# Canonical recap data for First Circumnavigation Completed (1522)
# Source: https://recap.at/1522/first-circumnavigation
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: first-circumnavigation
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1522/first-circumnavigation"
title: First Circumnavigation Completed
aliases:
- Magellan–Elcano expedition
- First circumnavigation of the globe
- Victoria's return
- Magellan expedition
subtitle: Magellan's expedition proved Earth's sphericity and established the first recorded global voyage, transforming geographical knowledge and trade.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1522-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1522
decade: 1520
country:
name: Spain
slug: spain
summaryShort: The Magellan expedition, sometimes termed the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was a 16th-century Spanish expedition planned and led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Its purpose was to secure a maritime trade route with the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, in present-day Indonesia. The expedition departed Spain in 1519
summaryLong: The Magellan expedition, sometimes termed the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was a 16th-century Spanish expedition planned and led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Its purpose was to secure a maritime trade route with the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, in present-day Indonesia. The expedition departed Spain in 1519 and returned there in 1522 under the command of Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, who completed the voyage after Magellan's death in the Philippines. One of the most significant voyages in the Age of Discovery, the nearly three-year expedition totaled 60,440 km (37,560 mi) and achieved the first circumnavigation of Earth in history. It also marked the first crossing of the Pacific by a European expedition, revealing the vast scale of that ocean, and proved that ships could sail around the world on a western sea route.
lede: In 1522, the surviving ship from Ferdinand Magellan's expedition returned to Spain after nearly three years at sea, proving for the first time that a continuous ocean route circled the entire globe. Magellan himself died in the Philippines in 1521, but his voyage—completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano—shattered the geographic limits of the known world and revealed the true scale of Earth's oceans.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Detail_from_a_map_of_Ortelius_-_Magellan%27s_ship_Victoria.png/1280px-Detail_from_a_map_of_Ortelius_-_Magellan%27s_ship_Victoria.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Magellan expedition"
importance: 89
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Departure date
  value: September 20, 1519
- label: Return date
  value: September 6, 1522
- label: Ships departed
  value: "5"
- label: Ships returned
  value: 1 (Victoria)
- label: Crew departed
  value: ~270 men
- label: Crew returned
  value: ~18 men
- label: Magellan's death date
  value: April 27, 1521
- label: Expedition commander at return
  value: Juan Sebastián Elcano
- label: Total voyage duration
  value: 1,081 days
- label: Estimated distance traveled
  value: ~43,400 nautical miles
timeline:
- date: 1519-09-20
  title: Fleet departs Seville
  description: Five ships under Ferdinand Magellan's command leave Spain with approximately 270 men, intending to find a western passage to the Spice Islands.
- date: 1519-10-21
  title: Fleet enters Pacific Ocean
  description: After navigating the strait at the southern tip of South America (later named the Strait of Magellan), the expedition enters an ocean Magellan names the Pacific for its apparent calm.
- date: 1520-03-06
  title: Fleet reaches Guam
  description: After more than three months without fresh provisions at sea, the expedition makes landfall in the Mariana Islands, marking the first documented European contact with the Pacific islands.
- date: 1521-04-27
  title: Magellan dies in the Philippines
  description: Ferdinand Magellan is killed during a battle with indigenous forces on the island of Mactan. Juan Sebastián Elcano assumes command of the surviving expedition.
- date: 1521-11-08
  title: Fleet reaches the Moluccas
  description: The expedition arrives at the Spice Islands (present-day Indonesia), achieving the original goal of securing a direct maritime route to these valuable trade centers.
- date: 1522-09-06
  title: Victoria returns to Spain
  description: The sole surviving ship, Victoria, under Juan Sebastián Elcano's command, arrives in Seville with approximately 18 survivors. The first circumnavigation of the globe is complete.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_expedition"
  title: First circumnavigation
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: This expedition fundamentally reshaped European understanding of global geography and ocean navigation. It proved the feasibility of transoceanic trade routes, opened the Pacific Ocean to European commerce, and established Spain's claim to vast new territories—consequences that would reshape colonial empires and global economics for centuries.
categories:
- launch
metaDescription: Magellan's expedition completes the first circumnavigation of Earth in 1522, forever changing maps and maritime trade.
wikidataQid: Q1225170
peoplesVoice:
- source: Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain
  voiceType: official
  context: Royal response upon learning of the expedition's return to Spain in September 1522, vindicating the Crown's investment.
  excerpt: This voyage has proven the greatness of Spain's dominion over the seas and secured for us the path to the Moluccas and their riches, fulfilling the ambitions of our realm.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 90
  attribution: Synthesized from period royal correspondence and court records
  publishedAt: 1522-10-15
  originalLanguage: es
- source: Juan Sebastian Elcano, Captain and Expedition Survivor
  voiceType: expert
  context: Testimony before the Spanish court after taking command following Magellan's death in the Philippines.
  excerpt: We have circumnavigated the globe entire, though our captain fell in battle. With eighteen men remaining, we returned the Victoria home, proving no ocean too wide for Spanish courage.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Synthesized from Elcano's official report to the Crown, 1522
  publishedAt: 1522-09-20
  originalLanguage: es
- source: Venetian Merchant Antonio Pigafetta, Expedition Chronicler
  voiceType: media
  context: Written account compiled during the voyage and circulated in Venice upon return, documenting the three-year journey.
  excerpt: "We have seen lands unknown to any Christian, islands of spices and strange peoples. Though many perished, we have answered the great question: the world is navigable entire."
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from Pigafetta's manuscript diary, circulated 1522-1524
  publishedAt: 1523-03-01
  originalLanguage: it
- source: Portuguese King John III, Portugal
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Diplomatic response to Spain's claim of a western route to the Moluccas, challenging Portuguese monopoly on eastern spice trade.
  excerpt: That a Portuguese explorer served Spanish ambitions proves only that Spain has stolen what rightfully belongs to Portugal by prior discovery and papal grant.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from Portuguese royal protests recorded in diplomatic correspondence, 1522
  publishedAt: 1522-11-10
  originalLanguage: pt
- source: Genoese Merchant Council Official, Speaking for Commercial Interests
  voiceType: industry
  context: Statement reflecting concern among Mediterranean trading powers facing disruption of established spice routes through Portuguese-controlled Indian Ocean.
  excerpt: Spain claims a new passage to the Indies, but at what cost? Five ships departed, one returns. The old routes, though taxed, remain the merchant's safest path.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 58
  attribution: Synthesized from Genoese merchant guild records and council minutes, late 1522
  publishedAt: 1522-12-01
  originalLanguage: it
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260426211721/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_expedition"
  capturedAt: 2026-04-26
  label: First circumnavigation
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_expedition"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Venetian State Gazette
  publisherSlug: venetian-state-gazette
  headline: Spanish Fleet Completes Voyage Around the World - Elcano Returns With Single Ship
  publishedAt: 1522-09-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - After nearly three years at sea, Juan Sebastian Elcano piloted the Victoria into Seville harbor with merely 18 survivors aboard, concluding the most audacious maritime venture ever attempted. The expedition's passage through unknown waters has fundamentally altered European understanding of the globe's true dimensions.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Venice
- publisher: Portuguese Royal Chronicle
  publisherSlug: portuguese-royal-chronicle
  headline: "Portuguese Explorer's Legacy: Magellan's Route Opens Path to Moluccas for Spanish Crown"
  publishedAt: 1522-10-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Though Ferdinand Magellan fell in the Philippines before witnessing the journey's completion, his vision of a westward route to the spice trade has been vindicated by Elcano's successful return. Spain now claims discovery of a viable passage that may reshape colonial ambitions.
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: Portugal
- publisher: Holy Roman Empire Broadsheet
  publisherSlug: holy-roman-empire-broadsheet
  headline: Imperial Christendom Takes Note - Spanish Circumnavigation Achievement Stuns European Powers
  publishedAt: 1522-11-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The completion of this voyage signals a dramatic shift in naval supremacy and territorial claims, with implications that will reverberate through European diplomatic channels for decades. Portuguese and English merchants watch nervously as Spain consolidates its grip on oceanic trade routes.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Holy Roman Empire
- publisher: Seville Municipal Records & Announcements
  publisherSlug: seville-municipal-records
  headline: Victoria Docks in Home Port - Spaniards Celebrate Impossible Achievement
  publishedAt: 1522-09-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The arrival of Elcano's sole surviving vessel triggered spontaneous celebrations throughout Seville as crowds gathered to witness the crew of living skeletons who had circumnavigated the Earth. Crown officials have already begun securing claims to newly charted territories and evaluating spice trade economics.
  significance: 79
  type: newspaper
  region: Spain
