• Lifespan - 1480 - 1521
• Family - son of wealthy Mayor Pedro Ruy de Magalhaes and of Alda de Mezquita.
• Education - Tutored at the Court of Portugal
• Career - Explorer and Navigator
• Famous for : Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese sea captain who led five Spanish ships and 251 men in the first voyage around the World
• The government of Spain provided the 5 ships for the expedition - Ferdinand Magellan Ships
  • Magellan commanded the Trinidad
  • Juan de Cartagena commanded the San Antonio
  • Gaspar de Quesada commanded the Conception
  • Luis de Mendoza commanded the Victoria
  • Juan Serrano commanded the Santiago

Facts, Timeline & History about the life of Ferdinand Magellan - Explorer and Navigator
The following are additional facts about the life, timeline and history of Ferdinand Magellan:

• 1480: Ferdinand Magellan was born at Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal
• Magellan was from a wealthy and influential family and he spent his early years at the Portuguese court
• One of his teachers was believed to be the cartographer and navigator, Martin Behaim and Magellan become interested in making great voyages of discovery
• Ferdinand Magellan also studied the maps of Christopher Columbus
• 1505: Ferdinand Magellan joined the expedition of Francisco d'Almeida to India
• 1512: Magellan took part in the Portuguese expedition to Morocco and was badly wounded
• 1512: Ferdinand Magellan had a major disagreement with a commanding officer and left the service without prior permission
• 1513: Ferdinand Magellan asked King Manuel of Portugal for permission to sail to the Spice Islands in the Far East. His request was refused following the unfavourable reports from Morocco
• He resumed his studies in Portugal for a couple more years but it was obvious he would not gain support from the Portuguese court. He therefore renounced his Portuguese nationality
• 1518: Magellan left Portugal and headed for Spain
• 1519 March 22: Magellan convinced King Charles I of Spain to support his voyage to the Spice Islands. King Charles promised Magellan one-fifth of the profits from the voyage to the Spice Islands
• The government of Spain provided 5 ships for the expedition:
  • Magellan commanded Trinidad
  • Juan de Cartagena commanded the San Antonio
  • Gaspar de Quesada commanded the Conception
  • Luis de Mendoza commanded the Victoria
  • Juan Serrano commanded the Santiago
• Ferdinand Magellan led the five Spanish ships and 251 men in what was to become the first voyage around the World
• 1519, 20 September: The fleet under Ferdinand Magellan sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to South America and Rio de Janeiro. Magellan then started to search for a passage to the Pacific Ocean
• 1520, March: Magellan's fleet anchored for the winter at Puerto San Julian in Southern Argentina
• 1520 September : A storm destroys the Santiago and a mutiny breaks out
• 1520 October: Magellan and his crew resumed their voyage on the remaining ships
• 1520, 21 November: he entered the straits which would be named the Magellan Straits - they were to be the first Europeans ever to sail across the Pacific
• 1521 13 February Magellan reached the Equator
• 1521 March 6: Magellan reached the Pacific island of Guam
• 1521 16 March Magellan discovers the Philippines
• 1521 April 27: Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives on the island of Mactan
• Only 110 of the original crew members remained so they abandoned one of the ships - the Conception
• The Trinidad tried to return back to Spain the same way they had came but was forced to return to the Spice Islands where they were imprisoned by the Portuguese
• The Victoria was the last remaining ship
• 1522, September 6  the Victoria reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain with only eighteen survivors
• The momentous voyage of Ferdinand Magellan had taken nearly three years and many lives