FELIPE FERNANDEZ-ARMESTO
STRAITS: BEYOND THE MYTH OF MAGELLAN
A Financial Times Best History Book of 2022.
Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize 2022.
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Ferdinand Magellan (born c. 1480) was minor member of Portuguese nobility, who became a naval officer in the service of the crown. He is famous for planning and leading the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition he discovered the Strait of Magellan, enabling his ships to sail from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean. He died in the Philippines during the expedition. Felipe Fernandez-Armesto uses meticulous research to build a picture of Magellan much darker than his traditionally heroic status. Fernandez-Armesto argues that Magellan was a deeply flawed character, reckless and ruthless.
The Spectator wrote of the book: ‘Rigorous, deft and entertaining … a sparkling read’. The Sunday Telegraph wrote: ‘The ride is thrilling … a work of serious scholarship’.
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Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (born 1950) is the son of two journalists: his Spanish father and English mother. He was educated at the University of Oxford where he took his degree and PhD. He spent most of his career teaching at Oxford University, after teaching at Charterhouse School. He has also held chairs in history at the University of Notre Dame, Tufts University and Queen Mary College, University of London.
