Pigafetta, Antonio

PIGAFETTA, ANTONIO. - Navigator belonging to a noble Vicentine family, b. around 1480 or perhaps even a few years later. Nothing is known of him until 1519, when he is found attached to the person of Francesco Chiericati, his fellow citizen, apostolic nuncio to Charles V; previously he had perhaps entered the Order of the Knights of Rhodes, and it is possible that he had traveled on the galleys of the Order. In Barcelona he learned that Ferdinand Magellan was preparing his great expedition and obtained to be embarked as attached to the person of the commander; in fact he was thereafter always at his side and escorted him on the ill-fated expedition of Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan met his death, while P. escaped because, owing to a wound previously received, he could not go ashore. After Magellan's death he acquired greater authority aboard the ship "Vittoria," the only survivor, and was one of the 18 who returned safely to Lisbon.

Having returned to Italy, he occupied himself with publishing the account of the voyage, of which he had kept, day by day, a careful diary; he was at Mantua with the Gonzaga, then at Venice, where before the doge and the College he gave an interesting account of the voyage (1523), then he was called to Rome by Clement VII, who kept with him the manuscript intended for publication. In 1524 P. was at Venice and obtained the privilege for the printing of his book. After 1524 all trace of P. is lost. A recent hypothesis that he entered the service of the sultan at Constantinople and there ended his life is not without plausibility, but is not supported by documents. He was certainly already dead in 1536. The first edition of the work is in French and is undated; but it is certain that the account was written in Italian; the first Italian (Venetian) edition is of 1536; then follows the Ramusian edition of 1550. The original manuscript is not known. P.'s account is the most copious and the most authoritative that we possess on the first circumnavigation of the world, not for its itinerary, nautical or technical data, but for its details on the vicissitudes of the adventurous voyage, for the description of the countries, the inhabitants, their uses and customs, of the products, etc. P. reveals a good culture and a keen spirit of observation. He is also the author of a short treatise on the art of navigation of modest value.

Roberto Almagia