Magellan, who set out for the route to India in 1519, didn’t go around the world.

Bertrand demonstrates that Magellan played a less decisive role than History books taught us. In fact, the explorer didn’t get past the Cape of Good Hope. It was a Spanish vessel under the command of Elcano that managed the feat. Here, Bertrand takes an innovative look at all of the protagonists on this journey, including the sailors and the populations they met. The Malayan world, which didn’t wait for Europeans to undergo its first "globalization," regains part of its identity.