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Ferdinand Magellan Facts & Worksheets

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who organized the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth.

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In an effort to discover the Spice Islands by sailing west, Portuguese adventurer Ferdinand Magellan set off in September 1519 with a fleet of five Spanish ships. He is best known for planning and leading the Spanish expedition across the Pacific to the East Indies in 1519 to open up sea trade routes. On that occasion, he discovered the inter-oceanic route that would later bear his name and the first shipments from Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia.

See the fact file below for more information on Ferdinand Magellan or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Ferdinand Magellan worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Magellan’s Early Life & Voyage

  • Around 1480, Ferdinand Magellan was born at Villa Real in Tras os Montes into a family of modest Portuguese aristocracy. Alda de Mesquita was Ferdinand’s mother, and his father was the sheriff of the port of Aveiro. 
  • Ferdinand, being 12 years old, Ferdinand was sent to Lisbon to work as a page for Manuel I of Portugal after initially serving the queen. Ferdinand had a top-notch education at court, which included courses in algebra, astronomy, and navigation.
  • When Portugal despatched Magellan to India in 1505 to assist in establishing Francisco de Almeida as the Portuguese viceroy, he embarked on his first naval expedition. In 1509, when one of the local rulers refused to pay homage to the new viceroy, he also fought his first war there.
  • After taking a leave of absence without authorization and being charged with illegally trading with the Moors, Magellan lost the viceroy Almeida’s backing. Following the discovery of some of the allegations to be accurate, Magellan was denied any job offers by the Portuguese after 1514.
  • Magellan was wrongfully accused of engaging in unlawful commerce with the Moors. He was injured while serving in Morocco in 1513 and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Despite his dedication to Portugal and repeated petitions to the king, he had no new work offers.
  • After the Treaty of Tordesillas split the world in half in 1494, the Spanish were working to establish a new path to the Spice Islands. The Atlantic Ocean served as the treaty’s dividing line, and Spain received the areas west of it, including the Americas. However, everything east of the line, including Brazil and the eastern part of Africa, was given to Portugal.
  • Magellan thought that by traveling west across the New World made it possible to reach the Spice Islands. The Portuguese king Manuel I rejected his suggestion after hearing it. Magellan continued on in search of assistance before telling the Spanish king about his strategy.
  • Magellan convinced Charles I to give him a huge quantity of money on March 22, 1518, so he could discover a way to the Spice Islands by sailing west, giving Spain sovereignty of the region because it would effectively be “west” of the dividing line through the Atlantic. With the help of these kinds of donations, Magellan sailed with five ships (the Conception, the San Antonio, the Santiago, the Trinidad, and the Victoria) in September 1519, heading west for the Spice Islands together with 270 men.
  • On December 13, 1519, the fleet anchored at what is now Rio de Janeiro to replenish its supplies after months of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. They then went southward down South America‘s coast in search of a passage to the Pacific. The crew moored to Patagonia to spend the winter as the weather deteriorated as they went farther south.
  • Magellan dispatched Santiago to search for a passage to the Pacific Ocean in the spring as the weather improved. The ship capsized in May, and the fleet didn’t move once more until August 1520.
  • The remaining four ships discovered a channel in October after months of searching the region. This section of the voyage took 38 days, costing them San Antonio and a lot of supplies when its crew opted to stop the mission. Nevertheless, the remaining three ships sailed into the Pacific Ocean at the end of November after leaving what Magellan called the Strait of All Saints.

Later Voyage and Death

  • It took four months for Magellan and his crew to reach the Spice Islands, and they were in excruciating pain. Magellan believed it would only take a few days. As their food supplies ran out, their water became contaminated, and several of the men contracted scurvy, they started to starve.
  • The crew was able to make a halt at a neighboring island in January 1521 to eat fish and seabirds, but it wasn’t until March, when they arrived at Guam, that their supplies were sufficiently replenished.
  • While traveling for Spain, Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines in 1521, naming the islands after King Philip II of Spain. Then, they were known as Las Felipinas.
  • They arrived in the Philippines on March 28 and made friends with tribal chief Rajah Humabon of Cebu Island. Magellan and his troops were convinced to assist the tribe in killing their rival Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island after spending time with the monarch. On April 27, 1521, Lapu-Lapu’s men defeated Magellan at the Battle of Mactan.
  • After Magellan passed away, Sebastian del Cano seized control of the two surviving ships and 117 crew members. They torched the Conception so that the natives could not use it against them. The Trinidad sailed east while the Victoria proceeded west to ensure that one ship would return to Spain.
  • On its way back, the Trinidad was captured by the Portuguese, but on September 6, 1522, the Victoria, with just 18 crew members still alive, sailed back to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the planet.

Legacy

  • The maps and geography textbooks were revised entirely due to Magellan’s expedition. He was the first to find the strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific seas at the southernmost tip of South America, which today bears his name.
  • He was among the most expert navigators of his day and the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean, and the first European to arrive in the Philippine Archipelago.
  • Magellan’s risky and ambitious journey across the world, undertaken in search of wealth and personal glory, brought the Europeans much more than simply spices. Even while the path across the Strait of Magellan from Europe to the East had been found and plotted, it was too difficult and risky to use as a practical route to the Spice Islands. Nevertheless, Magellan’s voyage significantly increased European geographic understanding.
  •  He not only discovered a vast ocean that had been unknown to Europeans up until that point, but he also learned that the world was considerably more extensive than previously believed. Finally, although the planet was no longer thought to be flat at this point in time, Magellan’s circuit of the globe proved beyond a doubt that the medieval notion was false.
  • His crew was the first to see the Magellanic Clouds in space, and they were named after him since they did so while traveling in the Southern Hemisphere. However, Magellan’s understanding of the complete area of the Earth was of utmost significance to geography since it greatly influenced subsequent geographic exploration and the ensuing understanding of the modern globe.

Ferdinand Magellan Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Ferdinand Magellan across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Ferdinand Magellan worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Ferdinand Magellan, who was a Portuguese explorer who organized the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth. 

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ferdinand Magellan Facts
  • Portuguese in Spanish Ships
  • Famous Explorers
  • The Pacific
  • Magellan’s Voyage
  • Spanish Three Gs
  • Magellan’s Quest
  • Age of Exploration
  • From What Country?
  • It’s Magellan!
  • World Treasures

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ferdinand Magellan famous for?

He is best known for planning and leading the Spanish expedition across the Pacific to the East Indies in 1519 to open up sea trade routes. On that occasion, he discovered the inter-oceanic route that would later bear his name and the first shipments from Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia.

What was Ferdinand Magellan accused of?

Magellan was wrongfully accused of engaging in unlawful commerce with the Moors. He was injured while serving in Morocco in 1513 and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Despite his dedication to Portugal and repeated petitions to the king, he had no new work offers.

How did Ferdinand Magellan change the world?

The maps and geography textbooks were revised entirely due to Magellan’s expedition. He was the first to find the strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific seas at the southernmost tip of South America, which today bears his name.

What are the three accomplishments of Ferdinand Magellan?

He was among the most expert navigators of his day and the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean, and the first European to arrive in the Philippine Archipelago.

Who discovered the Philippines?

Ferdinand Magellan, traveling for Spain, Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines in 1521, naming the islands after King Philip II of Spain. Then, they were known as Las Felipinas.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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