Duarte Barbosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Duarte Barbosa
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| Born | c. 1480 |
| Died | 1 May 1521 |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Writer, scrivener, explorer |
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Duarte Barbosa (born around 1480 in Lisbon, Portugal; died May 1, 1521, in the Philippines) was a Portuguese writer and officer. He worked in Portuguese India between 1500 and 1516. Barbosa was a scribe, which means he copied documents, and he also worked as an interpreter. He could speak Malayalam, a local language in India.
Around 1516, Barbosa wrote a book called Book of Duarte Barbosa. This book is one of the first travel books written in Portuguese. In 1519, he joined the first journey to sail around the world. This famous trip was led by his brother-in-law, Ferdinand Magellan. Sadly, Duarte Barbosa was killed in 1521 in the Philippines. This happened during a banquet held by Rajah Humabon, just a few days after the Battle of Mactan.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Duarte Barbosa's father was Diogo Barbosa. Diogo worked for a nobleman named Álvaro of Braganza. In 1501, Diogo went to India with Álvaro as part of a business trip. During this time, Duarte Barbosa stayed in Kochi with his uncle, Gonçalo Gil Barbosa. His uncle worked as a factor, which means he was a merchant's agent. Gonçalo had traveled to India earlier in 1500 with the fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral.
Barbosa's Career in India
In 1502, Duarte Barbosa moved to Cannanore with his uncle. There, he learned to speak Malayalam, the local language. This skill was very useful! In 1503, Barbosa worked as an interpreter for Afonso de Albuquerque. Albuquerque was a Portuguese leader who met with the Rajah (ruler) of Cannanore.
By 1513, Barbosa was the Clerk of Cannanore. He even signed a letter to King Manuel I of Portugal. In 1514, Afonso de Albuquerque used Barbosa's language skills again. He wanted Barbosa to help try and convert the King of Kochi to Christianity.
The Book of Duarte Barbosa
In 1515, Albuquerque sent Barbosa to Kozhikode. His job was to supervise the building of two ships. These ships were for an expedition to the Red Sea. After this, Barbosa went back to Portugal. There, he finished writing his book, Book of Duarte Barbosa.
An Italian writer named Giovanni Battista Ramusio said that Barbosa finished his book in 1516. The book had many detailed stories about different cultures and places. For a long time, people only knew about the book because Ramusio mentioned it. But in the early 1800s, the original book was found and published in Lisbon, Portugal.
Sailing Around the World with Magellan
Duarte Barbosa was not happy with his job in Portugal. So, he joined other Portuguese people in Seville, a city in southern Spain. His father, Diogo, had also moved to Seville. Diogo became the governor of Seville's castle. In 1516, Ferdinand Magellan moved to Seville. He became good friends with Diogo, as both had traveled to India.
Soon after, Magellan married Barbosa's sister, Beatriz. This made Magellan Duarte Barbosa's brother-in-law. This connection made the Barbosa and Magellan families very close.
On August 10, 1519, Duarte Barbosa began his journey with Magellan. They sailed from Seville to go around the world. Barbosa was very curious about new places. He often left the expedition to spend time with local people. This sometimes annoyed Magellan, who even arrested him once.
However, Barbosa proved to be very important. On April 2, 1520, he helped stop a riot in Puerto San Julian in Argentina. After this, Barbosa became the captain of the ship Victoria.
After Magellan's death on April 27, 1521, at the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines, Barbosa became a co-commander of the expedition. He shared this role with his friend João Serrão. Barbosa tried to get Magellan's body back, but he couldn't. He also tried to get Enrique of Malacca to help, but Enrique refused.
Magellan's will said that Enrique should be set free. But Barbosa and Serrão threatened to make Enrique a servant to Magellan's wife. Some people believe Enrique then worked with Rajah Humabon against the expedition.
On May 1, 1521, Rajah Humabon invited Barbosa and many others to a banquet. It was held on shore near Cebu in the Philippines. The Rajah said it was to give a gift to the King of Spain. But at this banquet, Barbosa and many other crew members were killed. João Serrão was captured by the natives. They wanted to trade him for weapons, but he was left behind and later saved by another pilot, João Carvalho. Enrique disappeared after this event.
See also
In Spanish: Duarte Barbosa para niños
