table of Contents The Voyage Begins Discovering the Strait Exploring the Pacific Disaster More About Ferdinand Magellan Glossary To Learn More Index 4 6 12 16 22 23 24 24
the voyage begins September 20 1519 A fleet of five ships sails from Sanlúcar de Barrameda Spain The men aboard hope to find a westward route to the Spice Islands The islands are rich in cloves nutmeg black pepper ginger and cinnamon Access to trade with the Spice Islands would bring great wealth to Spain The fleet is commanded by Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese sailor He is helped by his servant Enrique Magellan first approached King Manuel I of Portugal to fund the expedition but the king refused However his rival King Charles I of Spain agreed to provide ships and supplies The Portuguese control the waters around Africa If we want to reach the Spice Islands we must sail west But nobody has ever tried that before That’s right Enrique We will be the first 4
The Spice Islands must lie in a sea beyond South America I believe there is a strait at the bottom of South America that leads to that sea About 270 men sail on the expedition Many of the sailors are Spanish or Portuguese Beware of the sailors who are unhappy that you command them sir But I will honor my promise to King Charles to find the Spice Islands Spain will grow even more powerful once it controls the spice trade I expect trouble especially from Captain Juan de Cartagena and Esteban Gomez 5
