Ferdinand Magellan

Great Lives

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   The first man to circumnavigate the globe and find a sea route to India by sailing westwards - he was none other than Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480, as a child he worked in the queen's household. This way he heard about all the new discoveries been made at that time. He dreamt of doing what Columbus failed to do - finding a sea passage to India. In 1505, Magellan finally got a chance to fulfil his dream, on a military expedition. He thought that if he could find a strait through the newly discovered continent which we today know as America. But to do that, he needed full support from the king. Although the king of Portugal refused, the King of Spain agreed because Columbus had discovered the Americas for Spain as well. America did not cultivated many spices, something which Earopeans had been long eager for. His voyage started in 1519, and lasted for almost three years. He sailed from Seville, Spain with five ships but only one ship could survive and return. The ship returned with only 18 of the original 270 people and without Magellan himself, who was killed in the Philippines in a battle with the native tribes. By the way, Magellan was the first European to make the longest voyage yet, which lasted for 99 days. He had been the person who named the Pacific Ocean (meaning peaceful), and the iconic strait in South America through which he had passed is today named after him.

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   The first man to circumnavigate the globe and find a sea route to India by sailing westwards - he was none other than Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480, as a child he worked in the queen's household. This way he heard about all the new discoveries been made at that time. He dreamt of doing what Columbus failed to do - finding a sea passage to India. In 1505, Magellan finally got a chance to fulfil his dream, on a military expedition. He thought that if he could find a strait through the newly discovered continent which we today know as America. But to do that, he needed full support from the king. Although the king of Portugal refused, the King of Spain agreed because Columbus had discovered the Americas for Spain as well. America did not cultivated many spices, something which Earopeans had been long eager for. His voyage started in 1519, and lasted for almost three years. He sailed from Seville, Spain with five ships but only one ship could survive and return. The ship returned with only 18 of the original 270 people and without Magellan himself, who was killed in the Philippines in a battle with the native tribes. By the way, Magellan was the first European to make the longest voyage yet, which lasted for 99 days. He had been the person who named the Pacific Ocean (meaning peaceful), and the iconic strait in South America through which he had passed is today named after him.

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