Ferdinand Magellan
Uploaded by Admin on Oct 25, 2000
Ferdinand Magellan was born circa 1480 in Sabrosa, Portugal. His father was Dom Ruy Magellan, a nobleman and sheriff. He was married to Donha Alda De Mesquite. He was born Fernão de Magalhães, but changed it later. Ferdinand Magellan had 2 siblings: a sister named Isabel and a brother named Diago De Souse.
This aspiring explorer and adventurer spent his childhood as a page at the Portuguese court doing errands and chores. He also went to school at a monastery. When he was only 10 years old, Magellan’s parents died. About 5 years later, the King of Portugal died, and Magellan’s brother-in-law, Duke Manuel (sometimes called Emanuel), was made the king.
In 1506, Magellan went to the East Indies, taking part in many exploratory and military expeditions in the Spice Islands. By 1510 he had been promoted to the rank of captain. However, his military glory ended after he secretly sailed a ship east without permission. Because of that, Magellan lost his command and had to return to Portugal.
Magellan was expecting a decent job when he returned, but was in for a surprise. He only managed to get a lowly job at court, much like the one he spent in his childhood. Magellan asked the king for a higher paying and more respected job, but the king refused. From that experience, Magellan concluded that the King of Portugal didn’t like him one bit.
It seems that Magellan got his plan for his famous exploration from his voyages in 1506 to the Spice Islands. It must have sparked the idea that maybe there was a west route to the Spice Islands, instead of the already-proven east route. Magellan proposed this idea to the Portuguese king, but funding from Portugal was refused.
Magellan, fed up with refusals from Portugal, moved to nearby Spain and became a citizen there. It was here that Magellan changed his name from Fernão de Magalhães to Fernando de Magallanes. He married a woman named Barbosa there. Magellan, determined, brought his plan to King Charles, the king of Spain, in 1517. The King approved of it and provided Magellan with funding!
On September 20th, 1519, Magellan set out from Sanlucar de Barrameda with 250 men and 5 ships: the Trinidad, San Antonio, Victoria, Conceptio, and the Santiago. They started by sailing down the west coast of Africa, until they got to the equator. Then Magellan’s fleet turned west, to cross the...