Enrique of Malacca

Disambiguity: Henry the Black, duke of Bavaria from 1120-1126, was the first of the three Henries of the Welf dynasty. This article disusses the slave and interpreter of Magellan.

Enrique of Melaka or ("Henry the Black"), may be historically significant as the first person to circumnavigate the world. Henry was the slave and interpreter of Magellan to the natives in the Philippines.

It is a subject of dispute as to whether he is originally from Sumatra, Malaysia or Cebu,Philippines. He has been given the appellation of Panglima Awang in Malaysian literature. He is also the center of a dispute of circumnavigation, his circumnavigagtion in 1521 in the Philippines or Elcano's in 1522 in Spain.

Origin

He was captured from Sumatra (then known as Zamatra) at the age of 12 to 18 in 1511 and became a slave of Ferdinand Magellan when he (Magellan) was in the Moluccas under Diego Lopez Sequiera when the Portugese were colonizing parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. The source of information on the career of Enrique Melaka is Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler.

Duarte Barbosa mentions a community of Filipino merchants, workers and mercenaries at Malacca at the same time that Magellan acquired Enrique there.

It is very unlikely that any of the Muslim Malaysians would sell a fellow Muslim to a Christian, so the more likely source is the flourishing Filipino community.

Approaching the Philippines

Magellan took Enrique with him when he set sail on the voyage that would bring his shipmates around the world. According to the chronicles of Pigafetta, when Magellan, Enrique and others were approaching Samar and Cebu. Enrique could not communicate with the local people. Then, as they approached a second island, a small boat approached them. Discouraged by the language barrier that he confronted at Homonhon, Enrique did not think they would understand him. To his surprise, his greeting in Malay dialect was returned. Reluctant to enter the strange vessel, the small boat stayed by the ship. On the second island, which was then called Mazzaua there was instant commnunication with the 8 men on a small boat approaching Magellan's party. Enrique was amazed at the fact that he could communicate with the people as they surrounded him, chattering, because he didn't quite realize why he could understand him. He had made it all the way around the world, back to the Malay homeland that he left 12 years earlier, making him the first man to circumnavigate the globe. Enrique's conversation with the Mazzava (?) people definitively confirmed that the earth was round, not by what he was saying, but by the language with which he spoke. Magellan knew that he was close to reaching his goal, since he was once again amongst the Malay speakers.

Magellan's Death

Magellan died in a battle in the Philippine Islands. Pigaffetta writes that after Magellan's death, Enrique was legally free, but his manumission was opposed by the new commander, Duarte Barbosa. Enrique then plotted with Rajah Humabon and was able to escape.

After Magellan's death at Mactan, Duarte Barbosa treated Enrique harshly and then sent him on another mission to Hamubon the chief or datu of Cebu. It was here that Enrique supposedly suggested to Hamubon that they invite the Spanish to a feast and slaughter them there. In any case, a banquet was had and all who attended were killed except Juan Serrano (who was left on the beach screaming not to be left behind)

Points of Dispute

• That Enrique was either originally from Malaysia or Cebu.
• That Enrique spoke in the Malaysian, the lingua franca of the region or in ancient Cebuano or the language of Mazzao/ Masao.

Reference

Acknowledgements to Mr. Nestor Enriquez for information.

The above article is a rewrite from an e-mail account from Mr. Nestor Enriquez and based on Pigafetta's account.

Mr. Nestor Enriquez is a descendant of Henry the Black.

See also

• Henry(Enrique) interpreter of Magellan

External links

• Yale notes on Pigaffetta
• Notes on Mazaua
• Notes on Pigafetta, Mazua, Ginés de Mafra another seaman of Magellan
• Enrique
• Translations of Pigafetta
• First circumnavigator