Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and after a short stay Magellan proceeded
to the archipelago that was designated the
P HILIPPINE I SLANDS , after the king's son.
Rather than proceeding directly to the
Spice Islands Magellan involved himself in
political and religious activity, securing the
submission to Spain of one of the Filipino
rulers along with the nominal conversion
of his subjects to Catholicism. This involved
the expedition in military operations to
support their new ally against nearby ene-
mies. Ignoring the warnings of his officers,
Magellan insisted on leading an attack
against the hostile Filipinos in which he
was killed, along with a number of his men.
What was left of the expedition, by now
reduced to two ships, proceeded southwest-
ward, finally reaching the islands of Tidore
and Ternate in present-day Indonesia.
Despite their battered condition the survi-
vors were able to obtain a large cargo of
cloves in exchange for trade goods but
dared not remain long because of the
reported approach of Portuguese warships.
A token force was left behind in the Spice
Islands to maintain Spain's claim, while
Sebastián Elcano assumed command of
the flagship, Victoria, and set out across the
Indian Ocean to make its way home. The
remaining ship at first sought to return via
the Pacific route but soon gave up the
attempt and remained in the Spice Islands.
After many delays and difficulties the Victo-
ria finally reached Spain in September
1522, with only 18 crew members left to
bring it to harbor.
The short-term results of Magellan's
expedition were limited. He himself had
perished along with most of his men. His
subordinate who had completed the voyage
received little material gain from the expe-
rience and died a few years later on a sec-
ond trip into the Pacific. Spain was unable
to maintain its tenuous grip on the Spice
Islands and finally ceded its claims there to
Portugal (1529) for a nominal payment that
scarcely matched the cost of Spain's effort
or the potential value of the lucrative Asian
spice trade. All this said, the first circum-
navigation of the world had been com-
pleted, sweeping aside centuries of
ignorance and superstition about the size
and structure of the globe. Even though
Magellan did not personally complete the
epic voyage, this, the greatest feat of human
persistence and endurance during the age
of reconnaissance, immortalizes his name
and assures him the posthumous glory that
was a prime motive for all conquistadores.
Majorca (Mallorca)
Together with Minorca and several smaller
islands Majorca constitutes an archipelago
in the western Mediterranean. Known as
the B ALEARIC I SLANDS (Islas Baleares), they
total 1,936 square miles and have a popula-
tion of about half a million. Successively
ruled by different Mediterranean conquer-
ors, Majorca and its dependencies consti-
tuted a separate kingdom during the 13th
century under a branch of the Aragonese
ruling family. Majorca was reunited with
A RAGON in 1343. Majorca's prosperity as a
trading center declined because of the “dis-
covery” of America, the aggressive compe-
tition of the Italian city-states, and periods
of social unrest. During much of the 18th
century Minorca was separately ruled under
British sovereignty, not being returned to
Spain until 1802. Minorca again followed a
divergent path during the S PANISH CIVIL
WAR when it espoused the Loyalist cause
until it finally collapsed in February 1939.
 
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