Ferdinand Magellan

World Explorer
Ferdinand Magellan

 Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) was a

Portuguese explorer who led the first
expedition that sailed around the Earth
(1519-1522).
 Magellan also named the Pacific
Ocean. The name means a calm,
peaceful ocean.
Early Life

 Magellan was born in Northern

Portugal.
 His parents were members of the
nobility.
 They were wealthy and powerful.
Early Life

 Early in his career, Magellan sailed to

India and to the Far East many times
around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
 He sailed for his native Portugal, but a
dispute with the Portuguese King
Manoel II turned him against the
Portuguese.
 Thereafter, he sailed for Spain.
A New Route to Asia

 Magellan proposed to King Charles V

of Spain that a westward voyage
around the tip of South America would
take them to Asia.
 The voyage began September 8, 1519.
 Magellan sailed from Seville, Spain,
with five ships, the Trinidad, San
Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, and
Santiago.
A Long Journey

 For months Magellan sailed up rivers

into the middle of South America
looking for a quick route to the Pacific.
 Each time he failed to find a water
route.
 In the fall of 1520, three of Magellan’s
ships sailed through what is now
called the Strait of Magellan, near the
tip of South America.
A Difficult Journey

 After crossing the Strait of Magellan,

the ships sailed across the Pacific.
 As the months passed, their food
spoiled.
 They ate biscuits crawling with worms,
and drank yellow water.
 They ate rats, sawdust, and leather.
A Difficult Journey

 Many sailors died of hunger.

 Others died of scury, a sickness
caused by not getting enough vitamin
C, which is found in fruits and
vegetables.
 Dead sailors were tossed in the ocean.
 Sharks followed the ships.
Land Spotted

 In March 1521 the ships reached the

Philippine Islands.
 Magellan and his remaining crew
stayed in the Philippines for several
weeks.
 Magellan was killed towards the end of
the voyage in the Philippines, during a
battle with the natives.
A Proven Theory

 Three years later in Sept. 1522, only

one ship - the Victoria - made it back
to Spain, carrying only 18 of the
original 270 crew members.
 What Columbus believed was finally
proven true.
 Europeans could reach Asia by sailing
west but first they had to go around
the Americas.