August 10, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan walked into an ornate throne room to see an excited King Charles hovering over a large map splayed out on a massive oak table. Â He stood at the entrance and waited for the king to bid him permission to enter. Â After several minutes, he cleared his throat loudly.
"Oh, Ferdinand! Come in, come in. Â Thank you for seeing me," the King said. "Listen, I need a favor."
"Anything, your majesty. Â Ask, and ye shall receive," said Ferdinand, bowing deeply.
"So you know the Spice Islands, right? Â Well, I'm looking for someone to hop in a boat and find me a route-"
"Your majesty, one thousand pardons, but there is already a route to the Spice Islands." Ferdinand was nervous correcting the King, but he was a busy man, and didn't want to waste anyone's time. Â "Your sailors and merchants have made the trip countless times."
King Charles became slightly annoyed. "Yes, Ferdinand, there is already a route to the Spice Islands. Â I'm looking for a better route. Â A westward route."
Ferdinand gasped. "Such an expedition would be incredibly costly and dangerous, you Majesty. Â I'm not sure..."
"Hear me out. You take five ships, couple hundred sailors, all the food and ale you need to sail for as long as it takes. Â In return, I'll make you a governor of the islands and you'll get one-fifth of the profits."
"That's a good offer, my King," Ferdinand said as he stroked his beard. Â "But this is a perilous task. Â Surely you can sweeten the pot."
The King grinned from ear to ear. Â "Name your price, Commander Magellan."
"That's a fine start, your Majesty. Â First off, I want naming rights to anything I discover."
"I look forward to seeing a drawing of the first Magellanic bird. Â Next?"
"Second, I want one of the islands."
The King burst out laughing. "Ferdinand, you dog. Â You can have one of the smaller islands. Anything else?"
"One more thing... If, by some chance, I die, and the expedition finishes without me... I want all the credit."
"Hmm, that one is going to upset a lot of people. Â Ehhhh, fuck it. Â Deal. Now let's go look at some boats."
















