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Juan Sebastián Elcano

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description Juan Sebastián Elcano Overview

Juan Sebastián Elcano was a Spanish navigator who completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth. After Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521, Elcano eventually took command of the Victoria and sailed westward across the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope, reaching Spain in 1522 with the expedition's surviving crew. His achievement demonstrated in practice that a ship could complete a continuous voyage around the globe.

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How did Juan Sebastián Elcano complete Magellan's expedition?

After Ferdinand Magellan was killed at Mactan in the Philippines in 1521, leadership passed through several hands before Elcano took command of the Victoria. He sailed west across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and returned to Spain in 1522.

How many ships from Magellan's fleet completed the circumnavigation?

Only the Victoria completed the full voyage and returned to Spain. The expedition had departed with five ships, but losses, desertion, and damage eliminated the others from the completed circuit.

How many survivors returned to Spain aboard the Victoria?

Eighteen members of the expedition reached Sanlúcar de Barrameda aboard the Victoria in September 1522. Additional crewmen who had been detained in Cape Verde returned later, so the famous group of eighteen was not the entire body of eventual survivors.

Did Elcano receive recognition for completing the first circumnavigation?

Emperor Charles V granted him a coat of arms bearing a globe and the Latin motto Primus circumdedisti me, meaning "You first encircled me." Elcano later joined the Loaísa expedition and died in the Pacific in 1526.

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