Everything about Francisco Serr O totally explained
Francisco Serrão (
Spanish:
Francisco Serrano) (died
1521) was a
Portuguese explorer, and a cousin or personal friend of
Ferdinand Magellan. His
1512 voyage was the first known European sailing east past
Malacca through
Indonesia to its lucrative '
Spice Islands' of
Maluku. He allied himself with
Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, the ruler of
Ternate, becoming his personal advisor. He remained in Ternate where he died mysteriously around the same time Magellan died.
Voyage to Banda
Serrão served as captain of one of three vessels (and second in overall command under
António de Abreu) sent from Malacca by
Afonso de Albuquerque to find the Spice Islands of
Banda in Maluku in
1511. Banda was the world's only source of
nutmeg and
mace, spices used as flavourings, medicines, preserving agents, that were at the time highly valued in European markets. The
Portuguese sought to dominate the source, rather than relying on Arab traders who sold it to the
Venetians for exorbitant prices.
Malay pilots guided the expedition east via
Java and along the
Lesser Sundas before steering them north to Banda via
Ambon. When Serrão's ship had berthed at
Gresik on Java, he took a
Javanese woman as his wife, who then accompanied him on the expedition's further journey. In
1512 his ship was shipwrecked but managed to reach Luco-Pino island (
Hitu), north of Ambon. The expedition remained in Banda for about one month, purchasing and filling their ships with nutmeg and mace, as well as and
cloves in which Banda had a thriving
entrepôt trade. The Portuguese were also welcomed in the area as buyers of food and spices during a lull in the spice trade due to a temporary disruption to Javanese and
Malay sailings to the area following the 1511 conflicts in Malacca. The visitors were recruited as military allies and their subsequent exploits were heard in the rival neighbours of Ternate and
Tidore who both rushed emissaries to induce the visitors to assist.
Magellan and death
Franscisco Serrão's letters to Ferdinand Magellan, carried to Portugal via Malacca and describing the 'Spice Islands', helped Magellan persuade the King of Spain to finance his circumnavigation. Before they met each other, Serrão mysteriously died in Ternate at almost the same time Magellan was killed in the
Philippines.
One theory suggests Serrão died of poison administered by the Sultan of Ternate.
His family ties with
Juan Serrano remain unclear in the
historiography of Portuguese expeditions to
Southeast Asia. The only written document is a list of captains' names in the fleet of Magellan's.
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