Magellan’s Eight Greeks That Sailed Around the Globe

Detail of Ferdinand Magellan representation by an chartless artist. Public Domain

Ferdinand Magellan had 8 Greek sailors successful his unit erstwhile the large Portuguese explorer circumnavigated the Earth for the archetypal clip successful history.

In a caller publication entitled “Greek Sailors connected the First Circumnavigation of the Earth”, writer Pedro Olalla tells the communicative of the Greek seamen who joined Magellan connected that ambitious journey.

It was astir 500 years agone erstwhile the large explorer attempted the perilous expedition. In the lone vessel that managed to instrumentality 3 years later, immoderate of the survivors were Greeks.

Among them was the navigator who brought it backmost to larboard and documented his unprecedented way which was a large leap for quality history.

The Spanish philhellene author

Spanish Hellenist writer Pedro Olalla (born successful 1966) is simply a professor, filmmaker and lensman who has written respective books connected Greek modern and past history, civilization and archaeology.

His literate and audiovisual works survey and beforehand Greek culture. They are distinguished for the beardown idiosyncratic idiom of the creator, which is combined with literary, technological and creator elements.

He is besides Knight of the Order of Civil Merit successful Spain and Associate Member of the Center for Greek Studies astatine Harvard University.

In his existent book, Olalla tells the chartless communicative of the Greek sailors who joined Magellan successful the archetypal circumnavigation of the Earth

The publication besides includes the substance of the lecture that the Spanish Hellenist and writer delivered successful Greek astatine the historical “Lodge of Spain” for the Knights of St. John successful Rhodes, connected the juncture of the unveiling of the monument successful grant of Greek sailors.

The Spanish embassy besides published the log publication of the expedition translated into 3 languages ​​on the juncture of the unveiling of the monument.

The lecture was commissioned by the Spanish Embassy successful Greece and the Cervantes Institute of Athens and was based connected the probe of Spanish and Greek historians.

The Greek sailors who explored with Magellan

On September 20, 1519, 5 ships departed from the Spanish larboard of Sanlucar de Barrameda for the astir fascinating voyage successful the past of the modern world.

The Portuguese seafarer Ferdinand Magellan embarked connected an ambitious ngo connected behalf of Spain to observe a abbreviated way to the Spice Islands, on with 240 adventurous sailors.

Very fewer cognize that successful the extremity of the archetypal travel astir the satellite determination were 8 Greeks, and that the aviator of ‘Victoria’, the lone vessel that managed to return, was Greek.

His sanction was Francisco Albo and helium was from Chios island. The log publication helium kept is 1 of the astir invaluable documents successful the past of navigation.

Albo’s log publication documents the voyage, the chartless places the seamen encountered, the unprecedented adventures they lived done arsenic the archetypal humans to transverse each of the Earth’s meridians.

Magellan was killed by indigenous soldiers successful the Philippines, but eighteen men returned alive, including 5 Greeks.

Nine Greek names are registered successful the database of seafarers kept successful the Seville Archives:

Miguel de Rodas, Felipe de Rodas, Miguel Sanchez de Rodas from Rhodes, Francisco Albo, Simone de Axio, Antonio de Axio from Chios, Nicolao Griego, Juan Griego from Nafplio and Matteo de Corfo from Corfu.

Eventually, 8 Greek sailors boarded for the Magellan expedition, Olalla wrote. Francisco Albo, who returned ‘Victoria’ to Seville, was precise important.

Albo, on with second-in-command of the expedition Juan Sebastian Elcano, appeared earlier Emperor Charles I of Spain to pass him of the occurrence of the three-year voyage.

Among the Greeks sailors who joined Magellan, Miguel de Rodas was awarded the grant of Knight of the Order of St. James and Grand Pilot of His Majesty.

He was besides commissioned to instrumentality connected the concealed chartography of the emperor and the work of organizing the adjacent missions to the New World.

Maggela’s vessel ‘Victoria’ by Ortelius. Public Domain

The Greek publication to nautical missions

“The publication of the Greeks to the exploratory missions of that epoch is important”, Olalla wrote successful his book.

“Along with the renaissance successful sciences, determination was a maritime renaissance with the rediscovery of maritime cognition not lone by the classical and Alexandrian maritime contented of the Greeks, but besides from older times, specified arsenic the Minoan era,” different portion of the publication says.

“From the 13th period and on, erstwhile the Latins merged with the Greeks, determination was a nautical renaissance that allowed for large explorations successful a new, much dynamic way,” Olalla wrote.

Ferdinand Magellan

Born February 4, 1480 into a noble Portuguese family, Ferdinand Magellan saw his parents dice portion inactive a lad and helium became a tribunal leafage successful Lisbon.

In 1505, helium joined the fleet of the Portuguese viceroy to the Indies, and spent the pursuing years successful expeditions successful India and Africa.

In 1511, helium was with the fleet that conquered Malacca (on the Malay Peninsula), and the Portuguses gained power of the astir important commercialized routes successful the region. He besides explored the Spice Islands).

The pursuing year, Magellan returned to Lisbon, and successful 1513 helium was wounded during an expedition to Morocco, which near him with a imperishable limp.

In 1517 helium had a disagreement with the Portuguese king and went to Spain asking for the  Spanish emperor’s enactment for an expedition to scope the Moluccas by sailing westwards.

The Spanish wanted a stock successful the spice commercialized from the Moluccas, but the Portuguese controlled the eastwards way circular confederate Africa.

Magellan convinced the Spanish emperor to travel the westward way and successful September 1519 acceptable retired with a fleet of 5 vessels, 4 carracks and 1 caravel, and astir 270 men.

There were 8 Greek sailors among Magellan’s vessel crews and the expedition had galore difficulties from the clip of departure.

The upwind was rough, determination was a mutiny successful 1 of the ships, a deficiency of provisions, sailors suffered from scurvy, and the chartless waters made for a perilous mission.

In spite of each the obstacles, Magellan managed to transverse the Atlantic and navigate done the straits astatine the confederate constituent of South America which were aboriginal named aft him.

From there, with lone 3 ships left, Magellan sailed connected into the Pacific, but the deficiency of supplies led to galore deaths from starvation and scurvy.

After 3 months the ngo reached an island, astir apt Guam, successful the occidental Pacific. From determination they sailed to today’s Philippines.

Once there, Magellan became progressive successful a conflict betwixt 2 rival section chieftains and was killed. It was April 27, 1521.

The lone vessel that remained was ‘Victoria’ with Francisco Albo astatine the helm. It yet reached Spain successful September 1522, having completed the archetypal ever circumnavigation of the globe.