Was Magellan Worth Saving?
Was Magellan Worth Saving?
Magellan was not worth saving because his men did not respect him as a leader, he did not care for nor show a decent level of respect to his men, and he lost sight of the task of bringing spices back to Spain. In the late Middle Ages the craving for foreign spices grew in Europeans. The ‘spice islands’ where all of the desired spices were cultivated was in distant Asia, making them hard to get for the eastern continent of Europe (BE). Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 to a Portuguese nobility (BE). He studied cartography, and astronomy; making him a very capable sailor (BE). Magellan made his way to Spain to ask the Spanish king for resources in return for bringing back spices (BE). The Spanish king agreed and …show more content…
During the mutiny in the Port of St. Juan Magellan in a way of punishing the mutineers sent men to kill Luis Mendoza the chief constable of the armada (Doc B). A few days after the mutiny Magellan ordered Gaspar De Quesada a captain of one of the ships to be decapitated and quartered (Doc B). This shows a large amount of disrespect to the crew especially Gaspar De Quesada, whose body was quartered an act that shows major disrespect to the person. This was only a year into the campaign, and it shows an early level of disrespect that if not addressed would then carry on and or grow. In a first hand account of the living conditions the crew were put under it described how the food was not fit for human consumption, and that the crewmembers were forced to extreme lengths to get nourishment (Doc D). The crewmembers were forced to eat food infested with grubs, drink yellowed water that emitted a foul odor; or catch rats, eat sawdust, and even ox hides (Doc D). The men grew sick and a large amount of them died as a result of the conditions they were forced to live in (Doc D). This clear disregard for the health and quality of life that the crew were under by Magellan showed that he was not fit to be in charge of the men, and explains why so many of the crewmembers abandoned Magellan because of the squalor they were forced to live
Magellan was not worth saving because his men did not respect him as a leader, he did not care for nor show a decent level of respect to his men, and he lost sight of the task of bringing spices back to Spain. In the late Middle Ages the craving for foreign spices grew in Europeans. The ‘spice islands’ where all of the desired spices were cultivated was in distant Asia, making them hard to get for the eastern continent of Europe (BE). Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 to a Portuguese nobility (BE). He studied cartography, and astronomy; making him a very capable sailor (BE). Magellan made his way to Spain to ask the Spanish king for resources in return for bringing back spices (BE). The Spanish king agreed and …show more content…
During the mutiny in the Port of St. Juan Magellan in a way of punishing the mutineers sent men to kill Luis Mendoza the chief constable of the armada (Doc B). A few days after the mutiny Magellan ordered Gaspar De Quesada a captain of one of the ships to be decapitated and quartered (Doc B). This shows a large amount of disrespect to the crew especially Gaspar De Quesada, whose body was quartered an act that shows major disrespect to the person. This was only a year into the campaign, and it shows an early level of disrespect that if not addressed would then carry on and or grow. In a first hand account of the living conditions the crew were put under it described how the food was not fit for human consumption, and that the crewmembers were forced to extreme lengths to get nourishment (Doc D). The crewmembers were forced to eat food infested with grubs, drink yellowed water that emitted a foul odor; or catch rats, eat sawdust, and even ox hides (Doc D). The men grew sick and a large amount of them died as a result of the conditions they were forced to live in (Doc D). This clear disregard for the health and quality of life that the crew were under by Magellan showed that he was not fit to be in charge of the men, and explains why so many of the crewmembers abandoned Magellan because of the squalor they were forced to live