Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who is credited with leading the first successful voyage around the world. He was born in Sabrosa, Portugal in 1480.
Magellan's early life is shrouded in mystery, but it is believed that he was the son of a nobleman and received a classical education. He became interested in exploration and travel at a young age and joined the Portuguese navy as a teenager. He served in the navy for several years, participating in a number of expeditions and voyages to Africa, India, and the East Indies.
In 1519, Magellan received backing from the King of Spain, Charles I, to lead an expedition to find a westward route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. This was a highly coveted goal for European powers at the time, as the Spice Islands were a major source of valuable spices such as cloves, nutmeg, and pepper.
Magellan assembled a fleet of five ships and set out from Seville, Spain in September 1519. He encountered a number of challenges and setbacks during the voyage, including mutiny, scurvy, and hostile encounters with indigenous peoples. Despite these challenges, Magellan and his crew persevered and made it through the treacherous Strait of Magellan, which separates South America from Tierra del Fuego.
Magellan's expedition made it to the Spice Islands in November 1521, but the journey was far from over. Magellan was killed in a battle with native warriors in the Philippines in April 1521, but his crew continued the voyage under the leadership of Juan Sebastian Elcano. Finally, in September 1522, the remaining ship of Magellan's fleet, the Victoria, returned to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Ferdinand Magellan's legacy as a pioneering explorer and navigator is enduring. He is remembered for his bravery, determination, and willingness to take on seemingly impossible challenges. His voyage around the world opened up new trade routes and helped to expand the European understanding of the world and its peoples.
Ferdinand Magellan Biography
A World Lit Only by Fire. During this time an attempted mutiny was put down, with only the top leaders being punished. There, they were able to replenish their foot supplies before sailing to the Philippines. For More Information Guillemard, Francis H. Trading in spices brought great wealth to European nations at this time, and there was much competition among them to claim territories that were rich in spices, especially in Southeast Asia, called the East Indies. Sailing through it was treacherous: dangerous to navigate, freezing cold and foggy. About 60 percent of the crew were Spaniards from virtually all regions of Voyage The fleet left Spain on 20 September 1519, sailing west across the Atlantic toward South America.
Ferdinand Magellan: Facts & Biography
Most of the crewmembers were saved, and the fleet spent a winter of harrowing storms in Port San Julian. Some of the natives agreed to convert, while others did not — and the split caused problems in the population. Magellan's Voyage Around the World: Three Contemporary Accounts. Kaufman 2004 , Ferdinand Magellan, Capstone Press, pp. As a young member of Queen Leonora's School of Pages in Lisbon the Portuguese capital Magellan was encouraged to learn subjects that would aid him greatly later, such as cartography mapmaking , astronomy, and celestial navigation learning how to steer a ship based on the positions of the stars.
When was Ferdinand Magellan born and died?
Based on the incomplete understanding of world geography at the time, Magellan expected a short journey to Asia, perhaps taking as little as three or four days. Ferdinand Magellan had 2 siblings: a sister named Isabel and a brother named Diago De Souse. While crossing the Magellan Strait, the explorer and his crew observed two galaxies visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere, now known as the Magellanic Clouds. This is an example of why Magellan should be defended, as all he wanted to do was accomplish his goal, and since the circumstances were out of his control, the events that occurred on his journey to the Spice Islands were not his fault. Magellan was killed in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The other eleven men remained behind to guard the boats.
Ferdinand Magellan
Since his wife and child died in Seville before any member of the expedition could return to Spain, it seemed that every evidence of Ferdinand Magellan's existence had vanished from the earth. . From 1505 he served in expeditions to the East Indies and Africa. He reached the Phillippine Islands, however, and forced more than 2,200 Islanders to be Catholic. The most accepted total number is 270. On April 27, 1521, Magellan took part in the Battle of Mactan and was killed by Lapu-Lapu's army. But all of his services to Portugal brought him little favor from the Portuguese king, and in 1517 he went to Seville, Spain, to offer his services to the Spanish court.
Ferdinand Magellan summary
Ferdinand Magellan and the Discovery of the World Ocean. He was a magnificent practical seaman, who understood navigation better than all his pilots. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. They began to starve as their food supplies were depleted, their water turned putrid, and many of the men developed scurvy. . Today Ferdinand Magellan would be 543 years old.
Biography of Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese Explorer
Ferdinand Magellan: First to Sail Around the World. He and his crew encountered storms, mutinies, and hostile natives as they made their way across the globe. . Magellan was killed in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. Their influence and support helped him become the ambitious and determined explorer that he was, and their legacy lives on through the many accomplishments of their son. Commanding the Victoria, he picked up a small cargo of spices in the Moluccas, crossed the Indian Ocean, and traveled around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa from the east.
