Maritime Exploration

Sir Francis Drake and Ferdinand Magellan are considered the first two individuals who were able to circumnavigate all around the world. Although they sailed all over, it was not an easy task for them due to the challenges they came across during the period. Besides, they were not aware of what they were likely to encounter through the journey, but they followed their plans to meet their different goals. The Magellan’s voyage occurred between 1519 and 1522, and on the other hand, Sir Francis Drake’s sailed during 1580, and they made many discoveries (Cachón 2). This paper will provide a comparison of their journeys, experiences, and the role it played in the spread of Christianity.

Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480 and later worked as the Queen’s page. As he grew older, he became more educated and interested in issues about navigation. Magellan also believed that it could be possible to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west, but the then Portugal king did not support this theory (Pretty 1). However, he managed to persuade King Charles V, who later sponsored it, and that is where the journey that took three years started.

 Magellan and his crew initiated the journey and took with them five ships which were named The Trinidad, The Conception, The Santiago, The Conception, and The Victoria. They sailed to the West of Spain, and they landed first in South America. However, due to weather condition, they sailed to Rio Gallegos, Argentina, where they stayed during the winter until spring when the climate was more favorable (Pretty 1). On the other hand, Sir Francis Drake’s famous voyage started its journey in the year 1577 and just the same way Magellan did, they also took five ships (Oliver 1). They departed from Plymouth heading to Alexandria, but unfortunately, the weather was not favorable, and they were forced to rest at Falmouth Haven, in Cornwall.

The Victoria was able to voyage from Spain to the Philippines and later returned, and through the journey, various discoveries were made in different areas. For examples, the spices which were used to preserve, add flavor to food and masking of the taste of meat that had already spoiled. Some of the species include clove, cinnamon, black pepper, and nutmeg (Meyer 13). Similarly, Drake also discovered spices along the coast of Spain, which helped them in improving the test of their food. Magellan voyage also led to the discovery of the famous Strait which served to help more captains including his crew.

Furthermore, the Magellan discovery of the Strait which is today named after him, he went ahead with his crew and dropped an anchor at the island of Cebu in Philippine.  They stayed there for several weeks, and during this time, he was able to meet the chief of the island who later converted to Christianity together with other individuals on the island (Meyer 15). Magellan in the period had converted more than 2200 locals to Christianity, and this includes leaders from there surrounding islands (Cachón 12). However, the people of Mactan resisted the conversion led by their leader Lapu-Lapu.

The chief later persuaded them to help him in conquering a rival tribe on another Island called Mactan. Unfortunately, Magellan became a victim of the war where his crew and the Humabon’s tribe were defeated. The individuals of the enemy tribe killed him through a struck in the head He was able to spread the gospel to other individuals who were not aware of the religion and played a crucial role in the provision of knowledge to the people (Cachón 13). Similarly, Francis Drake, through his voyage and his secret mission to discover the Northwest Passage, he had a mission of spreading the gospel of Christ across the new world natives.

Besides, Drake was to lead an expedition through the Straits of Magellan and around South America, but there were conflicts of command between him and the other two men. Due to this and alleged mutiny, he leads the arrest and beheading of one of the men (Thomas Doughty) when they reached Argentina’s coast (Oliver 4). After that, Drake stopped in several Spanish ports along South America’s west coast of then made decisions to head north to a search of a passage to the Atlantic. He managed to travel a long distance towards the north until he was parallel to today’s Vancouver, Canada, but he was forced to return due to adverse weather conditions.

Magellan and his crew also faced similar problems, for example, harsh weather condition and mutiny. The fight for control of the ships reached an extent that Magellan loosed three of its vessels. However, it resulted in a conflict which later led to the death of one of the opponents and others were beheaded or marooned (Nowell 7). Other conspirators of lower levels were forced to do hard jobs in chains though they were finally freed.

Since knowledge of geography was not widely understood, Magellan thought the journey to Asia from the pacific would take some days. Unfortunately, it took many days than expected, and they ran out of essential supplies such as water and food. This resulted in the death of about thirty men, mostly due to scurvy (Nowell 8). This was a big challenge for them because they were not initially aware of the best way to address it.

On the other hand, the drake voyage that had returned due to unfavorable weather conditions stopped in the area around the current San Francisco and claimed the land which surrounded it (Oliver 6). The land was referred to Albion, and it was for Queen Elizabeth. The voyage also discovered Tierra del Fuego as a group of islands which then proved that it was possible to sail between the Pacific and the Atlantic located towards the bottom of South America (Oliver 5). Unlike Magellan’s voyage, they fought and captured other ships which enabled them to recover gold, silver including other spices.

During the journey, they also faced challenges like the Magellan’s team, for example, loss of ships in the rough and stormy sea. The weather was also not conducive (cold) as they sailed towards the west coast of North America looking for the Northern Passage. He lost some of his men to storm and others to the fights with other individuals during their journey (Nowell 10 ). For both of them, the challenges, especially concerning the weather, were inevitable during specific periods, and they were forced to stop or change course at some points.

Some of the ways that the voyagers would have handled the challenges include stocking enough food and water supplies because of the uncertainty of the whole journey. They should have also avoided conflicts with other individuals, for example, in the case of Magellan who was killed during a battle (Nowell 10). Other measures that should have been in place were elaborate roles to minimize internal conflicts, avoidance of harsh weather conditions, and making decisions based on knowledge other than assumptions.

Although the journeys were different, both Drake and Magellan made a considerable contribution to their countries. They were able to have good control of the crew though there were some challenges, they managed to resolve the disputes (Cachón 14). The two made a significant change in voyaging, and without them, circumnavigation might have been unachievable. Most of the spices that they discovered have also been spread to other parts of the world which might have never used if not for them.

Conclusively, Sir Francis Drake and Ferdinand Magellan made a significant role in leading the group that showed an exemplary spirit of exploration in the sea. Their strength and perseverance of the harsh weather conditions and challenges they faced all through the journey resulted in various discoveries, including passages, spices, straits, and Islands that were not well explored before. Furthermore, their voyages created good interaction with other people which promoted the spread of Christianity and conversion of other native individuals who were not aware of its presence. However, some of the interactions that were encountered were not welcoming, and it resulted in negative consequences, for example, the death of Ferdinand Magellan. The two voyages had a great determination, and although not all ships were able to reach the destination, some were able to accomplish the mission and gave a better understanding of the see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited

Cachón, I. Rodríguez. "Two voyages, two ways of recounting the trip round the world: Antonio Pigafetta, Richard Hakluyt and The World Encompassed." (2019).

Meyer, Susan. Ferdinand Magellan: First Circumnavigator of the Earth. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2016.

Nowell, Charles Edward. Magellan’s Voyage around the World: Three Contemporary Accounts. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2018.

Oliver. “Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage Round the World, 1519-1522”

Pretty, Francis. "Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round The World, 1580."