5/14/2022

Video Find: Elcano-Magellan Circumnavigation (Henry of Malacca)



This is a fun but cheesy dramatization of Enrique of Malacca using a Frankenstein-like collection of clips from other films. See the list of films the clips were taken from below.

It's a commendable effort, but beware of inaccurate historical details in the English subtitles. For instance, Ferdinand Magellan was not "dishonorably discharged" after a Malacca campaign. First, that wasn't a thing in 16th century Portugal, and second, Magellan later served the Portuguese king in battle in Morocco, where he was seriously wounded. It was that and other humiliations that prompted Magellan to defect to Spain.


YouTube Introduction



Elcano-Magellan Circumnavigation (Henry of Malacca)

76,988 views Oct 20, 2020 In the height of the Spice race in 16th century between iberian power of Portugal and Castile (Spain), Holy Roman Emperor Charles V as king of Castile accepted Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) proposal to find western route to the spice islands of Molucca (Maluku, Indonesia).

Magellan was in charge of Castilian ('Spanish') 'Armada de Molucca' consisted of five ship with 270 crew hailed from castile, portugal, basque, venezia and asia. A malay called Henry (Enrique) of Malacca, was enslaved by Magellan during the conquest of Malay Sultanate of Malacca back in 1511 and acted as interpreter when the fleet reach its destination. After a journey of 3 years and 1 month started at September 1519 and ended in September 1522. The 18 survivors, led by Basque captain, Juan Sebastián Elcano, of Victoria ship became the first recorded people to circumnavigate the globe in a single expedition. Magellan himself never completed the journey as he was killed by Datu Lapu-Lapu off Mactan island on 27 April 1521.