A Portuguese skipper, the girls found him cute.
He sailed with five ships to find the East Indies,
Then come back to Spain with a bounty of loot.
Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães, Spanish: Fernando de Magallanes, February 4, 1480 - April 27, 1521) was a famous Portuguese navigator and explorer who planned and led the first circumnavigation around the world in history (though sadly he died mid-way through it).
He was born in Sabrosa, Portugal, to a family of minor nobility. As a teen, he and his brother Diogo served as pages at Queen Leonora's court in Lisbon. While there, Magellan was exposed to stories of the then-raging Portuguese and Spanish rivalry for sea exploration (which was kicked off by the contemporary discoveries of Christopher Columbus) and dominance over the spice trade in the East Indies, especially the Moluccas, then also called "Spice Islands", modern-day Indonesia. The promises of fame and riches had Magellan develop an interest in sailing and maritime discovery.
In 1505, Magellan enlisted in the fleet of Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India, whose expedition King Manuel sent to check Muslim sea power along the African and Indian coasts, and to establish a strong Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean. Though chronicler Gaspar Correia stated that Magellan acquired considerable knowledge of navigation during this period of his Indian service, little is actually known of Magellan's first years in the East until he appeared among those sailing in November 1506 with Nuno Vaz Pereira to Sofala on the Mozambique coast.
After 1512, when coming back from Malacca and motivated by letters from a fellow navigator-explorer friend of his, Francisco Serrão, he entertained the idea of reaching the Moluccas westwards and secure a maritime trade route, and obtained support from the Spanish crown. The fleet of five ships (the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepción, the Victoria and the Santiago) left Spain on 20 September 1519 with about 270 men. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ships continued south along the eastern coast of South America. Entering a strait later named after Magellan himself on November 1, 1520, the fleet passed through to an ocean Magellan named "Mar Pacifico" (the Pacific). That day, the captain of the San Antonio, Esteban Gómez, mutinied and had the ship come back to Spain. The remaining fleet stopped in Guam and the Philippines, where Magellan tried to subdue the isle of Mactan to the Spanish crown. He badly underestimated the forces of local chieftain Lapulapu, and perished in battle on Mactan on April 27, 1521. Lapulapu is still considered a national hero in the Philippines.
Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of the fleet and reached the Moluccas in November 1521. In the end, three ships were lost in the expedition, and the Victoria, with a much-depleted crew (18 men out of 270 at the start, including Elcano, plus three Moluccans) eventually returned to Spain on September 6, 1522, having sailed west across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope through waters controlled by the Portuguese, and north along the west African coast.
Depictions in media
Anime & Manga- Space Guardian Daikengo references Magellan by having an imperialist, colonizing empire known as The Magellan Empire as the villains.
Film
- Lapu-Lapu, a 2002 film which features Magellan's encounter with the titular datu. Portrayed by Dante Rivero.
- 1521, a 2024 film depicting Magallan's arrival in the Philippines. Portrayed by Danny Trejo.
- Magellan (2025), a 2025 film directed by Lav Diaz, which depicts Magellan's voyage and demise in the Battle of Mactan. Portrayed by Gael García Bernal.
Live-Action TV
- Boundless, a 2022 TV series that portrays Magellan and Elcano's expedition. Played by Rodrigo Santoro.
Music
- He is the subject of Filipino novelty singer Yoyoy Villame's song "Magellan"
, a comedic take on his exploration and death in the Philippines.
Western Animation
- Elcano & Magellan: The First Voyage Around the World: He is depicted as the main character.