Portugal · 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation of the world by Magellan

Issue date8 May 2019

Total mintage507,983

EU maximum750,000

Editions3

Edge lettering5 Wappenschilde + 7 castles, evenly distributed

InscriptionCIRCUM NAVEGAÇÃO / 1519 FERNÃO DE MAGALHÃES / 2019 / PORTUGAL

DesignerLuís Filipe de Abreu

mintImprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda S.A., Lisboa

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world, organised and led by Fernão De Magalhães. The Spanish expedition to the East Indies began in 1519 and ended in 1522 with the first circumnavigation of the Earth. The design features a portrait of Fernão De Magalhães and the inscriptions “CIRCUM NAVEGAÇÃO” and “1519 FERNÃO DE MAGALHÃES”.

The design

The Spanish expedition to the East Indies began in 1519 and ended in 1522, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth.

The coin design features the portrait of Fernão De Magalhães. On the right, the inscription “CIRCUM NAVEGAÇÃO” is arranged in a semicircle, with the inscription “1519 FERNÃO DE MAGALHÃES” below it. On the left, the year of issue “2019” is shown in a semicircle, with the issuing country “PORTUGAL” directly below it. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

Fernão de Magalhães, known in Spanish as Fernando de Magallanes, was a Portuguese navigator with experience in the Indian Ocean (Indischer Ozean) and Southeast Asia. Following a conflict with the Portuguese King Manuel I, he entered Spanish service. There, he proposed a plan to reach the Spice Islands by a western route. Spices such as cloves were sought-after trade goods in Europe; at the same time, Portugal and Spain were competing for sea routes and claims to territories outside Europe.

The political background was the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494. It divided the territories not yet controlled by Europeans between the two monarchies. However, it remained unclear where the dividing line ran on the opposite side of the Earth. It was therefore disputed to whose sphere of influence the Moluccas belonged. While Portugal reached them via the route around Africa, Spain hoped to gain access from the west.

Magalhães’ fleet initially consisted of five ships. At the southern tip of America, it found the Strait of Magellan (Magellanstraße), later named after him. After passing through it, the fleet crossed an ocean previously unknown to European seafarers, which Magalhães called “Mar Pacífico” because of the initially calm conditions. The crossing took considerably longer than expected; hunger and disease weakened the crews.

Magalhães himself did not complete the voyage. He was killed in 1521 during an armed conflict on the Philippine island of Mactan. Under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, only the “Victoria” eventually returned to Spain via the Indian Ocean (Indischer Ozean) and around the Cape of Good Hope (Kap der Guten Hoffnung). This also made apparent in practical terms the dimensions of the Earth and the vast size of the Pacific Ocean (Pazifik).

Portugal commemorated the anniversary because Magalhães was Portuguese and his career remained closely connected with Portuguese expansion into Asia, although the expedition was carried out on behalf of the Spanish Crown. The coin thus also places him within Portugal’s historical memory of early modern seafaring.