Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he discovered the Strait of Magellan, performed the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean, and made the first known European contact with the Philippines. Magellan himself was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, but his crew, commanded by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the return trip to Spain in 1522, achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth in history. Born around 1480 into a family of minor Portuguese nobility, Magellan became a skilled sailor and naval officer in the service of the Portuguese Crown in Asia.
Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the first successful circumnavigation of t
Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the first successful circumnavigation of the globe (Magellan is killed en route)
Historical Significance
Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies.
Key People
Events Before
Martin Luther sends his Ninety-five Theses to Albert of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating the Protestant R
Martin Luther sends his Ninety-five Theses to Albert of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating the Protestant Reformation
Ottoman forces take Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate
Ottoman Egypt was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Mamluk Egypt by the Ottomans in 1517. The Ottomans administered Egypt as a province (eyalet) of their empire.
Bona Sforza is crowned queen consort of Poland
Bona Sforza (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund the Old, and Duchess of Bari and Rossano by her own right.
Treaty of St Truiden: anti-French Trapdoors and Bourgondisch covenant
Treaty of St Truiden: anti-French Trapdoors and Bourgondisch covenant
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey of England makes a European plan
Thomas Wolsey (March 1473 – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic cardinal. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner.
Events After
Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés du
Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés during "La Noche Triste" (the Night of Sadness). Many soldiers drown in the escape, and Aztec emperor Moctezuma II dies in the struggle.
Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeat a numerically superior Aztec force in the Battle of Otumba in Mexico
The Battle of Otumba was fought between the Aztec and allied forces led by the Cihuacoatl Matlatzincátzin and those of Hernán Cortés made up of the Spanish conquerors and Tlaxcalan allies.
Suleiman the Magnificent succeeds his father, Selim I, as Ottoman Sultan and rules until 1566
Suleiman I (6 November 1494 – 6 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the Ottoman sultan from 1520 to 1566.
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing the Pacific Ocean
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing the Pacific Ocean
Martin Luther publicly burns Pope Leo X's papal bull 'Exsurge Domine' which demanded that Luther recant his writings
Martin Luther was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Augustinian friar.
More from the 1510s
death
Louis XII dies
Louis XII dies
Hernán Cortés leaves Cuba for the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, with 11 ships and 500 men
Hernán Cortés leaves Cuba for the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, with 11 ships and 500 men
Spaniard Juan Ponce de León and his expedition first sight Florida
Juan Ponce de León (1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513.
Venice compels Jews to live in a specific area, establishing the first Jewish ghetto, in the city's the Cannaregio distr
Venice compels Jews to live in a specific area, establishing the first Jewish ghetto, in the city's the Cannaregio district.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on September 20, 1519?
- Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he discovered the Strait of Magellan, performed the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean, and made the first known European contact with the Philippines. Magellan himself was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, but his crew, commanded by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the return trip to Spain in 1522, achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth in history.
- Why is Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on... significant?
- Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies.
- Who was involved in Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on...?
- Key figures include Ferdinand Magellan (explorer), Ferdinand Magellan (explorer).