Ferdinand Magellan: He Died Trying to Sail Around the World

Arif Hodzic (0:01)

During the Age of Discovery, men set sail from Europe in search of new lands, wealth, and power. One of these men was the Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, who was born in the late 15th century. His travels to South America and the Philippines would go down in history. This evening, we'll learn all about the Magellan Expedition, an epic journey that changed people's understanding of the world. We'll also look at Magellan himself and explore his complex legacy. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of Ferdinand Magellan.

Ferdinand Magellan took him to East Africa, India, and Malaysia, where he took part in the conquest of Malacca in 1511 During his travels, Magellan gained valuable military experience and honed his navigational skills. It's likely that these experiences also gave him a taste for adventure.

Magellan seems to have had a reasonably successful career, but around 1513, there were a couple of setbacks. While fighting in Asimur on the coast of Morocco, Magellan was injured.

Additionally, Magellan's relationship with the King of Portugal began to sour. Magellan made repeated petitions to King Manuel, asking for an increased pension. These requests were refused. It's thought that accusations about Magellan's conduct, which were possibly false, had reached Portugal. Magellan also had another request. He wanted to make an expedition to the Spice Islands, located in present-day Indonesia. They are also known as the Maluku Islands, or the Maluccas. Magellan hoped to find a new trade route, traveling west from Europe. But the king of Portugal turned down this request, too. Magellan realized that he would have to look for support elsewhere. So, in 1517, he left Portugal for Spain, settling in Seville, or in English, Seville. As it turned out, the Spanish king was much more receptive to Magellan's plans.

While in Seville, Magellan married a woman named Beatrice. They had two children together. In most accounts of Magellan's life, you won't hear much about his family. Tragically, his children both died young, and his wife passed away in 1521, around the same time as Magellan himself. Considering that Magellan left for his expedition in 1519, he wouldn't have got to spend much time with his family. Just a couple of years, and then he was off, setting sail for the expedition of a lifetime.

But first, let's look at what was happening in Spain, to understand how the expedition was made possible in the first place.

As we mentioned, Magellan received support from the King of Spain. Charles I was young, still in his teens. And yet, as well as ruling over Spain, he was also about to become Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. When Magellan proposed a voyage to the Spice Islands, the young king was enthusiastic. In recent years, there had been an intense rivalry between Portugal and Spain. Both powers were sending ships across the world and establishing colonies. They were in the early stages of building up their respective empires. Portugal had acquired control over Eastern sea routes. This meant that if Spanish ships wanted to reach the Spice Islands in Southeast Asia, they had to seek a Western route. This was Magellan's proposal. Around 1518, Charles may have felt the need to prove himself as the new King of Spain. If Magellan could establish a maritime route to the Spice Islands on behalf of the Spanish Crown, that reflected well on him. The islands were known as the Spice Islands because huge quantities of cloves, nutmeg, and mace were produced there. These spices were incredibly valuable, so for Spain, there was money to be made and prestige to be gained. The same thing applied to Magellan himself. Like other navigators in the Age of Discovery, he wasn't motivated by wanderlust alone.

To understand Magellan and his expedition, it's also helpful to consider the wider context of the time. What we now call the Age of Discovery had begun about a hundred years earlier. During this time, navigators such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama had embarked on trailblazing expeditions. They reshaped knowledge of the globe, and thanks in part to their efforts, the countries supporting them, Spain and Portugal, became even more wealthy and influential. By the time Magellan was planning his expedition, around 1518, there was a sense of just how much could be gained from maritime exploration and establishing new trade routes. It's no wonder Magellan was so eager to set sail.

So, this was the plan to sail west from Europe, eventually reaching Asia, in order to establish a new maritime trade route with the Spice Islands. Again, as a reminder, the Spice Islands were in the East Indies, in present-day Indonesia. In order to get there, Magellan would have to get past South America. Europeans had only recently begun exploring the Americas, following the voyages of Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. At the time, geographical knowledge was very much a work in progress. Magellan would have known where these places were, more or less. But it was still something of a leap into the unknown. The voyages of the Age of Discovery have sometimes been compared to space exploration. Back then, sailing across the world was truly adventurous and risky. But Magellan seems to have been confident of his abilities.