Antonio Pigafetta

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Map of the island of Timor from Pigafetta

Antonio Pigafetta (* before 1492 in Vicenza ; † after 1524 ) was an Italian explorer and writer who was best known as the chronicler of the first circumnavigation of the earth under Ferdinand Magellan .

Life

Pigafetta came from a distinguished but not very important family in the city of Vicenza. He dealt with mathematics and cosmography ( cartography , geography and astronomy ). As a member of a spiritual embassy at Charles V's court , he learned about the equipment for the Magellan's expedition and received permission from the emperor to take part in the journey.

He accompanied Magellan on his voyage around the world and repeatedly proved useful as a scribe and negotiator. When Magellan was killed in the Philippines , which he was the first European to reach in March 1521, while meddling in tribal feuds, Pigafetta was also wounded. In 1522 Pigafetta reached the island of Timor . Although the island was discovered by António de Abreu as early as 1512 , Pigafetta was the first to provide more detailed accounts of Timor, where he spent 18 days. On September 8 of the same year he returned to Seville . Of five ships and a crew of 237, only the Nao Victoria returned with Pigafetta and 17 other sick, emaciated men.

Pigafetta also reported on the circumnavigation of the world to King John III. von Portugal and Luise von Savoyen , the mother of the French king Franz I. He was not back in Rome until 1524 , where he seems to have edited his report. His further fate is unknown.

Report of the circumnavigation

Replica of the Nao Victoria in the Museo Nao Victoria in Punta Arenas , Chile

Pigafetta wrote down his experiences during the circumnavigation, probably around 1524. Pigafetta's "clear and precise language also contributes to the credibility of the observations" - regardless of whether it is a description of the conditions on board or the flora and fauna on land, whether it is nautical facts or the people and their customs on the coasts visited. Until reaching the Spice Islands , the secret destination of the trip, the longitudes are probably wrongly indicated on purpose. Pigafetta is “astonishingly free of prejudice, even if some of his reports seem to slide a little into the fictional”. Juan Sebastián Elcano , who became commanding officer of the Victoria after Magellan's death, does not mention it at all.

However, the travel report is no longer available in the original, only in early copies. It has been revised in different ways. In the description of the circumstances of the time and the person of Pigafetta, great differences in quality can be ascertained. A complete manuscript was not discovered until 1800 by Carlo Amoretti in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana . Until then, only shortened fragments circulated.

Others

The Italian destroyer of the Regia Marina RN Antonio Pigafetta was named after the navigator . In 2017 an asteroid was named after him: (52558) Pigafetta .

literature

  • Heinrich Pleticha, Siegfried Augustin: Lexicon of adventure and travel literature from Africa to Winnetou. Edition Erdmann in K. Thienemanns Verlag, Stuttgart, Vienna, Bern 1999, ISBN 3 522 60002 9

Web links

Commons : Antonio Pigafetta  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Review by the chronicler Felicitas Hoppe
  2. ↑ Terra X: Magellan's Journey Around Earth - The Adventure of the First Circumnavigation. ZDF, April 13, 2020, accessed on April 11, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Pigafetta, Antonio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian explorer and writer
DATE OF BIRTH before 1492
PLACE OF BIRTH Vicenza
DATE OF DEATH after 1524