In an era when spices were just as sought after as precious silks, several countries participated in a race to find trade routes to Asia. Christopher Columbus imagined a path across the Atlantic, one that led to a dead end: the Americas. Suddenly, the goal of the race changed. Countries began searching for a strait that connected the Atlantic and the Pacific, opening a route to the Spice Islands. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese cartographer and sailor, looked to Spain for support on an expedition to the Spice Islands. During the course of the expedition, Magellan faced much opposition and made many decisions that may be deemed questionable today, decisions that led to his eventual demise in battle. Many of his men were against saving their captain, raising a question: was Magellan valuable enough to save? Though Ferdinand Magellan achieved his goals through dubious means, his crew would have found it auspicious had they saved him, due to his extraordinary navigation skills and strategy …show more content…
By rationing their food, Magellan assured that they would have enough food to last them through winter. The explorer also carefully navigated the straight, being careful not to take the lives of his men for granted. Most notably, in the execution of two of the men who mutinied against him, Magellan showed the wiseness of a leader who wanted to prevent a greater uprising, and therefore the loss of more lives. This is most prevalent in the Battle of Mactan, described in Document E. Though it is obvious that Antonia Pigafetta admires the captain and accordingly depicts him as a great hero, it is unequivocally true that Magellan’s choice to retreat by degree was one of a magnanimous leader. Not only in this battle is his wish to keep his crew safe revealed, but also his determination and