Pedro Cubero facts for kids
Pedro Cubero Sebastián was a Spanish priest born in El Frasno, Spain, in 1645. He passed away in 1700. He is best known for his amazing journey around the world. He traveled eastwards from 1670 to 1679. When you consider his trip around the globe and his other travels across Europe, he was one of the most well-traveled people of his time.
Pedro Cubero was born in a village called El Frasno. This village is near Calatayud in the Spanish region of Aragón. He studied in Zaragoza and Salamanca. He became a priest in Zaragoza. Soon after, he went to Rome and joined a group called Propaganda Fide. This group focused on missionary work.
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Around the World Journey
In 1670, Pedro Cubero began a journey to East Asia for his missionary work. This trip eventually led him to travel all the way around the world, heading east. His journey is very special because a large part of it was done over land. He traveled through Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, and even North America. This happened before another famous traveler, Gemelli Careri, did a similar trip twenty years later.
During his travels, he visited many places. These included Paris, Venice, and Istanbul. He went to Warsaw and saw John III Sobieski become king. He also visited Vilna and Moscow. In Moscow, he met Nicolae Milescu, who helped him talk to the tzar Alexis of Russia. His journey continued to Astrakhan, Isfahan, and Qazvin, where he met Shah Suleiman of Persia. He then traveled to Bandar Abbass, Surat, Goa, Colombo, Mylapore, and Malacca. From there, he went to the Philippines and the Moluccas. Finally, he crossed to Acapulco, Veracruz, and Havana, before returning to Cádiz.
Challenges in the Far East
While sailing from Colombo to Mylapore, Pedro Cubero faced some difficulties. He was captured by Malabar pirates. He was held captive in the Maldive Islands for several months. Later, in Malacca, the Dutch Governor put him in jail. He was accused of openly sharing his Catholicism beliefs.
Once he reached the Philippines, which was a Spanish colony, he found he wasn't very welcome. This was because he didn't belong to the main Religious Orders that controlled missionary work there. While in Manila, he experienced a large earthquake on November 29, 1677. He then went to Tidore for a while. It's not clear if he actually entered China. However, he wrote three very detailed chapters in his book, Peregrinación del Mundo, about China, Tartary, and the wars between them.
Crossing the Pacific on a Galleon
Since he felt a bit overlooked in the Philippines, he decided to travel to New Spain (which is now Mexico). He crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1678 on a ship called the Manila galleon. This ship was a large vessel named San Antonio de Padua. Don Felipe Montemayor y Prado was its commander.
The journey started in Cavite on June 24. They saw American land on December 5, north of 29 degrees latitude. The ship docked in Acapulco on January 8, 1679. Out of more than 400 people who started the trip, only 192 were still alive. Several of them were very sick.
Back in Spain
In New Spain, he still didn't feel he was being helpful. So, he decided to return to Spain. This time, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
He finally arrived in Madrid in January 1680. He was just in time to see the celebrations for the arrival of Maria Luisa of Orléans. She had recently married King Charles II of Spain.
Pedro Cubero wrote about his adventures around the world in a very detailed and interesting book. It was called Peregrinación del mundo (World's peregrination). It was first published in Madrid in 1680. A longer second edition came out in 1682 in Naples, which was a Spanish territory at the time.
More European Travels
Later, Cubero went to Rome again. The Holy See (the Pope's office) appointed him as a special confessor for the army of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Leopold was also the King of Hungary. This was during the Great Turkish War. There, Cubero saw the 1686 siege of Buda. He then traveled to other European countries, including England. In England, he met King James II. In 1697, he published a second book, Segunda Peregrinación ..., which shared his experiences in Europe.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Cubero para niños
