Antonio Pigafetta

2025-05-26T00:32:41Z

2601:648:8200:76A0:E8F8:3834:3211:4C84: /* Recognition */

{{short description|16th-century Venetian explorer}}
{{Infobox person
| name =Antonio Pigafetta
| image = Antonio pigafetta.png
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = between 1480 and 1491
| birth_place = [[Vicenza]], [[Republic of Venice]]<br/>{{small|(present-day [[Italy]])}}
| death_date = {{c.|1531}} (aged around 40–50)
| death_place = Vicenza, Republic of Venice
| nationality = [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]]
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active = 1500s–20s
| known_for = Chronicling [[Magellan's circumnavigation]]
| notable_works =
}}

'''Antonio Pigafetta''' ({{IPA|it|anˈtɔːnjo piɡaˈfetta|lang}}; {{c.|1491}} – c. 1531) was a Venetian scholar and explorer. In 1519, he joined the Spanish expedition to the [[Spice Islands]] led by Portuguese explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]], the world's first [[Magellan's circumnavigation|circumnavigation]], and is best known for being the chronicler of the voyage. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant until Magellan's death in the [[Philippine Islands]], and kept an accurate journal, which later assisted him in translating the [[Cebuano language]]. It is the [[Pigafetta's dictionary|first recorded document concerning the language]].

Pigafetta was one of the [[Magellan's circumnavigation#Survivors|18 men]] who made the complete trip, returning to [[Spain]] in 1522, under the command of [[Juan Sebastián Elcano]], out of the approximately 240 who set out three years earlier. These men completed the first [[circumnavigation]] of the world while others mutinied and returned in the first year. Pigafetta's surviving journal is the source for much of what is known about Magellan and Elcano's voyage.

==Early life==
Pigafetta was born to a prominent noble family in the city of [[Vicenza]] in northeast Italy. Recent archival research indicates that his father was Giovanni Pigafetta and his mother was a noblewoman named Lucia, daughter of Marco Muzan. The couple was married in March 1492, implying that Antonio was born sometime after that date.{{sfn |Cachey |2007b |page=xxxviii}} Details of his education are unknown but he later boasted of having "read many books".{{sfn |Bergreen |2003 |page=62}}

There is a tradition that as a youth Pigafetta sailed the Mediterranean with the [[Hospitaller Rhodes|Knights of Rhodes]] but there is no record of such activity, only the observation that he later became a member of the order.{{sfn |Nowell |1962 |page=80}} At some point he entered into the service of papal ambassador [[Francesco Chiericati]], an [[apostolic protonotary]] and a close associate of [[Pope Leo X]]. Like Pigafetta, Chiericati was also from Vicenza.{{sfn |Cachey |2007b |page=xxxviii}} In 1518, Leo X sent Chiericati to the royal court in Spain to serve as ambassador. Pigafetta accompanied the ambassador's retinue, first to Zaragoza for two months and then to Barcelona.{{sfn |Nowell |1962 |page=80}}

==Voyage around the world==
[[File:Old map borneo by pigafetta.JPG|thumb|left|Map of [[Borneo]] by Pigafetta.]]
[[File:NaoVictoria.JPG|thumb|right|[[Museo Nao Victoria|Nao Victoria]], Magellan's boat Replica in Punta Arenas]]
While in Spain, Pigafetta heard of Magellan's planned expedition to find a western route to the Spice Islands. The adventure appealed to him and he convinced Chiericati that his participation on this historic voyage would be advantageous for the Vatican. With the approval of the papal ambassador and King Charles, Pigafetta was provided with letters of introduction before he set out for Seville in May 1519. Magellan accepted his application to join the expedition and hired him for a modest monthly salary of 1,000 [[maravedí]]s. He was enrolled under the name Antonio Lombardo and his position was described as one of the "servants of the captain and supernumeraries".{{sfn |Nowell |1962 |page=81}}{{sfn |Joyner |1992 |pages=286-287}}

When the expedition set sail in August 1519, Pigafetta was assigned to the flagship ''[[Trinidad (ship)|Trinidad]]'' where he served Magellan and became his great admirer. Pigafetta did not appear to have any specific role except to keep a daily record of his observations, a task that he undertook with great diligence. He recorded extensive information concerning the geography, climate, and natural history of the places visited by the expedition. He was especially interested in the native inhabitants encountered along the way and took meticulous notes on their appearance, social customs and languages. In contrast to the accuracy of his personal observations, he had a tendency to accept even the most outrageous tales told to him about the lands they visited.{{sfn |Joyner |1992 |pages=286-287}}

Pigafetta was wounded on [[Mactan]] in the [[Philippines]], where Magellan was killed in the [[Battle of Mactan]] in April 1521. Nevertheless, he recovered and was among the 18 who accompanied [[Juan Sebastián Elcano]] on board the ''Victoria'' on the return voyage to Spain.

==Return==
[[File:Vicenza-Palazzo Pigafetta.jpg|thumb|Casa Pigafetta, the family palace in Vicenza.]]

Upon reaching port in [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]] in the modern [[Cádiz (province)|Province of Cadiz]] in September 1522, three years after his departure, Pigafetta returned to the Republic of Venice. He related his experiences in the "Report on the First Voyage Around the World" ({{langx|it|Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo}}), which was composed in [[Italian language|Italian]] and was distributed to European monarchs in handwritten form before it was eventually published by Italian historian [[Giovanni Battista Ramusio]] in 1550–59. The account centers on the events in the [[Mariana Islands]] and the [[Philippines]], although it included several maps of other areas as well, including the first known use of the word "Pacific Ocean" (''Oceano Pacifico'') on a map.{{sfn |Quanchi |2005 |page=207}} The original document was not preserved.

However, it was not through Pigafetta's writings that Europeans first learned of the circumnavigation of the globe. Rather, it was through an account written by a [[Flanders]]-based writer, [[Maximilianus Transylvanus]], which was published in 1523. Transylvanus had been instructed to interview some of the survivors of the voyage when Magellan's surviving ship, ''Victoria'', returned to Spain in September 1522 under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano. After Magellan and Elcano's voyage, Pigafetta utilized the connections he had made prior to the voyage with the [[Knights of Rhodes]] to achieve membership in the order.

== The ''Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo'' ==
[[File:Antoniopigafetta.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of Antonio Pigafetta in Vicenza]]
Antonio Pigafetta also wrote a book, in which a detailed account of the voyage was given.

Although the text is written in semi-chronological order, it does not read as a linear history of the voyage. Rather, it is a collection of descriptions, events, translations of foreign languages, thoughts, and illustrations. The resulting work is therefore described as being unusually personal for the times.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bergreen |first=Laurence |title=Magallanes: hasta los confines de la Tierra |date=2018 |others=Víctor Pozanco, Isabel Fuentes García Fuentes |isbn=978-84-344-2939-0 |edition=Primera edición: noviembre de 2018 |location=Barcelona |page=434 |oclc=1089219310}}</ref>

It is unclear when it was first published and what language had been used in the first edition, given that the original text was lost, though it is believed that it might have been written in the author's Venetian dialect, mixed with Spanish and Italian.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bergreen |first=Laurence |title=Magallanes: hasta los confines de la Tierra |date=2018 |others=Víctor Pozanco, Isabel Fuentes García Fuentes |isbn=978-84-344-2939-0 |edition=Primera edición: noviembre de 2018 |location=Barcelona |pages=433–434 |oclc=1089219310}}</ref> The remaining sources of his voyage were extensively studied by Italian archivist [[:it:Andrea da Mosto|Andrea da Mosto]], who wrote a critical study of Pigafetta's book in 1898 (''Il primo viaggio intorno al globo di Antonio Pigafetta e le sue regole sull'arte del navigare''<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#andrea-da-mosto-1894|andrea-da-mosto-1894]]</ref>) and whose conclusions were later confirmed by J. Dénucé.<ref name="treccani">{{Cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it//enciclopedia/antonio-pigafetta_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)|title=PIGAFETTA, Antonio in "Enciclopedia Italiana"|website=www.treccani.it|language=it-IT|access-date=2018-12-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002214917/http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/antonio-pigafetta_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/|archive-date=2018-10-02}}</ref>

[[File:Antonio Pigaffeta 2021 NHCP historical marker.jpg|thumb|Commemorative plaque placed in Cebu City, Philippines on the 500th anniversary of Magellan's and Pigafetta's arrival]]

Today, three printed books and four manuscripts survive. One of the three books is in French, while the remaining two are in the Italian language. Of the four manuscripts, three are in French (two stored in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]] and one in [[Cheltenham]]), and one in Italian.<ref name=treccani/>

From a philological point of view, the French editions seem to derive from an Italian original version, while the remaining Italian editions seem to derive from a French original version. Because of this, it remains quite unclear whether the original version of Pigafetta's manuscript was in French or Italian, though it was probably in Italian.<ref name=treccani/> The most complete manuscript, and the one that is supposed to be more closely related to the original manuscript, is the one found by [[Carlo Amoretti]] inside the [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]], [[Milan]] and published in 1800 (''Primo viaggio intorno al globo terraqueo, ossia ragguaglio della navigazione alle Indie Orientali per la via d'Occidente fatta dal cavaliere Antonio Pigafetta patrizio vicentino, sulla squadra del capitano Magaglianes negli anni 1519-1522''). Unfortunately, Amoretti, in his printed edition, modified many words and sentences whose meaning was uncertain (the original manuscript contained many words in [[Veneto]] dialect and some Spanish words). The modified version published by Amoretti was then translated into other languages carrying into them Amoretti's edits. [[:it:Andrea da Mosto|Andrea da Mosto]] critically analyzed the original version stored in the [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]] and published this rigorous version of Pigafetta's book in 1894.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Regarding the French versions of Pigafetta's book, J. Dénucé extensively studied them and published a critical edition.<ref>[[#denuce-1923|denuce-1923]]</ref>

At the end of his book, Pigafetta stated that he had given a copy to [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]]. Pigafetta's close friend, Francesco Chiericati, also stated that he had received a copy and it is thought{{by whom|date=November 2019}} that the regent of France may have received a copy of the latter. It has been argued that the copy Pigafetta had provided may have been merely a short version or a draft. It was in response to a request, in January 1523, of the Marquis of [[Mantua]] that Pigafetta wrote his detailed account of the voyage.<ref name=treccani/>

== Recognition ==
An exhibition on Pigafetta opened in 2019 in Madrid at the library of the [[Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation]] (AECID).<ref name="AECID">{{Cite press release |title=Pigafetta: cronista de la primera vuelta al mundo Magallanes Elcano |publisher=AECID |url=http://www.aecid.es/EN/Paginas/Sala%20de%20Prensa/Agenda/2019/2019_05/31_magallanes.aspx |language=es |access-date=10 November 2019}}</ref>

The [[Italian destroyer Antonio Pigafetta]], of the [[Navigatori class destroyer|''Navigatori'' class]], was named after him in 1931.

The bitypic genus of palms, ''[[Pigafetta]]'' is named in his honor.

== Works ==
Antonio Pigafetta wrote at least two books, both of which have survived:
* ''Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo'' (1524-1525);
* ''Regole sull'arte del navigare'' (1524-1525) (contained in {{cite book |title=Il primo viaggio intorno al globo di Antonio Pigafetta e le sue regole sull'arte del navigare |editor=Andrea Da Mosto |editor-link=Andrea Da Mosto |year=1894 |url=https://archive.org/details/IlPrimoViaggioIntornoAlGloboDiAnt |ref=andrea-da-mosto-1894}}).

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Antonio Pigafetta statue in Cebu city.png|Antonio Pigafetta statue in [[Cebu City]] beside [[Fort San Pedro]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite book |last=Bergreen |first=Laurence |title=Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's terrifying circumnavigation of the globe |date=2003 |publisher=Morrow |isbn=978-0-06-621173-2 |location=New York, NY |url=https://archive.org/details/overedgeofworl00berg}}
*{{Cite book |editor-last=Buisseret |editor-first=David |title=The Oxford Companion to World Exploration |date=2007a |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-514922-7 |location=Oxford|chapter=Pigafetta, Antonio |last=Cachey |first=Theodore J. Jr.}}
*{{Cite book |title=Antonio Pigafetta, The First Voyage Around the World, 1519-1522 |editor-last=Cachey |editor-first=Theodore J. Jr |date=2007b |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9370-7 |location=Toronto|url=https://archive.org/details/magellans-voyage-pigafetta}}
*{{Cite book |last=Joyner |first=Tim |title=Magellan |date=1992 |publisher=International Marine |isbn=978-0-87742-263-1 |location=Camden, Me}}
*{{Cite book |editor-last=Nowell |editor-first=Charles E |title=Magellan's voyage around the world; three contemporary accounts [by] Antonio Pigafetta, Maximilian of Transylvania [and] Gaspar Corrêa |publisher=Northwestern University Press |year=1962 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001270825}}
*''Magellan's Voyage around the World by Antonio Pigafetta – The original text of the Ambrosian ms.'' translated by [[James Alexander Robertson]], Cleveland : The Arthur H. Clark Company (1906); [https://archive.org/stream/magellansvoyagea01piga#page/n9/mode/2up Vol 1], [https://archive.org/details/magellansvoyagea02piga Vol. 2], [https://archive.org/details/magellansvoyagea03piga Vol. 3]
*{{cite book|first1=Patrick J. |last1=Murphy |first2=Ray W. |last2=Coye |title=Mutiny and Its Bounty: Leadership Lessons from the Age of Discovery |url=http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/Book.asp?isbn=9780300170283 |date=2013 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=978-0-300-17028-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627113247/http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/Book.asp?isbn=9780300170283 |archive-date=2015-06-27 }}
*{{cite book | last = Quanchi | first = Max| year = 2005 | title = Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands | url = https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00quan | url-access = limited | publisher = [[The Scarecrow Press]] | page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00quan/page/n277 207]|isbn = 0-8108-5395-7}}
*Salonia, Matteo. (2022). [https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-0124-9_4 Asian Ceremonies and Christian Chivalry in Pigafetta's The First Voyage around the World]. In C.Mueller and M. Salonia (eds.), ''Travel Writings on Asia: Curiosity, Identities, and Knowledge across the East, c. 1200 to the Present'' (pp. 83–110).
*{{Cite book |last=Stanley |first=Henry Edward John |title=The First Voyage Round the World, by Magellan |publisher=Hakluyt Society |year=1874 |url=https://archive.org/details/firstvoyageround00piga }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Antonio Pigafetta}}
{{wikisource|it:Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo}}
*{{Gutenberg author|id=41908|name=Antonio Pigafetta}}
*{{Internet Archive author|sname=Antonio Pigafetta}}
* {{Librivox author |id=13968}}

{{Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation|state=expanded}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigafetta, Antonio}}
[[Category:1490s births]]
[[Category:1531 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian historians]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian male writers]]
[[Category:Italian male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian explorers]]
[[Category:16th-century Spanish historians]]
[[Category:16th-century Spanish explorers]]
[[Category:Historians of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Spanish people in the colonial Philippines]]
[[Category:Explorers from the Republic of Venice]]
[[Category:Italian chroniclers]]
[[Category:Italian explorers of South America]]
[[Category:Italian explorers of the Pacific]]
[[Category:Knights of Malta]]
[[Category:People of the Magellan expedition]]
[[Category:People from Vicenza]]

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Antonio Pigafetta