Chapter III, One Man Alone (Sections 1-15) Summary and Analysis

Chapter III turns to Manchester's hero: Ferdinand Magellan, Capitan-General of his fleet of five ships that attempted to go around the world:the San Antonio, the Trinidad, the Concepcion, the Victoria and the Santiago. It was the great seaworthy Armada de Molucca. Magellan would not survive the journey, which would take three years. Magellan was a small man from a lower part of the Portuguese social order, but he had enormous confidence and vision. He was a dreamer, enthralled by the idea of adventure and who believed that he could become a hero himself. Magellan was not a man who could accept defeat and his strong character often cost him support from others.

When Magellan set see, the medieval world was already on the decline, though Magellan would not...