In 1519, Fernando Magellan organised an ill-advised expedition that was supposed to take 237 men to the Moluccas, via the western route. In doing so, Magellan wished to bring to life Christopher Columbus’ dreams. He thus threw himself headlong into this project concerning a land of which the exact dimensions were unknown, with the wind as his sole driving power, along dangerous coastlines. He was accompanied by a wary Spanish crew, in latitudes where no boat had ever sailed before.
Under his command, 5 ships set sail from Seville on September 20th, 1519. After three years of adventures that would be worthy of the most beautiful adventure books, only 18 sick and exhausted sailors made it back up the Guadalquivir River to Seville in the only ship still afloat, “Vitória”. Even so, they had just achieved the first-ever round-the-world journey. Miraculously, the onboard chronicler was among those 18 survivors.
Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian, 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. The fifth centenary of the voyage was commemorated between 2019 and 2022, the perfect time to bring one of the most extraordinary maritime adventures of all time back to life.
