Elcano’s Recognition and the First Accounts of…

October 1522 CE

Elcano’s Recognition and the First Accounts of Magellan’s Circumnavigation (1522–1525)

Upon the return of the sole surviving ship, Victoria, to Spain on September 6, 1522, Juan Sebastián Elcano, who had taken command after Ferdinand Magellan’s death in the Philippines (1521), was hailed as the first person to complete a circumnavigation of the Earth. However, Magellan’s role as the architect of the expedition was largely ignored, and early chronicles instead glorified Elcano’s leadership in bringing the voyage to completion.

Charles V Rewards Elcano: The "Primus Circumdedisti Me" Coat of Arms

A delighted Emperor Charles V bestowed upon Elcano a coat of arms with the Latin inscription:
- "Primus circumdedisti me" (First to circumnavigate me).
This official recognition solidified Elcano’s place in history, even though he had not initiated the voyage but rather completed it after Magellan’s death.
Meanwhile, Magellan—viewed as a traitor by the Portuguese and as an upstart by many Spaniards—was quickly forgotten in official Spanish circles.

The First Accounts of the Circumnavigation

Two key figures recorded the events of the expedition, ensuring that its achievements were documented for history:

1. Maximilianus Transylvanus (1523): The First Published Account

Maximilianus Transylvanus, a German humanist at Charles V’s court, interviewed surviving crew membersupon their arrival in Valladolid in the autumn of 1522.
He wrote the first account of the voyage, which was published in 1523, becoming the earliest European record of the expedition.
However, his version was incomplete and based on secondhand testimonies, favoring Elcano's role over Magellan's vision.

2. Antonio Pigafetta (1525): The Most Detailed Eyewitness Account

Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian scholar and one of the few survivors of the voyage, wrote the most comprehensive and vivid account of the expedition.
His journal recorded:
- Detailed descriptions of the lands, peoples, and cultures encountered.
- A precise log of distances, claiming the expedition had traveled 14,460 leagues (~81,449 km or 50,610 miles).
- The challenges of the journey, including scurvy, mutiny, and Magellan’s death in the Philippines.
Pigafetta’s account was not published until 1525, and even then, only partial versions were printed.
The first complete version, known as the Ambrosiana Codex, was not published until 1800, when Carlo Amoretti transcribed it into Italian.

Impact and Legacy of the Accounts

Elcano was immortalized as the "first circumnavigator," but Pigafetta’s detailed account eventually restored Magellan’s place in history as the true visionary behind the expedition.
The expedition’s success confirmed the globe’s full circumference and opened new routes for Spanish exploration in the Pacific.
The delay in the publication of Pigafetta’s full account (until 1800) meant that for centuries, the expedition was largely remembered through biased or incomplete sources, further diminishing Magellan’s role.

Conclusion: The Rewriting of History in the Aftermath of the First Circumnavigation

The return of Elcano and the Victoria in 1522 marked one of the greatest navigational achievements in history, but the legacy of Magellan was almost erased by contemporary Spanish accounts. Elcano was glorified, Magellan forgotten, and it was only through the later rediscovery of Pigafetta’s writings that Magellan was restored to his rightful place as the architect of the first circumnavigation of the world.