A.

Background of the Author

ANTONIO PIGAFFETA (1491-1534)

Antonio Pigafetta was born some time in the closing year of the 15th century. Pigaffeta was born in Italy,
his birth year is not known but speculated mostly to be 1491. There have been numerous of proposals as to who is
his parents were, from among the various branches of Pigafetta family. But certain study concluded that he is the
eldest child of Giovanni Pigafetta from its second wife Angela Zoga. Pigafetta’s nationality was Italian and
Venetian. He was born to a prominent noble family in the city of Vicenza. He was a native of Vicenza, a town about
hundred kilometers west of Venice, Italy.

Pigafetta was a Venetian scholar and explorer. He studied astronomy, geography, and cartography. He
studied navigation among other things. In 1519, he served on board the galleys of the Knights of Rhodes, and
accompanied the papal nuncio, Monsignor Chieregati, to Spain. He is known for chronicling Magellan’s
circumnavigation. He joined the Spanish expedition to the Spice Islands led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan, the world’s first circumnavigation, and is best known for being the chronicler of the voyage. He
accompanied Ferdinand Magellan, together with Juan Sebastian Elcano in the Famous expedition to Moluccas
which began in August 1519 and ended in September 1522.

In April 1521, Pigafetta was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan was killed in the
Battle of Mactan. After he recovered at the same year, he returned to Spain as one among the 18 survivors of the
expedition and accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on board in another vessel, the Victoria on the return voyage to
Spain. He kept the journal of his voyage as the key source information of Magellan’s famous journey.

In September 8, 1521, Pigafetta travelled to the imperial court at Valladolid, and presented to Charles V a
book written by hand concerning all the matters about what had occurred in a day to day of their voyage. But due
to the anti-Magellan sentiments, Pigafetta did not succeed in court. Pigafetta is still committed to write the book. In
January 1523, he arrived in Mantua and begun the composition of the definitive version of his first Voyage. Pigafetta
was to continue work on the “First Voyage” at Mantua, Vicenza, and Rome, where he appears to have completed a
version by April 1524. Pigafetta received support of the Marquiz of Mantua in obtaining a license to publish his
work in Venice. In 1534, Pigafetta died around the age of 40-50 in Vicenza, Italy.