Back to Modern History SourceBook Modern History Sourcebook: Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage Round the World, 1519-1522 CE Ferdinand de Magellan was born about 1470 of noble parents, and probably spent his boyhood as a page of the Queen of Portugal. As a young man he was in the East India service, then in Morocco. After a slight from King Manuel, he enlisted under the Spanish king, and set forth his ...

First Circumnavigation of the Globe by Magellan 1519-1522 Back to Voyages of Exploration The First Circumnavigation of the Globe, begun in 1519, was an attempt to prove that the coveted Spice Islands, or Moluccas, were actually property of Spain. Finding a direct route between the Spice Islands and Spanish Peru would be argument enough for ownership of these lands. Ferdinand Magellan set out ...

Explorer Magellan brings disaster upon himself in an ill-timed invasion of a remote island of crafty natives.