Portolan atlas dedicated to Hieronymus Ruffault, abbot of Saint Vaast and Saint Adrian (1544) by Battista AgneseOriginal Source: Library of Congress
In 1519, an expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magellan set sail from the port of Seville in search of a new western route to the Maluku (formerly the Moluccas or Spice) Islands. The voyage ended three years later, with the return of a single ship captained by Juan Sebastián Elcano.
Join us as we take a look at the facts and figures that shaped the first expedition in history to circumnavigate the world.
The carrack Victoria arriving at Cape St. Vincent. (1985) by Guillermo González de AledoOriginal Source: Museo Naval. Madrid.
1. How many ships were part of the expedition?
The expedition set sail with five ships in search of a new route to the Maluku Islands and their precious spices. The ships were named the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Victoria, the Concepción, and the Santiago. Four of them were medium-sized carracks, designed to carry goods. The fifth one, the Santiago, was a smaller, more agile ship designed for exploration.
In the Pacific (2005 - Nao Victoria`s first sailing around the world) by Nao Victoria FoundationNao Victoria Foundation
The Victoria was the only one of the five ships to survive and make it back to port in 1522. Captained by Elcano, it became the first ship to circumnavigate the world.
List of Crew Members Magellan Took on his Journey to Discover the Spice Islands (1519)Original Source: Archivo General de Indias
2. How many men set sail on the expedition?
There were around 245 crew members on the five ships. They included men from Castile, Portugal, Greece, France, Italy, Belgium (Flanders), England, and Germany. A closer look at the figures reveals that the Spanish region of Andalusia sent the largest number of crew (73), followed by the Basque Country (34), Italy (27), Portugal (24), and France (21).
Ships passing by Tierra del Fuego (2019) by Sebastián GómezOriginal Source: Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa
As for how the crew was divided up among the ships, documents kept at the General Archive of the Indies (Archivo General de Indias) show that the flagship Trinidad was carrying 62 men at the start of the expedition. There were 57 men on the San Antonio, 44 on the Concepción, 45 on the Victoria, and just 31 on the Santiago, which was a smaller vessel.
Fishwives of Saint-Jean-de-Luz (1850) by Hélène FeilletOriginal Source: Museo Zumalakaregi
3. How many women took part?
There were no women on this expedition. In Elcano and Magellan's time, women were severely restricted in what they were allowed to do, and this expedition was no exception. Women stayed at home caring for the children, while men set off in search of new lands.
Market Scene (1550) by Pieter AertsenFundación Elkano
However, in the absence of men in seafaring areas, women looked to the sea as a source of income and worked in a variety of jobs. There were female shipbuilders, hawkers, merchants, fisherwomen, and more.
SpicesReal Academia de Gastronomía
4. What were the spices worth?
It is difficult to imagine now just how important spices were in those days. At the time, however, spices were the first food products in history with the power to compel men to cross the oceans on almost impossible voyages to unknown lands. They were used in cooking as seasoning, but also in perfumes and pharmacology. They were even burned to scent indoor spaces, and as part of funeral ceremonies.
Clove drying in the sun (2012) by Juan Carlos ReyOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias
In Elcano's day, they were extremely valuable: one pound of cloves was worth the same as a quarter of an ounce of the purest gold. The 524 quintals (or 115,522 pounds) of spices brought back by the carrack Victoria on its return to Seville would have been more than enough to cover the cost of the entire expedition.
Magellanic penguin (1862/1866)Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN - CSIC
5. Which animal species did they see on their journey?
The expedition led by Magellan and Elcano encountered many previously unknown animal species, including penguins, sea lions, guanacos, and birds of paradise. The Italian Antonio Pigafetta kept a meticulous record of them in his journal.
Bird-of-paradise in bell glassMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN - CSIC
Many of his descriptions of the natural world bring to mind the fantastical imaginings found in the writings of medieval voyagers such as Marco Polo or Pedro Tafur. You can find out more here and here. However, there were other animals that they did not see: those that lived in the depths of the sea.
Trapped in calm (2005 - Nao Victoria`s first sailing around the world) by Nao Victoria FoundationNao Victoria Foundation
6. How long was the journey?
The expedition left Seville on August 10, 1519, sailing along the Guadalquivir River as far as Sanlucár de Barrameda. From there, it sailed into the open sea on September 20. The Victoria returned to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on September 6, 1522, and to the port of Seville two days later. In total, the voyage lasted 1,084 days, or almost 3 years.
The expedition routeNao Victoria Foundation
7. How many miles did they travel?
The Victoria covered a distance of 46,270 nautical miles, equivalent to around 53,247 miles (85,700 km). In the 3rd century BCE, Eratosthenes calculated that the circumference of the Earth was 250,000 stadia, equivalent to 24,855 miles (40,000 km). Today, we know that the Earth's circumference is 24,901 miles (40,075 km), meaning that the distance Elcano and his men traveled was more than twice the circumference of the planet.
Juan Sebastián Elcano returning to Seville in 1522 (Ca. 1944-45) by Elías Salaverría InchaurrandietaOriginal Source: Museo Naval. Madrid. Todos los derechos reservados.
8. How many men returned?
Just 35 men managed to circumnavigate the globe. They completed part of the journey on the Victoria, the ship captained by Elcano. He returned with 17 European crew members, along with 3 indigenous ones who had only joined partway through the journey.
The Trinidad in the Storm, with Crew List (2020) by Tomás Mazón SerranoOriginal Source: www.rutaelcano.com / Fundación Nao Victoria
A further 12 sailors who were detained in Cape Verde by the Portuguese completed the journey several months later. Finally, 5 survivors from another ship, the Trinidad, arrived after them. They had unsuccessfully attempted the return journey by crossing the Pacific Ocean again.
