Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand MagellanWho was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe and cross the Pacific Ocean?
Ferdinand Magellan did it on his famous voyage in search of a westward route to the
Moluccas (now Melaka). This is one of the greatest Portuguese explorers to ever sail the
ocean. Ferdinand Magellan was born in about 1480 in Sabrosa of a noble family, and he
spent his years as a court page. He ran errands and helped out with general chores but he
was still looking for something more. He wanted to see the world and find out what there
was to explore. In 1506 he went to the East Indies, participating in many military and
exploratory expeditions in Malacca and the Moluccas, know as the Spice Islands, and by 1510
he had been promoted to the rank of captain. He returned to Portugal in 1512 and in 1513
was stationed in Morocco, where he got wounds that maimed him for life. He requested an
increase in his royal allowance but was rejected by Emanuel, king of Portugal, who didn’t
agree with Magellan’s plan to find a westward route to the Moluccas. This made Magellan
renounce his Portuguese nationality. In 1517 he offered his services to the king of Spain,
Charles I (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V). With his good salesmanship skills,
Magellan convinced Charles to fund the expedition to find a westward route to the Moluccas.
If Magellan could reach the Moluccas from the West, Spain’s wealth would surpass all other
countries. On September 20,1519 Magellan started his great journey to the Moluccas from
Sanlucar de Barrameda with five ships. In November of that year he reached South America.
In February 1520 he explored the Rio de la Plata estuary, and on March 31, 1520 his fleet
put in to port at San Julian. His fleet remained there for six months because of disease
and complications. One ship was wrecked causing a mutiny. After the mutiny had been
settled, Magellan sailed the passage to...
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