Scottish sailor, born in 1676 in the village of Lower Largo, now Lundeen Links. Alexander Selkirk was the son of a tanner. He was a naughty child and showed a quarrelsome and rebellious disposition in his youth.
Selkirk decided to become a sailor; a thirst for adventure beckoned him. He took part in pirate expeditions in the South Seas and in 1703 joined the famous corsair William Dampier, who was captain of the Cinque Ports. This ship had 26 guns on board and a crew of 120 people. Selkirk served in the galley of this ship.
In October 1704, Alexander Selkirk quarreled with Captain Dampier because of his bad character and abandoned ship. They put him in a boat, gave him some equipment and pointed him to the ground. It was in the Juan Fernandez archipelago Mas Afuera (Mas a Tierra), which translates as “the most remote”.
The island is rugged with mountain ranges, and its highest point is Mount Cerro de los Innocentes (1329 m). The island, however, is not at all like the islands that we are usually shown in films about Robinson Crusoe - with an abundance of vegetation and heavenly beaches. Alexander had to live on this island for 4 years and 4 months completely alone until he was rescued. It was Alexander Selkirk who became the prototype of the well-known hero of Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe. Having met Selkirk and been inspired by his experience, the famous writer wrote his best work, which thundered throughout the world.
Alexander had some things necessary for survival: he had an ax, he had a gun, a supply of gunpowder and much more. Selkirk suffered from loneliness, got used to the island and gradually acquired the necessary survival skills. At first, his diet was meager, he ate shellfish, but over time he got used to it and discovered his neighbors on the island - wild goats. Once upon a time, people lived on this island and brought goats here, but after they left, the goats went wild. He hunted them, thereby adding much-needed meat to his diet. He tamed goats and received milk from them. Among plant crops, he discovered wild turnips, cabbage and black pepper, as well as some berries.
The danger for him was the rats living on the island, but fortunately for him, wild cats, previously brought by people, also lived on the island. In their company he could sleep peacefully, without fear of rats.
Alexander Selkirk's Cave
Island today
Alexander Selkirk built himself two huts from Pimento officinalis and used them for his needs. His supply of gunpowder was running low and he was forced to hunt goats without it. He chased the goats on foot, chased them all over the island and once got so carried away by the chase that he did not notice the cliff, after which he fell and lay there for some time. He miraculously survived.
In order not to forget the English speech, he constantly read the Bible aloud to himself, not to say that he was a pious person, it was just that he heard at least some speech. When his clothes began to wear out, he began to use goat skins. He was the son of a tanner and therefore knew well how to tan skins. After his boots wore out, he did not make himself new ones, because his feet, hardened by calluses, allowed him to walk without them. He also found old hoops from barrels and was able to make something like a knife out of them.
One day two ships arrived on the island. They turned out to be Spanish, and England and Spain were enemies in those days. Selkirk could have been arrested or even killed, since he was a privateer, and he made the difficult decision for himself to hide from them.
Salvation came to him on February 1, 1709, it was the English ship "Duke" with captain Woodges Roger, who named Selkirk governor of the island.
The island on which Alexander Selkirk lived was named Robinson Crusoe Island, and was also named after him neighboring islands archipelago of Juan Fernandez.
Alexander Selkirk (1676 - 13 December 1721) - Scottish sailor who spent four years on a desert island. It is likely that his travels inspired Daniel Defoe to write his novel The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe».
Selkirk was born in 1676 to a shoemaker and tanner in Lower Largo, Scotland. In his youth he showed a quarrelsome and rebellious disposition. From his youth he was engaged in piracy in southern seas, and in 1703 joined the expedition of the famous privateer and explorer William Dampier.
In 1704, the ship on which he sailed stopped near an uninhabited island, which is now known as Robinson Crusoe Island, to replenish supplies. fresh water. Concerned about the ship's seaworthiness (and indeed, the ship soon sank and most of the crew were killed), Selkirk invited some of the crew to stay with him on the island, counting on the upcoming visit of another ship.
No one else agreed to stay with him. The captain stated that he gave his consent and allowed him to remain on the island. Selkirk immediately regretted his decision. He pursued the ship by boat, but to no avail.
Thus Selkirk remained and lived for four years and four months without any human company. All he brought with him on the boat was a musket, gunpowder, carpenter's tools, a knife, a Bible, some clothes and ropes.
Hearing strange sounds from the island's interior, and fearing dangerous animals, Selkirk remained on coastline. During this time, he ate shellfish and watched the ocean, hoping for salvation. Crowds of sea lions gathering on the beach to breed eventually forced him to go into the middle of the island. Once he got there, his lifestyle improved. Wild goats, which were brought earlier by sailors, gave him meat and milk. He also grew wild turnips, cabbage, and black pepper. In addition, there were a lot of berries around. Although rats attacked him at night, he was able to tame the wild cats so he could sleep peacefully and safely.
One such book is the famous novel about Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe. This story, which tells about the adventures of a man on a desert island, describes their confrontation and the hero’s ability to overcome all difficulties on the way to the goal.
The boatswain's mistake, or how it all began
Not everyone knows that the prototype of the main character, who had to endure difficult trials, was quite a real man named Alexander Selkirk. He was a simple sailor, a native of the small Scottish town of Largo, located on the North Sea coast. To this day, on one of the streets of the town stands a small old house in which this man with an amazing destiny lived. Tourists often come here to get acquainted with Robinson's life - the chest with the sailor's weapons is still kept in the room, as well as a coconut cup that he made with his own hands.
This story took place at the end of the 17th century. Alexander Selkirk got a job as a boatswain on the ship Sink Pore, owned by William Dampier, an English privateer and explorer. It is known that Alexander had a very quarrelsome character and often came into conflict with the ship’s crew, but at the same time he was a good boatswain who knew his job. One day he got into a verbal altercation with the captain himself, and the quarrel ended with the boatswain being dropped off on a deserted island (allegedly at his own request). Selkirk took with him only a gun and some necessary supplies. That's how it ended.
Life on a desert island
The boatswain did not even suspect that this deserted coast would become his home for several years. The island of Mas a Tierra, on which he was landed, was a small piece of land, no more than 100 square meters in size. km. It has long been known to sailors, who often landed here to replenish their supplies of fresh water. This is exactly what Alexander Selkirk was counting on - he decided to wait for the next ship that would pick him up and take him to the mainland. However, his expectations were not destined to come true.
All ships sailing in these waters have recently chosen another island, where the sources turned out to be even more powerful. For several years, not a single ship moored to Mas a Tierra, and the crew that left the boatswain on the island very quickly forgot about it. Selkirk had no choice but to adapt to new circumstances and survive. By the way, it turned out to be not as difficult as it might have seemed - the island was literally teeming with wild goats and guinea fowl, tropical fruits grew everywhere, and there was fish in the sea. Thus, the boatswain's diet was quite decent.
Soon all the sailor's clothes were worn out, and he had to dress in goat skins. He also learned to constantly maintain the fire necessary for cooking. Identical days followed each other on the island, the boatswain constantly peered into the horizon so as not to miss the ship. She was tested by the unfortunate sailor and, however, no one responded to his messages.
The life of Robinson Crusoe in Defoe's novel of the same name was more colorful and eventful. After many years of loneliness, the hermit managed to make a friend, which did not happen to Selkirk. Alexander did not meet bloodthirsty cannibal Indians, as was described in the book.
The end of the adventure
Four years later, the boatswain saw the long-awaited sails, but his joy did not last long - the flag of the worst enemy of Britain in those days fluttered on the masts of the ships. Instead of running out to his rescue, the sailor hid deep into the island so as not to reveal his presence to the Spaniards.
Fortunately, the British ship Duke soon approached the shore. The captain of the ship noticed a fire in the distance and sent the sailors to the island. Selkirk, which had almost lost its last hope of liberation, joyfully greeted the British sailors. Over the years of loneliness, the boatswain's character has changed greatly; not a trace remains of his former bitterness. Surprisingly, he did not blame anyone for his misfortune and simply rejoiced at his long-awaited release.
Ironically, Dampier, the owner of the ship that left Selkirk on the island, was on the Duke. He told the boatswain about an Indian whom he had discovered on another uninhabited island - the poor fellow had been forgotten there by pirates. Later, when Alexander was writing his memoirs, he remembered this incident. Perhaps it was this Indian who served as the prototype for Friday, Robinson's faithful friend.
It is known that Selkirk’s memoirs were used by different authors. Echoes of his memories can be found in the novels of Jonathan Swift and Walter Scott, but it was Daniel Defoe who made full use of the boatswain's notes. This happened after their personal acquaintance in an ordinary pub. Thanks to the writer, the whole world learned the story of Alexander Selkirk.
Thanks to the classic novel of English literature, the story of Robinson Crusoe is known to every educated adult who will be interested to know that the writer Daniel Defoe did not invent the plot, but took it from real life. The sea hermit had a real prototype - the Scottish boatswain Alexander Selkirk.
Statue of Alexander Selkirk on the site of his home in Main Street, Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland.
Biography of Alexander Selkirk
Alex's father was a modest shoemaker and tanner in the village of Nizhny Largo, which east coast Scotland. Since childhood, the boy, born in 1676, was restless, daring, strong and did not recognize church authorities. The mayor and the priest were the main representatives of government in Largo. Selkirk the Younger despised both of them and, at the first convenient opportunity, ran away from home along the route followed by every intrepid adventurer of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In August 1693, Alex was summoned to the church rector for a stern conversation about an act of hooliganism on the church grounds. The 16-year-old boy did not appear for the trial, but fled to the nearest sea port and signed up as a cabin boy on the first ship he came across. The guy spent almost ten years away from home, sailing on merchant and buccaneer ships. The brawler returned home to Largo as an experienced sailor in 1701. On shore, the sailor immediately began to get involved in troubles that could well have ended in prison or the gallows, but in the same 1701, a large-scale war for the Spanish heritage began. This confrontation promised British sailors significant profits in the event of victorious battles with the eternal naval enemy. Therefore, sailor Selkirk did not stay on the shore for long; he joined the team of private explorer William Dampier, who equipped the expedition to South America. On September 11, 1703, a private flotilla left the Irish port of Kinsale. 27-year-old Alexander Selkirk was on board the ship Saint Port. 10 years of experience allowed the sailor to take the post of helmsman, that is, helmsman under the command of Captain Stradling. Stradling soon appointed the helmsman as his chief mate, which did not prevent the beginning of a long period of confrontation between them. The key moment of the confrontation occurred in the middle of 1704, when, after a bloody battle, the ship needed urgent repairs, but the captain insisted on continuing the voyage despite the urgent demands of the first mate. On one of the islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago, the team replenished drinking water supplies and left the rebel, who refused to continue sailing on the emergency ship.
Map of Juan Fernandez Island, where Alexander Selkirk lived.
Life proved the experienced navigator was right, because after some time the Sanc Port actually sank, and the sailors were captured by the Spaniards or died.
A map of Crusoe's island, "The Island of Despair", showing incidents from the book.
But the outcast survived, visited his homeland and again went to sea as part of the royal fleet, which awarded the heroic hermit the rank of lieutenant. On the military brig "Weymouth" the officer went to West Coast Africa to fight pirates who have evolved into large quantities in these waters. The war with Spain was over, but not all British game hunters agreed to lay down their arms. Selkirk took part in a military campaign against pirates and died during the voyage, dying not from battle wounds, but from yellow fever, which had tormented him since his ill-fated four-year exile on a desert island. The prototype of Robinson Crusoe died on December 13, 1721, and was buried at sea west of Cape Agulhas.
Alexander Selkirk on a desert island
Main difference real story Alexander Selkirk and the fictional plot of Robinson Crusoe in that the literary character was shipwrecked and the Scottish boatswain was marooned for sedition and mutiny. More reminiscent of the fate of another character in classic adventure literature - Tom Ayrton from Jules Verne's novel “The Children of Captain Grant” - a knife, an ax, a musket, a supply of gunpowder, a saucepan, a pair of sheets and years of waiting for a sail to appear on the horizon. The sails, by the way, appeared regularly and even sometimes moored to the shore, but they were Spanish and French, so the outcast preferred to hide and wait for the appearance of his British fellow tribesmen. I had to wait four years and four months - from October 1704 to February 1709.Subscribe to our page at "Facebook"- it will be interesting!
The book "The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe", 1835 edition. Returning home, Alex, a great lover of drinking and talking, visited all the drinking establishments, talking about his misadventures on the island of Mas a Tierre, which is 640 km from Chile. Now it’s called Robinson Crusoe, you know why.
In his own words, the most difficult were the first weeks, when he had to eat shellfish, but gradually the outcast got used to it, built a comfortable home, and came across wild goats in the forest, which added meat and milk to the outcast’s diet. Also on Mas a Tierra there were berries and vegetables familiar to Europeans - cabbage, turnips. In addition to weapons and supplies, Alex was left with a Bible, thanks to which he did not forget how to speak, reading passages out loud every day. In addition to the Bible, the ability to sew clothes and shoes was a great help for preserving the human species, because the navigator was the son of a shoemaker. Survival extended to 52 months. On February 2, 1709, two ships approached the shore - the Duke and the Duchess. A boat went to land for water, which brought back a man who was so overgrown that it was difficult to see his face. The irony of fate was that standing on deck was the same Dampier whose crew Selkirk had signed up for six years earlier. The researcher remembered the first mate very well and had heard a lot about his hot temper, but he gave excellent recommendations to the hermit sailor, thanks to which the sailor, rescued from a desert island, immediately became the leader of the crew. Further, during the journey, he showed himself at his best several times, headed important missions and set foot on his native shores as a rich, respected man. This happened on October 1, 1711. The prodigal son Largo was gone for eight years. Soon the sea will call the adventurer again and he will set off on a journey. But before that, he will have time to tell enough people about his adventures for the story of Alexander Selkirk to catch the eye of Daniel Defoe, who will turn it into a popular novel, loved by children and adults. The book was published in 1719, but the prototype of the main character at that time was sailing the oceans, never knowing that he had become world famous, albeit under someone else’s name.
First edition of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, 1719. 
A. Selkirk reads the Bible in one of two huts he built on the mountainside. 
Rescued from a desert island, A. Selkirk, sitting on the right, ends up on board the ship. Alexander Selkirk lived in the 18th century, was a Scottish sailor and spent almost four and a half years on a desert island. Stories about his adventures inspired Daniel Defoe to create the book Robinson Crusoe.
A Sailor's Fate
Alexander Selkirk was born in 1676. Since childhood, he had a stubborn character and beat his brothers every now and then. When Alexander was 27 years old, he joined William Dampier's ship on an expedition to South America. Despite his rather young age, Selkirk received the position of boatswain.
Alexander was quick-tempered and constantly clashed with the ship's captain. He once declared that he would rather go ashore on a desert island than continue to sail on a ship that was about to sink to the bottom. The captain did not keep himself waiting long - he ordered Selkirk to be landed on the island of Mas a Tiera, located 670 km from the coast of Chile.
Island life
The island became Selkirk's home for a long 4 years and 4 months. At first he lived on the shore, but was soon forced to move inland due to aggressive sea lions. There he discovered feral goats and cats and began growing wild turnips and cabbage. Goats supplied Selkirk with milk, and cats protected him from the attacks of rats, which were also found in abundance here.
From the hoop of an old barrel thrown out by the surf, Alexander made himself a knife. He built two huts from the leaves of pepper trees - he slept in one and cooked food in the other. Alexander's father worked as a leather tanner, so he could easily make clothes from goat skins.
Ships appeared near the island twice. Unfortunately, every time they turned out to be Spanish. Being a Scot and a hired buccaneer, Selkirk understood that he should not expect anything good from the Spaniards. The crew of one of the ships noticed Selkirk hiding in the rocks and sent a search team to the island - but Alexander knew how to hide well, and the Spaniards sailed away.
The rescue
Selkirk's epic ended on February 2, 1709, when the ship Duke, belonging to another expedition of William Dampier, moored to his island. The ship's captain was so impressed by Alexander Selkirk's resilience and fortitude that he made him his second mate.
In 1711, Selkirk returned to England, where he had not been for eight years. Newspapers wrote about his adventures. For some time Alexander lived on the mainland, but then went sailing again. Daniel Defoe's book Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719. Robinson's story was very similar to Selkirk's. The cover of the book showed a man wearing goatskins, a garment very unsuitable for hot tropical islands. However, it was never possible to prove Daniel Defoe's plagiarism. Yes, no one demanded this; in 1721, Selkirk died of yellow fever on board the ship Weymouth off the coast of West Africa.
