A True Legend
Starting in the early 1400s, the Age of Exploration marked a period of 200 years when countless Europeans sailed out to find lands and treasures hidden around the world—to them, at least. One such explorer was the famous Ferdinand Magellan, who made history as the first man to circumnavigate the globe.
Of course, every story comes with a bit of embellishment, so while his claim to fame is true, it may not have happened as expected.
1. He Was Already Wealthy
Through his exploits, Ferdinand Magellan became one of the most talked-about men of his time and an iconic explorer in history, but it’s not like he rose out of obscurity. Born close to 1480 in Portugal, he grew up with everything he could ever need, since his family occupied a high status in society.
As mayor of the town they lived in, his father, Pedro de Magalhães, was a minor nobleman, but they still enjoyed most privileges. This opened many doors for the young Magellan to move up in the world.
2. He Found Favor
Sadly, Magellan’s parents passed when he was only 10 years old, but he wasn’t left destitute or without any care, as his family’s nobility continued to work for him. Receiving a position as a page for the King’s consort, Queen Eleanor, he began working directly for King Manuel I five years later.
Soon enough, he would embark on the first of his adventures.
3. He Gained A Lot Of Experience
Once Magellan turned 25, he wished to gain experience in the rest of the world, and he enlisted in the Portuguese navy to do so. Serving in a fleet of 22 ships, not many of his deeds over the next eight years made it into historical records, although he did fight in several battles—at least one of which in 1506 resulted in him suffering a notable wound.
Fortunately, he had some familiar faces alongside him.
4. He Worked With His Family
Initially, Magellan had joined the navy with his brother, but even as he moved on from that fleet to serving under Diogo Lopes de Sequeira in the early 1510s, he wasn’t alone. Embarking on Portugal’s first mission to the Malaysian state of Malacca, he joined a friend of his named Francisco Serrão—although some sources refer to them as cousins.
During this time, he proved exactly what kind of man he was.
5. He Raised The Alarm
This initial mission to Malacca didn’t end up taking too long at all, as it very nearly ended in disaster. Shortly after the ships arrived, Magellan discovered a conspiracy in progress against the Portuguese and refused to turn a blind eye. After notifying Sequeira, the mission erupted into conflict, but the Portuguese were able to retreat with their lives.
With Magellan displaying such loyalty, the navy saw fit to reward him.
6. He Rose Through The Ranks
This wasn’t the last time Magellan would be in Malacca, as he and Serrão returned soon after with the Portuguese navy to successfully conquer the region. During this campaign, he obtained a slave originally from Sumatra named Enrique, and he returned to Portugal having acquired a promotion and newfound wealth to match it.
However, one mistake almost spelled the end for him.
7. He Fell From Grace
By this point, Magellan had shown a distinct loyalty to his King and had served the navy well in their conquest of Malacca, but all it took was one misstep to call his honor into question. After such a simple misdeed as taking leave from his duties without permission, Magellan was no longer the golden boy in King Manuel’s eyes.
Additionally, his health wasn’t doing much better than his reputation.
8. He Was Injured
While Magellan’s reputation in Portugal had diminished, he hadn’t been formally dismissed from service, so he participated in the Portuguese attack on the Moroccan city of Azemmour. However, this campaign dealt him a vicious blow: He sustained another severe injury. But even worse? This time, he'd have a limp for the rest of his life.
Unfortunately for him, the hits just kept on coming.
9. He Stood Accused
Magellan’s name had already been dragged through the mud, so even when a scandal arose that he had no part in, he still suffered. In around 1514, accusations emerged that claimed Magellan had engaged in unlawful trading. These were later revealed to be fake, but the damage was done, and suddenly no one was willing to employ him.
Because of this, any propositions he had were never taken seriously.
10. He Was Only Denied
Needless to say, Magellan had become one of King Manuel’s least favorite people, which didn’t help when the prospective explorer needed the king’s help. Magellan dreamed of leading an expedition to find a new route to the Spice Islands in Asia, and he constantly pestered the uninterested King Manuel. For Magellan, this was the last straw—and it pushed him to make a drastic move.
11. He Made A Union
Leaving his Portuguese nationality behind, Magellan took his talents to Spain, where he found much more than just a better chance at achieving his goal. While in Seville, he met another Portuguese man named Diogo Barbosa, who introduced him to his daughter, Maria Caldera Beatriz Barbosa, whom Magellan soon married.
However, fate had a tragic plan in store for him.
12. He Would Lose Everyone
The story of Magellan’s family was not a happy one. This was because both of Magellan’s children perished at a young age, with the second one passing along with Maria while Magellan was away. Explorer Ginés de Mafra would later explain how the early loss of his family altered his legacy forever. After all, by the time Magellan passed himself it was as though “every evidence of Ferdinand Magellan's existence had vanished from the earth”.
Before all of this, though, Magellan hadn’t let go of his dream.
13. He Took His Ideas Elsewhere
Of course, Magellan hadn’t come to Spain just for marriage or to start a family—he had big plans that he knew the King would want to hear. Approaching the Spanish King Charles I, Magellan explained his vision and impressed the monarch so much that he earned a position in his court.
While the propositions he made were intriguing, they were far from easy.
14. He Was Ambitious
With his plans for a new route to the Spice Islands, Magellan wasn’t only presenting King Charles with a potentially lucrative opportunity, but a way to one-up King Manuel as well. Since Portugal already controlled all the eastern routes to the Spice Islands, Magellan proposed exploring an unprecedented western route that would go around South America.
While King Charles showed interest, Magellan needed to sell it with some embellishment.
15. He Made Up A Lie
As tempting as a potential new route to Asia was, King Charles recognized that what Magellan had in mind would be both dangerous and expensive. So, Magellan decided to bend the truth and claim that his slave Enrique was actually from the Spice Islands, convincing the monarch that he knew what he was doing.
Now that Magellan was on the road to success, a certain someone else became very displeased.
16. He Tried To Sabotage The Trip
Even though he had repeatedly declined Magellan’s proposal in the first place, King Manuel of Portugal couldn’t stand the possibility of him serving Spain instead. Leading up to the expedition, the king attempted several tactics to dissuade Magellan, like vandalizing his original family home in Sabrosa and possibly even hiring someone to assassinate him.
Determined to put an end to this endeavor, King Manuel didn’t stop here.
17. He Hunted Him
One might think that as soon as Magellan’s expedition officially set off, King Manuel would have to give up his efforts to stop him, but this wasn’t the case. After Magellan’s ships departed, the Portuguese king made one last desperate move. He sent a fleet after them, but they couldn’t catch up to him. Eventually, they turned back, and Magellan was free to embark on his life’s mission.
Despite this unpleasantness, the first few months were relatively easy.
18. They Started Out Smoothly
Magellan’s ships departed from Spain in the fall of 1519 and spent months on the open sea, crossing the Atlantic before landing at Cabo de Santo Agostinho in Brazil. There, Magellan’s men were happy to find that the indigenous Tupi people treated them courteously, as the sailors were far from the first Europeans the Tupi had met.
This wasn’t the last time something like this would happen.
19. They Found More Friends
Sailing south along the coast, Magellan and his men landed at Guanabara Bay, where they were again lucky enough to have no troublesome encounters. In fact, they saw no problem with staying there for two weeks, as the local people were friendly, and they needed to restock their supplies.
Unfortunately, the expedition then encountered its first major problem.
20. He Punished The Wicked
During this time, voyages across the ocean were dangerous for many reasons, but Magellan had avoided losing any of his men up until this point. However, this all changed after he discovered that one of the crew members had forced himself onto a cabin boy. After a quick trial and guilty verdict, Magellan sentenced the man to execution and had him garroted.
As they soon found out, their luck wouldn’t be turning anytime soon.
21. They Couldn’t Find It
After their stay in Guanabara Bay, Magellan and his men continued sailing along the coast in search of the quickest way to get to the other side of South America. But luck was not on their side. The winter weather only became less hospitable over the next three months, so when they still hadn’t found a way around or through, they had to stop.
Suddenly, Magellan’s crew began to lose faith in his capabilities.
22. They Turned Against Him
Thankfully, the crews were able to find safe harbor at the port of Saint Julian, but Magellan had bigger problems to deal with. Many of his men began to believe he was unfit for command, and led by Captains Gaspar de Quesada, Juan de Cartagena, and Luis de Mendoza, the crew mutinied against Magellan.
It was a nightmare come to life—but, to his credit, he wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
23. He Quashed Their Attempt
The mutineers nearly succeeded against Magellan, with Mendoza perishing in the process, but the Portuguese explorer managed to stop them in their tracks. Once he retook control, he knew he had to make an example of his foes—and the consequences were gruesome. He decided to behead Quesada. Cartagena didn’t get off the hook either, though, as Magellan left him marooned on an island.
Finally, after months of misery, they had some success.
24. They Found A Way Through
Once the weather became warmer and it was safer to travel, Magellan’s ships set out once again to find a way through South America, and they fared better this time. In October 1520, they finally discovered a strait that would lead them right through the continent to the Pacific Ocean, which was subsequently called the Strait of Magellan.
Still, not everyone was happy with Magellan’s leadership.
25. They Left His Service
At the start of this expedition, Magellan had left Spain with five ships in total, but had already lost one during their winter hiatus when a storm overtook the vessel. Unfortunately for him, he was about to lose another, as the men aboard the San Antonio no longer wished to follow Magellan’s command. Therefore, while the ships were exploring the Strait of Magellen, the San Antonio turned back and high-tailed it to Spain.
According to Magellan’s plans, the rest of the voyage would be smooth sailing.
26. He Thought It Would Be Easy
Magellan was one of history’s best navigators, but it’s important to note that he was exploring a brand-new route across half of the world, and could only guess what it would look like. Passing through the strait, they arrived at the Pacific Ocean—which Magellan also named—and he projected that it would take four days at most to cross it.
In reality, the great navigator was in for a rude awakening.
27. They Were Out Of Food
In the end, Magellan’s prediction of how long their voyage would take couldn’t have been more off. Rather than a matter of days, he and his men spent the next three months and 20 days crossing the Pacific Ocean. Understandably, the number of fatalities rose to about 30, as they ran out of food and water—although Magellan had his own stock of provisions.
At last, when all hope was gone, they were able to find land.
28. They Took From The Ship
Starving, dehydrated, and exhausted, Magellan and his men finally reached the island of Guam, where the indigenous Chamorro people happily gave them more provisions. However, there’s a good chance they believed it was a fair trade as they began taking things from Magellan's ships, such as the rigging and even one of the smaller boats.
Of course, the Europeans didn’t take too kindly to this.
29. He Responded With Force
For all of Magellan’s skills, patience and understanding didn’t seem to be one of them. Believing that the Chamorro people had intentionally stolen from his ships, he refused to work the issue out through diplomacy and went straight to violent retaliation. Ordering his men to go ashore, he had them burn several of the Chamorro homes and take many lives before retrieving their belongings.
Still, they hadn’t finished with their journey yet.
30. They Saw Land
Magellan and his men didn’t spend too long in Guam before setting sail again and continuing west. This was only a short trip before they made landfall again on the island of Homonhon in the Philippines, which they found uninhabited. As several of the men had fallen ill, the ships remained there for two weeks until they bounced back.
Thankfully, their next encounter wasn't as horrifying as their last.
31. They Met The Locals
Magellan’s ships continued to island hop west into the Visayan Islands until they came across another group of people, this time in an outrigger boat off the coast of Limasawa. Magellan was able to speak to them through his slave, Enrique, and they were soon joined by two warships belonging to the ruler of Butuan, Rajah Kulambo.
Experiencing a brand-new culture, Magellan wanted to learn more.
32. He Learned Their Customs
Luckily for Magellan, Rajah Kulambo seemed to have no issue with the Europeans’ presence and even invited them ashore to meet his brother. There, the sailors found comfort in the hospitality of the two Rajahs, and Magellan listened intently as they explained the regions they ruled over and the various aspects of their culture.
At the same time, there was something else about them that he found even more intriguing.
33. He Liked Their Style
While adventure and discovery were two of the biggest selling points of the Age of Exploration, the primary motive behind many Europeans setting out to new lands was greed. Magellan was no exception, and when he saw Rajah Kulambo and his people surrounded by gold in their artifacts and accessories, he felt spurred on to continue exploring the islands.
Thankfully, he could easily find out where to go from there.
34. He Asked For Directions
After staying with the rulers for a few days, during which they held the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines, Magellan and his men were ready to take off again. Instead of just blindly searching every island they came across, though, Magellan asked the Rajahs where to go if they wanted to trade. The rulers pointed them to the largest port nearby, the island of Cebu.
As fate would have it, Magellan then encountered a familiar misunderstanding.
35. He Refused To Pay Them
Magellan followed the directions and was even escorted by Rajah Kulambo’s ships while he sailed with his men to Cebu, where they spoke with the region’s ruler, Rajah Humabon. For the second time on this voyage, the Indigenous people believed Magellan’s men to be traders, so they requested tribute. However, Magellan told them that this was unnecessary, since he was representing Spain and “the most powerful king in the world”.
With little choice, the people there did their best not to upset the Europeans.
36. They Welcomed Him
Magellan gave the King of Cebu an ultimatum, stating that if the ruler wanted peace, he would have it—but that Spain would be just as content if Cebu started a conflict. Backed into a corner, Rajah Humabon agreed that a tribute wasn’t necessary and took the Europeans in as guests. Happy with this outcome, Magellan planted a cross on the beach to mark the advent of Christianity in the region.
Staying in Cebu for a longer period, Magellan immediately got to work.
37. He Converted The Monarchy
Magellan decided to further impress Spain’s authority over Cebu by converting everyone there to Christianity. This wasn’t only with the common folk, but the royalty as well, as both the King and Queen agreed to it. According to records, the Queen was so adamant about her new faith that she begged Magellan to leave her the image of Baby Jesus, which he did.
As Magellan soon discovered, though, this friendship was still a two-way street.
38. They Asked Him For A Favor
Once again, the time came for Magellan to set off, since he still hadn’t reached the Spice Islands. The King of Cebu had a different idea, though, as he faced his own problem in the form of his enemy, Chief Lapulapu of the island of Mactan. Creating a Blood Compact with the explorer, the King asked Magellan to travel there and eliminate his rival.
Still, it’s not like Magellan had nothing to gain in this request.
39. He Wanted To Convert Them Too
Wanting to preserve the new alliance he had struck with the King of Cebu, Magellan agreed to the request and set off for the island of Mactan. This promise wasn’t the highest priority in Magellan’s mind, however, since he wanted to convert the Mactanese people if he could. So, when he and his men arrived on Mactan, they appeared as friends.
This time, his best laid plans were destined to be destroyed.
40. They Weren’t So Agreeable
Magellan fully believed he and his men would be met with open arms, just like in Cebu, but he was in for another shocking disappointment. Chief Lapulapu’s people were immediately distrustful of the Europeans and refused to convert to Christianity. Being the stubborn man he was, Magellan wouldn’t give up that easily.
41. He Resorted To Deadly Force
Once again, Magellan had the chance to solve everything with diplomacy, but Lapulapu’s defiance angered him, and he had still sworn to eliminate the chief for the King of Cebu. Choosing a more violent path, he ordered his men to capture the Mactanese on April 27, 1521—but this turned out to be more challenging than expected.
For the famed explorer, this was one time he would regret being in the spotlight.
42. They Knew Who He Was
Underestimating the skill and tenacity of Lapulapu’s people, Magellan led his men in the attack, even though they advised him to stay behind. Despite wearing a helmet, the Mactanese could tell which attacker was Magellan off the hop. After sustaining an arm injury and having his helmet knocked off, Magellan had to face his own mortality.
Although he had escaped many close calls, things weren’t looking good this time.
43. He Was Too Injured
After being hit by a spear in the arm, Magellan slew the thrower with his lance, but in doing so, he left his weapon behind. This meant that all he had was his sword, but with his wounded arm, he couldn’t even draw the blade out of its sheath. All of Lapulapu’s warriors noticed this disadvantage and rushed to seize their chance.
Against the mass attack, Magellan never stood a chance.
44. They Swarmed Him
Magellan tried to fight off his surrounding enemies, but one hit to his leg caused him to fall face down on the ground. Every available Mactanese defender was instantly on top of Magellan, laying into him with their swords and spears. When the dust settled and they cleared away at last, it was clear that Magellan had perished.
The captain was gone, but the journey still needed to see its end.
45. They Took Over From Him
Now leaderless and realizing that this whole attack had been a poor plan from the man now lying lifeless in the dirt, the Spanish sailors fled from Mactan. Two commanders rose up to take Magellan’s place, Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano, and they led the surviving expedition members as they sailed away from the Philippines to the Spice Islands.
After all of their trials and suffering, their home would soon be in sight.
46. They Completed The Journey
Even without their captain, the remaining crew arrived at the Spice Islands in November 1521 and filled their stores with spices. However, through all their hardships, only one of their ships had survived. Embarking on their sole vessel, the sailors made it back to Spain on September 6, 1522, where the Spanish received the 18 or 19 men who had survived out of the original 270.
As it turns out, the late Magellan had fallen out of Spain’s good graces.
47. They All Hated Him
Despite literally sacrificing everything for this endeavor, Magellan’s name didn’t receive any praise from the Spanish or the Portuguese—especially since the latter called him a traitor. Not to mention that most of his own men from the journey, especially those who deserted, had nothing but poor things to say about him.
Amid all this hate, there was one man whose loyalty shone through.
48. He Wrote A Different Story
The deserters who returned to Spain initially stood trial for their actions, but they were let off the hook after claiming that Magellan had been disloyal to King Charles of Spain. This bad reputation spread like wildfire, and historians only learned the truth later from the much more thorough account of a survivor named Antonio Pigafetta, who remained loyal to Magellan.
Because of this account, Magellan’s legacy was eventually restored.
49. He Became A Legend
Although his name may have only met disgrace in his time, Ferdinand Magellan’s story lived on through the centuries and made him one of the most celebrated explorers in history. With the expedition referred to as “the most important maritime voyage ever undertaken,” Magellan himself is usually praised most for his perseverance and skill as a navigator.
Ultimately, Magellan became the first person to sail around the world—sort of.
50. He Mostly Succeeded
While Magellan’s main goal was to find a new route to the Spice Islands, most credit him as the first man to circumnavigate the globe. While this may seem false at first glance, considering he perished before the expedition returned to Spain, one detail has managed to save his legacy. As he had previously sailed with the Portuguese navy east to the Spice Islands, this western voyage meant he technically sailed across both halves of the world.
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