magellan
Magellan was born in Portugal, but it was under the Spanish flag that he sailed in 1519 with the intention of reaching the Spice Islands by sailing west around South America. [...] While in the service of Spain, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe. [1]
After Vasco da Gama’s famous voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, the Portuguese had to battle Muslim forces and rival traders to gain a piece of the spice trade. [...] With money from the king, the explorer was able to obtain five ships (possibly naos) called the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria, and the Santiago. [2]
… he subsequently obtained Spanish nationality in order to serve the Spanish Crown, so that he could try to find a westward route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. [3]
King Charles V of Spain (the emperor Charles V) endorsed the design of Magellan and Faleiro, and on Sept. 20, 1519, after a year’s preparation, Magellan led a fleet of five ships out into the Atlantic. [1]
While the Portuguese concentrated their efforts to the south and east, the Spanish sought alternative routes to the west. [2]
Captained the first circumnavigational expedition; located the Magellanic Straits. [3]
After still more hardships, one of his original five ships, Victoria, eventually made it back to Spain. [1]
After crossing the equator on November 20, 1519, the crew sighted Brazil on December 6. [2]
) (Spring 1480 ‘ April 27, 1521, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines). [3]
All these products were produced in India, Ceylon, and the Moluccas (known as the Spice Islands). [2]
Afterwards, they continued to sail south along South America ’s east coast, looking for the strait that Magellan believed would lead to the Spice Islands. [3]
Like Columbus before him, Magellan believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west. [2]
With the crew wasted from sickness, the survivors were forced to destroy the Concepci?n, and the great circumnavigation was completed by a courageous former mutineer, the Basque Juan Sebasti?n del Cano. [1]
Sources:
[1] Magellan, Ferdinand: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Age of Exploration - Online Curriculum Guide
[3] Ferdinand Magellan - Wikipedia