Magellan: Great Explorer or Villain?

With what little Philippine history I was able to obtain during the early parts of elementary school, Ferdinand Magellan had always been painted somewhat like a villain. He was the Spanish conquistador who was killed by Lapu Lapu, the first Philippine hero. Well, maybe, just maybe, he was not such a bad guy after all. True to the Philippine trait of believing in Fate, perhaps it was meant for Magellan to land in the Philippine Islands while searching for the shortest route to the Moluccas, the Spice Islands. After all, where would the Filipinos of today be who have Spanish blood coursing through their veins? One thing for sure, my last name would not be Francisco today, or would I even have a last name?

The fate of Ferdinand Magellan was decided by several factors, mainly, the rejection of his petition by Dom Manuel the Fortunate, ruler of Portugal and the euphoric state of Spain after being liberated from the Moors. The Spaniards were out to conquer the world and establish itself as a world power. The Spice Islands were just the thing for the crown of Spain and Magellan happened to have been the lucky benefactor of John of Lisbon’s shortcut to the Spice Islands. Unlike Dom Manuel, King Charles V was impressed with Magellan’s proposed new route. On August 10, 1519, five ships set sail for the Pacific, the Trinidad, Magellan’s flagship, the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria, and the smallest of all,the Santiago.

To set the records straight, it was Magellan who named the Pacific Ocean for its beauty and tranquility. Just before they set sight on the Pacific, Magellan had been through hell with three attempts at mutinies by his Spanish captains who just happened to despise Portuguese, and the challenge that nature posed with storms and treacherous waters through which he had to navigate. The latter challenge proved Magellan’s mettle as an explorer and a navigator.

Magellan did not discover the Philippines simply because “he got lost.” Two events crucially sealed his fate. They failed to stock up on green vegetables and citrus fruits at their stopover, the Creek of Sardines. This would have saved the crew from suffering from scurvy, both a common and deadly seaman’s disease. At sea, his bearing was admittedly off. They were sailing for days without sighting any land while his crew was diminishing at an alarming rate. On March of 1521, they finally landed on Guam where the Spaniards were guilty of plundering the Island and driving off the natives. From there Magellan plotted to set sail for what was to be known as the Philippine Island. This was a decision encouraged by the fact that his Malaysian slave can converse with the native of this island. (An interesting point of fact in itself. Perhaps we can discover how the natives of the Philippine Island happen to be well versed in Malay in future articles).

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