Magellan wished to achieve Christopher Columbus’ dream.
In 1519, the Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan organized a bold expedition that was to take 237 men to the indies via the western route.
He threw himself headlong into this daring project in a world of which the exact contours were still unknown, with the wind as the sole driving power, along dangerous and unfamiliar coastlines, accompanied by a wary Spanish crew, in latitudes where no ship had ever sailed before.
Under his command, five ships set sail from Seville on August 10, 1519, but after three years of escapades that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the greatest adventure novels, only 18 sailors, sick and worn out, sailed back up the Guadalquivir River to Seville in the only ship still afloat, the Victoria.
They had just completed the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe.
Miraculously, the onboard chronicler was among those 18 survivors: the italian Antonio Pigafetta brought back with him a handwritten book in which he had recorded every day of this fabulous odyssey. Other letters and eyewitness accounts, and maps from the period allow us to look back at this true story that permanently changed the way we look at the world.
To mark its 500th anniversary, François de Riberolles’ documentary series brings to life one of the most extraordinary maritime adventures of all time, combining real images and animation.
Available on RTP Play
