Ferdinand Magellan Research Paper

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer and sailor who led one of the first recorded circumnavigations of the world. He set off with a fleet of five ships, and only one returned. Although he did not lead the entire expedition because of his death in The Battle of Mactan, he led his vessel for most of the voyage and is credited for the expedition and being the first European to sail the Pacific Ocean. This expedition that he led was a major breakthrough for navigation and science; along the way, he discovered new lands and many new species of animals. He was the first one to sail to the west to reach the Maluku Islands rather than sailing east. He traveled through the southern tip of South America, through what is now known as the Straits of Magellan. …show more content…
When he was twelve years old, he traveled with his brother to serve as pages in the queen of Lisbon’s court. While he was there, he heard stories of the rivalry between Spain and Portugal for sea exploration and spice trade. He was told that fame and riches came along with this and from then on, he was determined to become a sailor. When he was twenty five years old, he enlisted into a Portuguese fleet heading towards India. Over the next few years, he was part of several expeditions and battles, which left him wounded. During the fifteenth century, spices were very valuable and traded often. Europe did not have easy access to them because of their climate, so they could only acquire them through trade routes. This spice trade caused much exploration in search of a better route to the island supplying spices. Whoever found this route would bring immense riches to their country, so many explorers set out to find this trade route. Spain and Portugal competed over control of this market, and Magellan was part of this