Ferdinand Magellan
Ayanna May
Background On Explorer
Ferdinand's real name is Fernao De Magalhaes. He was born in Portugal in 1480. In his youth, he worked in the Portuguese court as a page. While sailing on Portuguese ships for the navy, he learned the skill of navigation. After he got accused of theft, he was no longer in the navy. Megallans reputation with the Portuguese sailors was ruined, even after he got proved innocent. The king of Portugal didn't except this journey, so Megallan became a citizen of Spain, whose king did accept and who paid for the journey.
God, Glory, or Gold?
The whole point of Megallen's exploration was because he wanted to discover a westward route to the Spice Islands or Moluccas. He was very determined to this, being that the king turned he down 3 times, and he went to Spain, the Portuguese rival, for permission to take this exploration. Unlike Columbus who went west as well, he knew that North and South America stood in his way. This was about discovering new routes which makes his expedition glory.
Accomplishments
Fernao found a passage through South America and his crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Megallan and his crew were rivals, accomplishing this with the right sportsmanship helped make this success happen. His exploration lasted from 1519-1522.
Important info
Portugal and Spain were rivals. When Ferdinand went over to Spain, some of his crew didn't trust him. Since he was the leader, any misbehavior he had to deal with ended with consequences.