Student Essay on Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan

Essay

Ferdinand Magellan was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe and across the Pacific Ocean. He was born around 1480 in a noble family and always dreamed of exploring the world. He got his chance in 1506 when he went to the East Indies and participated in several military and exploratory expeditions in Malacca and the Moluccas, known as the Spice Islands. By 1510, he was promoted to the rank of captain and was stationed in Morocco three years later where he received wounds that maimed him for life. He then requested an increase in his royal allowance but was rejected by Emanuel, king of Portugal, who disagreed with Magellan's plan to find a westward route to the Moluccas. As a result, Magellan renounced his Portuguese nationality and in 1517, offered his services to Charles I, the king of Spain. He succeeded and convinced Charles to fund the expedition to find a westward route to the Moluccas. On September 20, 1519 Magellan began his journey and departed from Sanlucar de Barrameda with five ships. Two months later, he reached South America. On March 31, 1520, he put his fleet to port at San Julian for six month because of disease and complications. One shipped was wrecked and after the mutiny settled, Magellan sailed the Strait of Magellan, the passage to the Pacific Ocean and lost another ship by desertion. In November, the remaining ships sailed into the calm ocean and discovered the Marianas Islands and the Philippines. Soon after, he landed on the island of Cebu on April 7, where he made an alliance with the ruler of the island and agreed to help him attack the neighboring natives on the island of Mactan. Unfortunately, Magellan was then killed on April 27, 1521 on the Mactan expedition. A Spanish navigator named Juan Sebastian del Cano took over and commanded the last ship, Victoria to Seville. Although Magellan didn't live to make the journey home, he did circumnavigate the globe and brought spices back to Spain. His voyage laid a foundation for trade in the Pacific between the New World and the East. His discoveries opened new passages to a larger world of exploration.