Juan Sebastián Elcano: Difference between revisions

Juan Sebastián Elcano
Modern engraving of Elcano
Born	Juan Sebastián Elcano c. 1486 Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Castile
Died	August 4, 1526 (aged 39–40) Pacific Ocean
Nationality	Basque (Crown of Castile)
Occupation(s)	Explorer, navigator, mariner and military
Known for	First circumnavigation of the Earth
Partner	María Hernández Dernialde
Children	Two daughters and one son (illegitimate) Domingo Elcano III
Parent(s)	Domingo Sebastián Elcano I, and Catalina del Puerto
Signature

Juan Sebastián Elcano^[1] (Elkano in modern Basque writing, sometimes misspelled del Cano;^[1] 1486/1487^{[2][n 1]} – 4 August 1526) was a Castilian navigator, ship-owner and explorer of Basque origin^[3][4][5] best known for having completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth in the ship Victoria on the Magellan expedition to the Spice Islands. He received recognition for his achievement by the Emperor Charles V with the coat of arms reading "primus circumdedisti me".

Although it is known that Elcano circumnavigated the world, data on Elcano are scarce. Elcano is the subject of great historiographical controversy due to the scarcity of original sources to know his life and thought. For example, in Spain the first biographies about him began to be written in the second half of the 19th century, after three centuries of emptiness.

Following his success, the emperor entrusted him with another large expedition to the Spice Islands headed by a nobleman, García Jofre de Loaisa, which could not complete its goal. Elcano died in the Pacific Ocean during this venture.

Elcano's name has been written in different ways throughout historiography. Although today in Basque Elkano is used, his signature seems to be Delcano, or perhaps Del Cano, although it is difficult to detect. The most common in Spanish historiography has been to interpret it as Del Cano (de Cano), but also as Cano.

However, near Getaria (today between Zarautz and Aia) is the neighborhood of Elkano, whose family or lineage was known as Elkano or Elcano, so it could be said that it belongs to the Elkano family. For this reason, later, Elcano has been used as a surname in Spanish and Elkano in Basque, to indicate that it was from Elcano (from the Elkano lineage).

Mitxelena, in his book Basque Surnames^[6], interprets the surname Elkano from Basque. Between the suffixes -ano and -no, he provides arguments for the latter, for the diminutive suffix. He proposes that the first part of the surname is elge^[7][8]. Mitxelena reconstructs the previous form of this elge, and argues that the surname Elkano is a toponym and a surname arising from the association of these two morphemes.

Juan Sebastián Elcano's mother was Catalina del Puerto or Catalina Portu, his father Domingo Sebastián Elcano. It is known that Catalina, Elcano's mother, was alive at the death of Elcano, whose will she had requested upon her arrival in Getaria (10 years after Elcano's death) what was legally due to her. For example, she asked the king for the pension that had been promised to Elcano. Elcano's grandmother, Catalina's mother is also known: Domenja Olazabal. Originally it is believed that she belongs to a family of noblemen from the area of Tolosa^[2]. It is also known that this maternal family, that of the Portu or Puerto, was closely linked to the church and the secretaries^[9].

Catalina had eight children, and Elcano would be the fourth. Her first son was born in 1481. Later their daughter Catalina would be born, who would marry Rodrigo de Gainza and have a son. Next came Domingo Elcano. This one took the name of his father and would be a priest in Getaria. Juan Sebastian was the fourth brother. And after him four other brothers: Martín Pérez, Otxoa Martínez, Inés and Antton Martínez^[10]. As these last three (Martín Pérez, Antón Martínez and Otxoa Martínez) were also sailors, they would set sail with Elkano in the second expedition to the Moluccas. It seems that Elcano also had a half-sister, María, Domingo's illegtiimate daughter^[11].

Elcano left two children. He had a son with Mari Hernández de Hernialde, Domingo Elcano, in Getaria. He had another daughter with a woman called Maria Bidaurreta, called also Maria (Elcano), born in Valladolid. In the will he ordered to the mother of his son, María Hernández de Hernialde, 100 ducats. To the daughter he had with María Bidaurreta he promised again 40 ducats, but conditioned if before she was 4 years old her mother took her to live in Getaria^[12].

It is believed that, economically, the Elkano formed a family of maritime transporters-traders. Perhaps they were already trading in the Mediterranean^[13]. And that they owned a ship can almost be taken for granted by the amount of taxes paid by the family in 1500^[14].

However, everything has been said about the family property. Some sources say they were from noble families, others say they were poor. In the 19th century, for example, it was said that the Elcano family was a noble family. But this is a questionable statement. Elcano asked the king for the right to bear arms, a right proper to nobles, and his brothers accompanied him on the next expedition^[15]. So the Elcanos, on their father's side, at least, were neither nobles nor hidalgos. And the Portu's were probably not nobles either, on their mother's side. Perhaps it is possible that the Olazabal family on the grandmother's side are hidalgos. But as nobility was not inherited through women, the Portu's (Catalina, daughter of Domenja) would not be hidalgos and much less the Elcano's (grandchildren of Domenja).

Fernandez de Navarrete states that, in addition to being a fisherman and sailor, Elcano acted as a smuggler on board with France^[16], but no original sources are given to confirm this^[17]. On the other hand, some biographies to the contrary point out that the Elcano family experienced economic hardship because his father died young and his mother had to support eight siblings^[17]. But it is not said what sustains this affirmation of poverty.

What is documented is that in 1500, when Elcano was about 14 years old, there was a large taxation in Getaria in which the father Domingo Elcano appears in the thirteenth position (23 maravedís and a half) of those who paid more money. It seems, then, that they were quite solvent economically, since they are named among the richest families of the town^[15].

In addition, in the document in which the king grants him a pardon, it is said that when Elcano was very young acting as a merchan transporter in the Mediterranean, he was the owner of his large ship. He owned, therefore, a 200-ton vessel. This would also indicate that they had, at least, some economic solvency or debt capacity.

However, Elcano got rich with the round-the-world voyage by earning 613,250 maravedis^[18]. It was an immense fortune, by comparison: an amount equivalent to the salary of a sea pilot for 20 years. Compare with the 23 maravedis payed by his father in municipal taxes. Of that fortune, 104,526 maravedís corresponded to him for master's and captain's wages and the rest -most of it- was earned by selling the clove brought in property from the Moluccas.

The date of Elcano's birth is unknown. However, it can be inferred with a fair amount of certainty that the year of birth was 1486 or 1487. Spanish historiography on the year of birth has said that he was 42 years old when he sailed with Magallanes, so Elcano was born by 1476^[19]. But before setting sail Elcano himself confirmed that he was "approximately" 32 years old, as recorded in the document of August 1519^[20]. Therefore, if he was 32 years old in 1519, it is reasonable to think that he was born in 1486 or 1487.

There is not much doubt about his birthplace because in the will written by Elcano himself he mentions that his birthplace is Getaria. It is usually said that he was born in the house located in San Roque Street in the municipality of Getaria, today called the Birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elcano. There is a plaque commemorating the event next to the house where he was born. The house, if so, did not belong to the Elcano family, but to the family of his grandfather (mother's father), the Portu family^[15].

In the chronicles of the time, Elcano is also presented as a "getarian". The chronicler Juan de Mariana, in 1601, after saying that Elcano was from Getaria, adds: "from Biscay by nationality or Guipuscoan"^[21]. At that time the Basques were called 'vizcaínos'. Basque language was his mother tongue, as it has been deduced from indirect data. And that he also did so in Spanish is unequivocal, as can be seen in the interrogations and letters. In addition to Basque and Spanish, it seems that he read in Latin, because the two books referred to in his will were written in that language.

Elcano settled in Seville and became a merchant ship captain. After breaching a ruling imposed by the crown in 1517 surrendering a ship to Genoan bankers in repayment of a debt,^[22] he sought a pardon from the emperor Charles V, by signing on as a subordinate officer for the Magellan expedition to the East Indies.

Elcano served as a naval commander of the emperor Charles V, and took part in the expedition to the Philippines. In 1519, this 241-man expedition set sail with five ships, Trinidad, Concepción, San Antonio, Santiago, and Victoria. Elcano participated in a fierce mutiny against Ferdinand Magellan before the convoy discovered the passage through South America, the Strait of Magellan. He was spared by Magellan and after five months of hard labour in chains was made captain of the galleon.^[23] Santiago was later destroyed in a storm. The fleet sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern coast of Brazil and into Puerto San Julián in Argentina. Several months later they discovered a passage now known as the Strait of Magellan located in the southern tip of South America and sailed through the strait. The crew of San Antonio mutinied and returned to Spain. On 28 November 1520, three ships set sail for the Pacific Ocean and about 19 men died before they reached Guam on 6 March 1521. Conflicts with the nearby island of Rota prevented Magellan and Elcano from resupplying their ships with food and water. They eventually gathered enough supplies and continued their journey to the Philippines and remained there for several weeks. Close relationships developed between the Spaniards and the islanders. They took part in converting the Cebuano tribes to Christianity and became involved in tribal warfare between rival Filipino groups in Mactan Island.

On 27 April 1521, Magellan was killed and the Spaniards defeated by natives in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. The surviving members of the expedition could not decide who should succeed Magellan. The men finally voted on a joint command with the leadership divided between Duarte Barbosa and João Serrão. Within four days these two were also dead. They were killed after being betrayed at a feast at the hands of Rajah Humabon. The mission was now teetering on disaster and João Lopes de Carvalho took command of the fleet and led it on a meandering journey through the Philippine archipelago.

During the six-month listless journey after Magellan died, and before reaching the Moluccas, Elcano's stature grew as the men became disillusioned with the weak leadership of Carvalho. The two ships, Victoria and Trinidad finally reached their destination, the Moluccas, on 6 November. They rested and re-supplied in this haven, and filled their holds with the precious cargo of cloves and nutmeg. On 18 December, the ships were ready to leave. Trinidad sprang a leak, and was unable to be repaired. Carvalho stayed with the ship along with 52 others hoping to return later.^[24]

Victoria, commanded by Elcano along with 17 other European survivors of the 240 man expedition and 4 (survivors out of 13) Timorese Asians continued its westward voyage to Spain crossing the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. They eventually reached Sanlúcar de Barrameda on 6 September 1522.^[25]

Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian scholar, was a crew member of the Magellan and Elcano expedition. He wrote several documents about the events of the expedition. According to Pigafetta the voyage covered 14,460 leagues – about 81,449 kilometres (50,610 mi).

As soon as the ship Victoria arrived in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Elcano set down on writing a 700-word letter addressed to Charles V, where he never mentions himself. He emphasized on it that they had achieved their goal to carry back the spices, "brought peace" to these islands, and obtained the friendship of their kings and lords, also bringing along their signatures.^[26] He went on to highlight the extreme hardships undergone during the expedition. Elcano did not forget the members of the crew captured in Cabo Verde by the Portuguese, begging the emperor to initiate all necessary actions leading to their release. He ends the letter with commentary about their discoveries, the roundness of the world, setting sail to the west and coming back from the east.^[26]

Emperor Charles V granted Elcano an augmentation of his coat of arms featuring a world globe with the words Primus circumdedisti me (Latin: "You first encircled me");^[27] Elcano reclaimed and received from the emperor three gifts as a reward for his achievement, namely an annual pension of 500 ducats, two armed men to escort him and an official statement pardoning him for the sale of his ship to the Savoyard bankers; however, following Elcano's death and long lawsuits, his mother Catalina del Puerto did not manage to receive any pensions. By 1567, after Elcano's mother demise, relatives of Juan Sebastian and hers kept demanding the pension.^[28] His family were given rule over the Marquisate of Buglas in Negros Island, Philippines.^{[29][better source needed]} In the modern era, the country with the most people surnamed "Elcano" is currently the Philippines.^[30]

Elcano's achievement has been somehow eclipsed in traditional historiography by Magellan who planned and led the famous expedition until his death before reaching the Spice Islands. More recently, Portugal's solo candidacy to UNESCO to get Magellan's expedition and the resulting circumnavigation (without mentioning Elcano) recognised as a Portuguese Intangible World Heritage has provoked a major controversy with Spain, thereafter seemingly settled by the submission by said countries of a new joint application to honour the circumnavigation route.^[31]

In 1525, Elcano returned to sea, and became a member of the Loaísa expedition. He was appointed leader along with García Jofre de Loaísa as captains, who commanded seven ships and sent to claim the East Indies for the emperor Charles V. Both Elcano and Loaísa and many other sailors died of malnutrition in the Pacific Ocean, but the survivors reached their destination and a few of them managed to return to Spain.

Elcano never married but he had a son by María Hernández Dernialde named Domingo Elcano, whom he legitimized in his last will and testament.^[32] Elcano also fathered a daughter with a different woman named Maria de Vidaurreta.^[32]

• History of the Philippines
• Spanish training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano

• Auñamendi Encyclopedia: Elcano, Juan Sebastián de (in Spanish)
• Last will and testament of Sebastian Elcano
• PBS Secrets of the Dead: Magellan's Crossing
• The expedition of the first circumnavigation of the world, with Google Maps and Earth
• Who First Circled the Globe? Not Magellan, Spain Wants You to Know