FamousNavigatorsandtheirExpeditions

FerdinandMagellanExpedition
FerdinandMagellan,aPortugueseintheserviceof
theSpanishcrown,waslookingforawestwardroutetotheto
theSpiceIslandsofIndonesia.OnMarch16,1521,Magellan's
expeditionlandedonHomonhonislandinthePhilippines.He
wasthefirstEuropeantoreachtheislands.RajahHumabonof
CebuwasfriendlywithMagellanandembracedChristianity,
buttheirenemy,LapuLapuwasnot.Humabon
wantedMagellantokillLapuLapuwhileMagellanwantedto
convertLapuLapuintoChristianity.OnApril17,
1521,MagellansailedtoMactanandensuingbattlekilled
MagellanbythenativesleadbyLapuLapu.Outofthefive
shipsandmorethan300menwholeftontheMagellan
expeditionin1519,onlyoneship(theVictoria)and18menreturnedtoSeville,Spainon
September6,1522.Nevertheless,thesaidexpeditionwasconsideredhistoricbecauseitmarked
thefirstcircumnavigationoftheglobeandprovedthattheworldwasround.

GarciaJofredeLoaisaExpedition(1525)

Afleetofsevenshipstookpartontheexpedition:Santa
MaradelaVictoria,EspirituSanto,Anunciada,San
Gabriel,SantaMaradelParral,SanLesmesandSantiago.Jofre
deLoasawasappointedcaptainalongwithJuanSebastin
Elcano,whohadreachedtheSpiceislandsin1521during
theMagellanexpedition.

ThefleetsailedfromCorunnaonJuly,241525andreached
thePatagonianshoresinJanuary1526.Inthefollowingweeks,thefleetalternativelygathered
anddispersedduetohighwindswhiletryingunsuccessfullytoentertheStraitofMagellan.Two
shipswerewreckedandonetackedintotheAtlanticanddesertedfromtheexpedition.Eventually
theremainingfourvessels,inbadweather,reachedthePacificOceaninMay,justtobeagain
dispersed,thistimepermanently,byanotherstorm.

Oneofthegalleons,SanLesmes,disappearedentirelyduringthestorm.TheSantiagosailedfor
theNorthandinanastonishing10,000kilometrevoyagereachedthePacificcoastofMexicoin
July,1526,achievingthefirstnavigationfromEuropetotheWesterncoastofNorthAmerica.

Thethirdship,SantaMaradelParral,sailedthePacific,andreachedSangiroffthenorthern
coastofCelebes,wheretheshipwasbeachedanditscrewwerevariouslykilledorenslavedby
thenatives,fourofthembeingrescuedin1528byanotherSpanishexpeditioncomingfrom
Mexico.Thegalleon,SantaMariadelaVictoria,wastheonlyshiptocompletea
circumnavigationoftheworld,reachingtheSpiceIslands,inSeptember,1526.

LoasahimselfdiedofscurvyonJuly30,1526,Elcanoafewdayslater,andAlonsode
Salazarthreeweeksafterthat.YigezreachedtheislandsofVisayasandMindanaoin
thePhilippinesandtheMoluccas,butdiedoffoodpoisoning.OnlyAndrsdeUrdanetaand24
othermensurvivedtolandintheSpiceIslands.TheyreturnedtoSpainin1536inthePortuguese
IndiaArmadaandunderPortugueseguard.

RuyLopezdeVillalobosExpedition(1542)
RuyLopezdeVillalobossetsailforthePhilippinesfrom
Navidad,MexicoonNovember1,1542.Hefollowedtheroute
takenbyMagellanandreachedMindanaoonFebruary2,1543.He
establishedacolonyinSaranganibutcouldnotstaylongbecause
ofinsufficientfoodsupply.Hisfleetlefttheislandandlandedon
TidoreintheMoluccas,wheretheywerecapturedbythe
Portuguese.

VillalobosisrememberedfornamingourcountryIslasFilipinas,
inhonorofKingCharlesson,PrincePhilip,wholaterbecame
kingofSpain.

MiguelLopezdeLegazpiExpedition(1564)

SincenoneoftheexpeditionafterMagellanfrom
LoaisatoVillaloboshadsucceededintakingoverthe
Philippines,KingCharlesIstoppedsendingcolonizerstothe
Islands.However,whenPhilipIIsucceededhisfathertothe
thronein1556,heinstructedLuisdeVelasco,theviceroyof
Mexico,toprepareanewexpeditiontobeheadedbyMiguel
LopezdeLegazpi,whowouldbeaccompaniedbyAndresde
Urdaneta,apriestwhohadsurvivedtheLoaisamission.

OnFebruary13,1565,Legaspi'sexpeditionlandedinCebu
island.Afterashortstrugglewiththenatives,heproceededto
Leyte,thentoCamiguinandtoBohol.ThereLegaspimadea
bloodcompactwiththechieftain,DatuSikatunaasasignof
friendship.LegaspiwasabletoobtainspicesandgoldinBohol
duetohisfriendshipwithSikatuna.OnApril27,1565,LegaspireturnedtoCebu;destroyedthe
townofRajaTupasandestablishasettlement.OnordersoftheKingPhilipII,2,100menarrived
fromMexico.TheybuiltthetheportofFuerzadeSanPedrowhichbecametheSpanishtrading
outpostandstrongholdfortheregion.

HearingoftherichesofManila,anexpeditionof300menheadedbyMartindeGoitileftCebu
forManila.TheyfoundtheislandsofPanayandMindoro.GoitiarrivedinManilaonMay8,
1570.AtfirsttheywerewelcomedbythenativesandformedanalliancewithRajahSuliman,
theirMuslimkingbutasthelocalssensedthetrueobjectivesoftheSpaniards,abattlebetween
thetroopsofSulimanandtheSpaniardserupted.BecausetheSpaniardsaremoreheavilyarmed,
theSpaniardswereabletoconquerManila.SoonafterMiguelLopezdeLegazpiarrivedtojoin
GoitiinManila.LegaspibuiltalliancesandmadepeacewithRajahsSuliman,Lakandulaand
Matanda.In1571,LegaspiorderedtheconstructionofthewalledcityofIntramurosand
proclaimeditastheseatofgovernmentofthecolonyandthecapitaloftheislands.In1572,
LegaspidiedandwasburiedattheSanAgustinChurchinIntramuros.In1574,Manilawas
bestowedthetitle"InsigneySiempreLealCiudaddeEspaa"(Distinguishedandeverloyalcity
ofSpain)byKingPhilipIIofSpain.
SebastianCabotExpedition(1526)

Composedof4shipsand250men.LedbySebastian
Cabot.TheyfailedtofindthestraitofMagellan.HeisVenetian
bybirthbutuponhisreturntoEnglandin1548heclaimedthat
hewasEnglishman.Thiswasdonetoescapeextraditionand
reinstatedtoSpain.HewasinvitedbyKingFerdinandVto
SpainafterthedeathofHenryVII.Cabotwasthenappointed
pilotmajorofthekingdomin1518.
In1525hetookchargeofathreeshipSpanishexpeditionthat
wastodeveloptradeintheOrient.However,hedisregardedthis
objectivebecauseofthereportsofthewealthintheRiodela
PlattaregionofSouthAmerica.Cabothadanambitionofdiscoveringthedirectroute
toAsiaandsailedinsearchofasouthwestpassagein1526.Histhreeexpeditionswerefruitless
thushewasbanishedtoAfrica.Buthewasgivenpardonaftertwoyearsandwasagainpilot
major.
CabotwasgivenassistancebyFrayGarciadeLoaysainhisexpeditioninthePhilippinesin
accordancetotheRoyalDecreedated26April1525.deLoaysawasstationedintheMoluccas
islandsandthisposedgreathelpfortheItalianexplorer.Cabotandhismenrequestedtoengage
intradeintheislandsintheirreturntripfromtheMoluccas.Hewasalsogivenorderstoclaimthe
IslandsofTersis,OfirandApango,andofCatayoOrientalandotherlandsandislandsincluded
intheiragreement.

AlvarodeSaavedraCeronExpedition(1527)
 AppointedbyHernandoCortez,thefirsttothefareastto
beliftedoutonMexicansoil:itconsistedof3ships;the
Florida,SantiagoandEspirituSantoandithad120men.
TheexpeditionleftportofZihuatanejo,MexicoonNov1st
1527.SaavedracarriedaletterfromCortesaddressedto
theKingofCebu,inhisletter,Cortessolicitedthe
friendshipoftheCebuanos,askedtobeallowedtotrade
withthem,andofferedpayaransomforanySpaniardwho
mightbeaprisonerinCebu.Aviolentstorminmid
pacificsanktwooftheships.Withonlyoneship
remaining,theexpeditionreachedGuamonDecember29
andtookpossessionofYapIslandinthenameoftheKing
ofSpain.EarlyI1528,theshipreachedMindanao,where
themenrescuedtwosurvivorsoftheMagellanexpedition.
Saavedraransomedthem$70inMexicanGold.From
Mindanao,SaavedrasteeredhisshiptoCebu,but
unfavorablewindsdroveittoTidore,inpresentdayIndonesia,wheretheyfoundtheSurvivorsof
theLoaisaExpedition.TwiceSaavedratriedtoreturntoMexicobutfailed.Hediedatseaon
October9,1529.Beforehisdeath,heinstructedhismentoreturntoTidoreincasetheweather
didnotpermitthemtosailforMexico.Thesurvivorsofhisexpedition,togetherwithLoaisas
menlandedatTidorebutwerecapturedtherebythePortuguese.Afewescapedandtheothers
returnedtEuropeonboardPortugueseships