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Antonio Pigafetta

 
Antonio Pigafetta

 
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Antonio Pigafetta
 
 
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Antonio Pigafetta (c. 1491), was a Venetian
Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
 scholar born in Vicenza
Vicenza

Vicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province of Vicenza in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione....
. He was engaged to accompany and assist the Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 captain Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese people List of maritime explorers who, while in the service of the Spanish Crown, tried to find a westward route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia....
 and his Spanish crew on their trip to the Maluku Islands
Maluku Islands

The Maluku Islands are an archipelago in Indonesia, and part of the larger Malay Archipelago. They are located on the Australian Plate, lying east of Sulawesi , west of New Guinea, and north of Timor....
. During the voyage, he kept an accurate journal which later assisted him in translating one of the Philippine languages
Languages of the Philippines

In the Philippines, there are over 170 languages, almost all of them belonging to the Austronesian languages. Of all of these languages, only 2 are considered official in the country, at least 10 are considered major and at least 8 are considered co-official....
, Cebuano
Cebuano language

Cebuano is an Austronesian language language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people. It is the largest member of the Visayan languages, and is also referred to as "Visayan"....
. It is the first recorded document concerning this language.

Out of approximately 240 men who set out with Magellan in 1519, Pigafetta was one of only 18 who returned to Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 in 1522, having completed the first circumnavigation
Circumnavigation

To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. More recently, the term has also been used to cover aerial round-the-world flights....
 of the World, under the captainship of Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano

Juan Sebasti?n Elcano , 1486/1487 – Pacific Ocean, August 4, 1526) was a navigator. He completed the first world circumnavigation in history....
 after Magellan's death.






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Antonio Pigafetta (c. 1491), was a Venetian
Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
 scholar born in Vicenza
Vicenza

Vicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province of Vicenza in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione....
. He was engaged to accompany and assist the Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 captain Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese people List of maritime explorers who, while in the service of the Spanish Crown, tried to find a westward route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia....
 and his Spanish crew on their trip to the Maluku Islands
Maluku Islands

The Maluku Islands are an archipelago in Indonesia, and part of the larger Malay Archipelago. They are located on the Australian Plate, lying east of Sulawesi , west of New Guinea, and north of Timor....
. During the voyage, he kept an accurate journal which later assisted him in translating one of the Philippine languages
Languages of the Philippines

In the Philippines, there are over 170 languages, almost all of them belonging to the Austronesian languages. Of all of these languages, only 2 are considered official in the country, at least 10 are considered major and at least 8 are considered co-official....
, Cebuano
Cebuano language

Cebuano is an Austronesian language language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people. It is the largest member of the Visayan languages, and is also referred to as "Visayan"....
. It is the first recorded document concerning this language.

Out of approximately 240 men who set out with Magellan in 1519, Pigafetta was one of only 18 who returned to Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 in 1522, having completed the first circumnavigation
Circumnavigation

To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. More recently, the term has also been used to cover aerial round-the-world flights....
 of the World, under the captainship of Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano

Juan Sebasti?n Elcano , 1486/1487 – Pacific Ocean, August 4, 1526) was a navigator. He completed the first world circumnavigation in history....
 after Magellan's death. His journal is the source for much of what we know about Magellan and Elcano's voyage.

Youth

Pigafetta belonged to a rich family of Vicenza
Vicenza

Vicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province of Vicenza in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione....
. In his youth he studied astronomy
Astronomy

Astronomy is the science of Astronomical object and Phenomenon that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere . It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the physical cosmology....
, geography
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
 and cartography
Cartography

File:Mediterranean chart fourteenth century2.jpgCartography is the study and practice of making Geography Map. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that we can model reality in ways that communicate spatial information effectively....
. He served on board the ships of the Knights of Rhodes
Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is a Roman Catholic Church order based in Rome, Italy....
 at the beginning of the 16th century. Until 1519, he accompanied the papal nuncio, Monsignor Chieregati
Francesco Chieregati

Francesco Chieregati was a papal nuncio and Bishop ....
, to Spain.

Voyage

In Seville
Seville

||-||}Seville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville ....
, Antonio Pigafetta heard of Magellan's planned expedition and elected to embark, accepting the title of sobrasaliente (supernumerary
Supernumerary

Supernumerary is an additional member of an organization. A supernumerary is also non-regular member of a staff, a member of the staff or an employee who works in a public office who is not part of the manpower complement....
) and a modest salary
Salary

A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
 of 1,000 maravedís. During the trip, Pigafetta collected extensive data concerning the geography
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
, climate
Climate

Climate encompasses the temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other Meteorology elements in a given region over long periods of time, as opposed to the term weather, which refers to current activity of these same elements....
, flora
Flora

In botany, flora has two meanings. The first meaning, flora of an area or of time period, refers to all plant life occurring in an area or time period, especially the naturally occurring or indigenous plant life....
, fauna
Fauna

File:Fauna.pngFauna is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoology and paleontology use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g....
 and the inhabitants of the places that the expedition visited. His meticulous notes were invaluable to future explorers and cartographers, mainly due to his inclusion of nautical and linguistic data, and to latter-day historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
s because of its vivid, detailed style. The only other sailor to maintain a journal during the voyage was Francisco Albo, last Victoria
Victoria (ship)

Victoria was a Spain carrack and the first ship to successfully circumnavigate the world. The Victoria was part of a Spanish expedition under the Portuguese people commander, Ferdinand Magellan, and was accompanied by four other ships....
s pilot
Maritime pilot

A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. Legally the master remains in command of the ship....
, who kept a formal logbook
Logbook

A logbook was originally a book for recording readings from the Chip_log, and is used to determine the distance a ship traveled within a certain amount of time....
.

Return

Pigafetta was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan was killed. Nevertheless, he recovered and was among the 18 who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano

Juan Sebasti?n Elcano , 1486/1487 – Pacific Ocean, August 4, 1526) was a navigator. He completed the first world circumnavigation in history....
 on board the Victoria, on the return voyage to Spain.

Upon reaching port in Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Sanl?car de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of C?diz , part of the autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia in southern Spain. Sanl?car is located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir....
 (Province of Cadiz
Cádiz (province)

C?diz is a Provinces of Spain of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
) in September of 1522, three years after his departure, Pigafetta returned to the Republic of Venice. He related his experiences in Relazione del Primo Viaggio Intorno Al Mondo (Report on the First Voyage Around the World), which was composed in Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
. Although parts were published in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 in 1525, the manuscript was not published in its entirety until the late eighteenth century. The original document was not preserved.

It was not through Antonio Pigafetta's writings that Europeans first learned of the circumnavigation of the globe. Rather, it was through an account written by Maximilianus Transylvanus
Maximilianus Transylvanus

Maximilianus Transylvanus , also Maximilianus of Transylvania and Maximilian von Sevenborgen , was a sixteenth century author who wrote an first account of Juan Sebastian Elcano first circumnavigation of the world ....
, which was published in 1523. Transylvanus had been instructed to interview some of the survivors of the voyage when Magellan’s surviving ship Victoria returned to Spain in September 1522.

After Magellan's voyage, Pigafetta utilized the connections he had made prior to the voyage with the Knights of Rhodes to himself achieve membership in the order.

Bibliography

  • Magellan (Francis Guillemard, Antonio Pigafetta, Francisco Albo, Gaspar Correa) [2008] - includes Pigafetta’s complete journal of the voyage, and Pigafetta’s treatise of navigation.
  • Lord Stanley of Alderley
    Henry Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley

    Henry Edward John Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley and 2nd Baron Eddisbury was a historian who translated The first voyage round the world by Magellan and other works from the Age of Discovery....
    ,     , London : Hakluyt [1874] - includes Pigefetta's journal and his treatise of navigation


Films


  • Lapu Lapu [2002] depicts Antonio Pigafetta as a member of Magellan's expedition in Cebu.


See also

  • Enrique of Malacca