Analysis Of The First Circumnavigators - 1163 Words

Brent Sather Professor Halavais History 376 27 September 2017 Exploration of the World Throughout Harry Kelsey’s book, â€Å"The First Circumnavigators†, as well as, Roger Crowley’s book â€Å"Conquerors†, they both explain many misfortunes and hazards that the Spanish and Portuguese explorers faced during the various expeditions that set sail on. Many misfortunes that happened on the voyages included bad weather, scarce food, individual faults, as well as attacks and invasions. One of the major misfortunes that Harry Kelsey describes is the difficulty of the changing weather. For example, Magellan accounts on his voyage that, â€Å"On 6 April 1522, the Trinidad, after undergoing extensive repairs and with fifty-four men aboard, left Tidore and†¦show more content†¦All of this was the cause of death for many and serious illness for others. In particular, many men ate the great lizards-large shiny things-and only a few of them are still alive.† The survival of the crew was one of the biggest priorities. This was one of the bi ggest hazards that the crew had to deal with. On Magellan’s Voyage, â€Å"The next day was Easter Sunday, and Magellan ordered everyone to go ashore and attend Mass. After this he invited the officers to dine with him on the flagship. None of the conspirators accepted the invitation. Instead, they waited until nightfall, then quietly boarded the San Antonio and put Captain Mesquita in chains. The ship’s master, Juan de Elorriaga, was fatally stabbed when he tried to intervene.† These individual actions by traitors on the ship created many unfortunate situations between the crew members that could have been avoided. During another part of the Magellan Voyage, it was stated that, â€Å"Finally on 18 December, the vessels were ready to sail. The Victoria left first, waiting outside the harbor. But a dragging anchor on the Trinidad opened a seam in the hull, and water rushed in. Repairs were impossible without unloading the ship.† This was an individual action that could have been avoided. If the anchor was brought in before the boat was launched, it would have saved them more time for travel, as well as more room for the crew if they weren’t piled in one boat having to come back later for