Essay about Ferdinand Magellan

Submitted By cwalker159
Words: 634
Pages: 3

Intro
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese man who explored for Spain. He had a theory that he could sail west and go around the new world to get to the Spice Islands. However, due to false maps and a lack of knowledge about the size of the new world , Magellan and his crew suffer through intense conditions and almost fail their mission. Although, Magellan dies before he completes his journey , He and his crew are credited with being the first to circle the entire world.
Before He Was Famous
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in Sabrosa, Portugal. His parents were Rui de Magalhaes and Alda de Mesquita. Since his family had ties to the royal family, he was under the guardianship of the Portuguese queen after his parents' deaths in 1490. Since he was in the care of a royal family could get a proper education. Magellan‘s first voyage was in 1505 when Portugal sent him to India to help Francisco de Almeida, who wanted to be the Portuguese viceroy. He also went through his first battle there in 1509 when a local king rejected the practice of paying the new viceroy. However later, Magellan lost the viceroy Almeida's support after he took leave without permission and was allegedly illegally trading with other groups. After some of the accusations were proven true, he no longer received offers of employment to the Portuguese. However, about the same time the Spanish were trying to find a new route to the Spice Islands after the Treaty of Tordesillas. Magellan thought that the Spice Islands could be reached by sailing west through the New World.

His Voyage that Made Him Famous
He went to Manuel I, the Portuguese king, with his theory but, was rejected. Magellan then decided to go to Spain for support. In 1518, Charles I was persuaded by Magellan and gave him a large sum of money to find a route to the Spice Islands by sailing west. In September of 1519 he set sail going west toward the Spice Islands with five ships and 270 men. After reaching South America in December of 1519, Magellan and his crew did not get around South America until August of 1520 due to the harsh weather and the loss of two ships. After finally rounding South America, Magellan thought it would only take a few days to reach the Spice Islands. However, it took about four months. During these four months Magellan’s crew suffered. They ran out of food and water and they did not