they have what he called Zamal
which is now, Samar.
o But Magellan decided to land in uninhabited island for
greater security where they could rest for a few days.
o On March 18, nine men came to them and showed oy and
eagerness in seeing them with food, drinks and gifts.
o On March 25, Pigafetta recounted that they saw two balanghai
(balangay), a long boat full of people in Mazzava/Mazaus.
o The leader whom he referred to the king became closely bonded
with Magellan as they both exchanged gifts to one another.
o After few days, Magellan was introduces to the King’s brother
who was also a king of another island where Pigafetta reported
that they saw mines of Gold.
o The Gold was abundant that parts of the ship and the house of
the king were made of gold.
o This king was named Raja Calambu, King of Zuluan and
Calagan (Butuan and Caragua), and the first king was Raja
Siagu.
o On March 31st (Easter Sunday), Magellan ordered the chaplain a
Mass by the shore. The king heard about this plan and sent two dead
pigs and attended the Mass with the other King. Pigafetta the wrote:
“…when the offertory of the mass came, the two kings, went to kiss
the cross like us, but they offerednothing, and at the Elevation of the
body of our Lord they were kneeling like us, and adored our Lord with
joined hands.”
o This was the first mass in the Philippines, and the cross would be
famed Magellan’s Cross which is still preserved a present day.
o This was the same cross which Magellan explained to the kings as a
sign of his emperor who ordered him to plan it in the places where he
would reach and further explained that once other Spaniards saw this
cross, then they would know that they had been in this Island and
would not cross them troubles.
o By April 7th , Magellan and his men reached the port of Zzubu (Cebu)
with the help of Raja Calambu who offered to Pilot them in ggoing to the
Island.
o The kind of Cebu demanded that they pay tribute as it was customary
but Magellan refused.
o By the next day, Magellan’s men and the King of Cebu together with
other Principal men of Cebu, met in an open space.
o There the king offered a bit of his blood and demanded that Magellan do
the same.
o On April 14th, Magellan spoke to he kind and encouraged him to be a
good Christian by burning all of the idols and worship the cross instead.
o The king of Cebu was then baptized as a Christian, After 8 days, all the
Island’s inhabitant were already baptized.
o Magellan’s Men then elected Duarte Barbosa as the new
Captain.
o Pigafetta also accounted how Magellan’s slave and
interpreter named Henry betrayed them and told the
king of Cebu that they intended to leave as soon as
possible.
o Henry and the king of Cebu conspired and betrayed
what was left of Magellan’s Men.
o The King invited these men to a gathering where he said
he would present the jewels that he would send for the
king of Spain.
o Pigafetta was left on board the ship and was not
able to join the 24 men who went to the gathering
because he was nursing his battle wounds.
o The natives had slain all the men except the
interpreter and Juan Serrano who shouted at the
men on this ship to pay ransom so that he would
be spared but he was left on the island for they
refused to go back to shore.
o The fleet abandoned Serrano and departed.
o They left Cebu and continued their Journey
around the World.