The First Circumnavigation of the World (Collection)

The First Circumnavigation of the World (Collection)

A journey that would change the history of the world: 270 men and five ships left Spain on September 20th, 1519 seeking a westward sea route around the globe. On September 6th, 1522 a single ship, the Victoria, returned with a skeleton crew of only 18 men who had endured incredible hardships in order to make history. Under the leadership of the Portuguese sea voyager Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521), they successfully completed the voyage even after Magellan’s death during the voyage. This historic voyage is attested to in the gorgeous maps and firsthand historical documents presented in the compendium at hand.

The Death of the Commander and a Happy Ending

With the discovery of the Straits of Magellan, a connection to the Pacific in South America, the first hurdle was cleared. In trying to find another way to the Spice Islands, Magellan was killed in battle in the modern Philippines. The undertaking was eventually completed successfully under Juan Sebastián Elcano (ca. 1476–1526). With a single ship – fully-loaded with spices – the expedition returned to Spain via the Portuguese route. Of the 270 men who originally set out on the onerous journey, only 18 men returned on the 7th of September 1522. This exciting chapter in world history – from its beginnings, to its tragic events, to its happy conclusion – can now be thoroughly studied with the help of the documents collected here!

Portulano de Jorge Reinel

Dated 1530, the world map in this collection shows Spanish carracks and Arabian tents, mountains, rivers, and detailed coastlines. It was created by Jorge Reinel (ca. 1502 – after 1572), a Portuguese cartographer and part of the group responsible for making the maps that would be used on Magellan’s expedition. The son of another famous cartographer, Pedro Reinel, Jorge went on to mentor many pupils himself including Diogo Ribeiro. The map in this collection represents the cutting edge of cartography in the early 16th century and is a gorgeous, imaginative fusion of art and science. This particular portolan chart is extremely accurate, possibly created with spherical trigonometry, and was useful for measuring the distance between Seville and the Maluccas, also known as the Spice Islands for their plentiful nutmeg, cloves, and other coveted seasonings. It artfully illustrates the route taken for the first circumnavigation of the globe and was created to commemorate the achievement, of which Jorge Reinel had been a part by giving the navigators the tools they needed to find their way around the world.

The collection contains the following documents:

1. Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Ge AA-564 (RES) — Portulano de Jorge Reinel;
2. Seville, Archivo General de Indias, Patronato, 34, r. 7 — Capitulaciones del Viaje;
3. Seville, Archivo General de Indias, Patronato, 34, r. 2 — Carta de Magallanes al Rey Carlos I;
4. Seville, Archivo General de Indias, Patronato, 34, r. 6 — Rol de la Armada;
5. Seville, Archivo General de Indias, Patronato, 24, r. 11 — Memoria de las personas que fallecieron en la Armada;
6. Seville, Archivo General de Indias, Patronato, 48, r. 20 — Carta de Elcano al Rey Carlos I;
7. Archivo de la Torre de Laurgaín. Sección Laurgaín, legajo 15, nº 9 Euskadiko Artxibo Historikoa - Archivo Histórico de Euskadi; Fondos familiares — Carta de Elcano al Rey Carlos I.