Why was Ferdinand Magellan famous?

Ferdinand Magellan was famous as the great explorer who led 5 Spanish ships and 251 men in the first voyage around the World

Short Biography of Ferdinand Magellan

Date of Birth: Born in 1480
Place of Birth : Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal
Parents: Father - Mayor Pedro Ruy de Magalhaes
Mother: Alda de Mezquita.
Background Facts, Information & Ancestry : Came from a wealthy family who had strong connections with the Portuguese
court

1480 Born at Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal

Well tutored at home and then spent his early years at the Portuguese court

1505 :Ferdinand Magellan joined the expedition of Francisco d'Almeida to India

1512 Took part in the Portuguese expedition to Morocco and was badly wounded

Has a serious disagreement with a commanding officer and leaves the service without prior permission

1513 Requests permission from King Manuel of Portugal to sail to the Spice Islands in the Far East but is refused following the
unfavourable reports from Morocco

Resumes his studies in Portugal for a couple more years but fails to gain favor with the Portuguese court and therefore
renounces his Portuguese nationality

1518 :Magellan leaves Portugal and heads for Spain

1519 March 22: Magellan convinces King Charles I of Spain to support his voyage to the Spice Islands and the King promises
Magellan one-fifth of the profits from the voyage to the Spice Islands

Spain provides five ships for the expedition:

 Magellan commands the Trinidad
Juan de Cartagena commands the San Antonio
Gaspar de Quesada commands the Conception
Luis de Mendoza commands the Victoria
Juan Serrano commands the Santiago

Leads the five Spanish ships with 251 men in what was to become the first voyage around the World

20 September: The fleet sail across the Atlantic Ocean to South America and Rio de Janeiro and then start to search for a
passage to the Pacific Ocean

1520 March: The fleet anchor for the winter at Puerto San Julian in Southern Argentina

September : A storm destroys the Santiago and a mutiny breaks out

October: Ferdinand Magellan and his crew resume their voyage on the remaining ships

21 November: Enters the straits which would be named the Magellan Straits becoming the first Europeans ever to sail
across the Pacific Ocean

1521 3 February: Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Equator

1521 March 6: Magellan reached the Pacific island of Guam

16 March: Discovers the Philippines

April 27: Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives on the island of Mactan

Only 110 of the original crew members remained so they abandoned one of the ships - the Conception. The Trinidad tried
to return back to Spain the same way they had came but was forced to return to the Spice Islands where they were
imprisoned by the Portuguese. The Victoria was the last remaining ship

1522 September 6: The Victoria reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain with only 18 survivors
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