Author: Laurence Bergreen
Copyright: in 2003
Pages: 458 pages in it's paperback form. I listened to the audio version which is 15 hours long.
The Age of Discovery was a very exciting time. I have been fascinated with the subject for roughly a year.* Laurence Bergreen does an amazing job making a lot of relatively tedious information engaging and relatable. That being said, I am not sure that I would have made it through this read if it had not been an audio book. It would have taken me too long and I probably would have given up.
Over the Edge of the World chronicles the voyage of the Armada de Molucca captained by Ferdinand Magellan; Spain's bid on a route to the spice islands. I know you may be thinking, "Wasn't Columbus's voyage Spain's bid on a route to the Spice Islands?" Yes, you would be correct. But, once Columbus's discovery of land was proven to be a previously unknown continent Spain still wanted a slice of the spice trade profits.
Enter Ferdinand Magellan. He was sure he could find an easy route to the Spice Islands and the wealth that they guaranteed. His native country, Portugal, rebuffed his proposals of navigation. He turned his back on Portugal, swore allegiance to Spain and persuaded the crown of Spain to commission him to find a westerly route to the lucrative Spice Islands.
The Armada de Molucca comprised of 5 vessels; Trinidad, San Antonio, Victoria, Conceptión, and Santiago, set off on their voyage of discovery on September 20, 1519. Almost exactly 3 years later on September 6, 1522 only one of the ships, the Victoria, limped back to port with a skeletal crew of 18 men having gone clear around the globe. The first vessel to accomplish this feat.
Favorite Character: My favorite character is Antonio Pigafeta. Pigafeta's journals provided so much information about what happened during the voyage. He was also much of an anthropologist. He really devoted a lot of effort to learning about native people. He studied their languages and made little dictionaries of translation. He documented many customs that will satisfy any morbid curiosity you might have. Truly, things that will make your skin crawl.
I like knowing about people of the past so I really appreciate Pigafeta's records. They are especially valuable regarding peoples who didn't have any written language. Some of Pigafeta's writings are the only record for languages that have since gone extinct.
I would love to read a book solely devoted to Antonio Pigateta. In a similar vein as the book I read about Georg Steller by Ann Arnold. I may figure out how to contact her and give her the suggestion.
What I learned: I learned about the Treaty of Tordesillas which had a big impact on where Spanish and Portuguese trading and colonies were set up. The verdict of the Treaty of Tordesillas divided the globe into halves so that Spain could have rights to a portion and Portugal could have rights to a portion.
I learned that Magellan's explorers named the region of Patagonia. Pigateta spent many hours with the captured Patagonian Giant learning his language. Magellan's crew were the first Europeans to contact the Patagonian people. Sadly, the captured Patagonian got sick and died before the ships had crossed the Pacific.
What I Liked: I thought it was funny that once the crew of the Armada de Molucca made it around the world they found that they had lost a day. It was Wednesday with them and Thursday with the rest of the world because they had sailed west and lost a day.
What I Didn't Care For: I didn't like all the gory details. From all the torture and gruesome punishment carried out aboard ship to the mutilating carnal practices of the Philippines it was a little too much gore for me. On the other hand I do like know the truth and not have history washed of that which makes me uncomfortable.
The natives customs are not the only things that will make your skin crawl. Magellan's tactics dealing with mutineers and criminals will turn your stomach, too. Barbaric customs can be found in all cultures.
Conclusion: Magellan was daring. He was a strict disciplinarian. He was distant and hard to get to know. He was an amazing navigator. The feats that his ships and crew accomplished were nearly impossible. He pushed his ships and men to the limit. I wish he hadn't met his demise in the battle with Lapu Lapu. I wish after all the labor of crossing the Atlantic, suffering through winter, navigating the straights, and crossing the Pacific that he had gotten to see the pay off of reaching the Moluccas. As much as they hated him, his crew really needed him. His discipline and decisiveness would have saved them from some of the pit falls they fell into when they were without his guiding (albeit heavy) hand.
*Readers of my blog will remember the Nutmeg documentary, the Alaska's first naturalist book, and the Viking book. My family will know about my love for all things Northwest Passage this summer. And homeschool studies have had us travel through the Age of Discovery period on our way through The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer twice.
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