Ferdinand Magellan Research Paper

Ferdinand Magellan: Discovery and the First Circumnavigation of the Globe Ferdinand Magellan is a very important and valued man in history because of his discoveries, his famous voyage to sail completely around the world in one continuous trip, and because he was one of the most skilled sailors of his time. First, Ferdinand Magellan lead the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe, and discover many things, and map new things which greatly advanced Europe. In addition, he contributed many things to Spain and Portugal such as the discovery of the strait of Magellan. Of Course, he was a great leader, cartographer, and astronomer because he sailed with both the Spanish and Portuguese navies. Furthermore, this man provided hope for his crew

To start off, Encyclopedia Britannica tries to give some insight to how perilous the voyage was when it explains that it is arguable that Magellan's expedition was more perilous, dangerous, and unpredictable than a manned mission to the moon (“Encyclopedia Britannica”). “Such a comparison might even be said to underestimate Magellan’s feat—a 16th-century maritime expedition was arguably much more unpredictable, and hence far more perilous, than computer-assisted space travel—but in any case, the achievements of Magellan were of profound importance. His supreme accomplishment was the discovery and crossing of the South American strait that bears his name—a major navigational task, considering the knowledge of the period.”(Mitchell, Mairin. “Encyclopedia Britannica”) Correspondingly, this statement gives a whole new view on his voyage to be the first man to circumnavigate the globe and how absolutely terrifying it would have been to lead the mission. In addition to this quote from Encyclopedia Britannica, History.com shares a synopsis of the whole voyage that shares many valuable good points: “In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480-1521) set out from Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to the Spice Islands. En route he discovered

Likewise, Magellan’s crew was forced to resort to chewing on leather to keep from starving to death. Regardless, Magellan put an end to this when they finally discovered the strait of Magellan and found food. In addition, this was the first time in over ninety days that the crew had received fresh food. Furthermore, this was another way Magellan solved problems the crew encountered. Sometimes problems would arise on the ship and he would have to solve them. For example, at one point there was an uprising because of the starving men and Magellan simply put the one of the captains to death who was leading the uprising and solved the problem immediately. There an attempted mutiny took place and one of the ships was wrecked. Despite the setback, the crew continued on with the four remaining vessels. “By October 1520, Magellan and his men had entered what is now called the Strait of Magellan. It took them over a month to pass through the strait, during which time the master of one of the ships deserted and sailed back home. The remaining ships sailed across the Pacific Ocean. In March 1521, the fleet anchored in Guam.”(Mitchell, Mairin. “Encyclopedia Britannica”). In conclusion,the highly skilled sailor encountered many trials and difficulties but with his supreme skill and knowledge pushed through them to find a