Around The World In 1,125 Days
On 10 August 1519, five ships carrying 270 men known as the Armada de Molucca set out from Seville in search of a western route to the Spice Islands, now known as the Maluku Islands, in eastern Indonesia. On 8 September 1522, a single ship returned to Seville from the armada with only 18 crew members having successful circumnavigated the world. As this would suggest, the journey was not without its costs. Originally led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, the journey was completed with Juan Sebastián Elcano at its head, with the Basque navigator promoted from Master to Captain General in the intervening years. Magellan had been killed; the crew had been decimated by illness, mutiny, conflict with local kingdoms and more. Here we’ll break down the journey from beginning to end to chronicle the often bloody and vicious activities of both the armada and the peoples it encountered along the way.
A Clash of Superpowers
Dates: 10 August 1519 – 20 September 1519
Locations: Seville and Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Spain)
The search for a route through the New World that would connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean had long been the mission of Ferdinand Magellan. Having made his name in expeditions and conquests in Indonesia, he became convinced that a path to the region could be found that avoided the treacherous waters around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. However, having fallen out of favour in his native Portugal and having his mission rejected by King Manuel I, he turned to his home nation’s greatest imperial rival, Spain.
The recently crowned Charles I (soon to be elected Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V) was keen to back the expedition in the hopes of replenishing the royal coffers and making an early mark in the history books for his reign. So it was that the Portuguese explorer would foreswear his homeland and pledge allegiance to the king of Spain, promising to
