50 Fun Facts About Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was born in which country?

He sailed for Spain only after King Manuel I of Portugal repeatedly refused to back his plan.

Which Spanish king approved Magellan's plan to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west?

He was the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V; Magellan became his subject and admiral.

How many ships made up Magellan's 'Armada of Molucca'?

Only one, the Victoria, completed the circumnavigation.

Which ship was the flagship of Magellan's fleet?

The Victoria was the smallest carrack in the fleet and the only one to get home.

How old was Magellan when he enlisted in the fleet carrying Francisco de Almeida to India in 1505?

He stayed eight years in the East and was wounded at Cannanore in 1506.

In which Moroccan campaign of 1513 did Magellan suffer a leg wound that left him with a permanent limp?

He was then falsely accused of trading with the Moors and never got another Portuguese posting.

Which friend and possible cousin of Magellan settled in the Moluccas and wrote to him about the spice territories?

Serrão became military adviser to the Sultan of Ternate; Magellan had once risked his life to rescue him at Malacca.

What was the name of the Malay slave and interpreter Magellan brought back from Malacca?

Magellan told the Spanish king he was a native of the Spice Islands to 'prove' they lay in Spain's half of the world.

Which 1494 treaty divided the world between the Iberian crowns and underpinned Magellan's claim to the Moluccas?

The eastern line was only formalised in the 1529 Treaty of Zaragoza.

With which cosmographer did Magellan study charts in Seville and plan the westward route?

On 22 March 1518 the king named both men captains general and Commanders of the Order of Santiago.

From which port did Magellan's fleet finally set sail on 20 September 1519?

The ships had left Seville on 10 August and waited five weeks at the river mouth.

Roughly how many men sailed with Magellan?

Around 60 percent were Spaniards; there were 28 Portuguese, 27 Italians, 15 Frenchmen and one Englishman.

How did King Manuel react to Magellan sailing for Spain?

Manuel allegedly had the Magellan coat of arms defaced at the family house in Sabrosa too.

Which Venetian scholar joined the voyage as a supernumerary and wrote its most reliable account?

He published his diary in Venice around 1524, countering the mutineers' version of events.

Where did the fleet spend five months waiting out the southern winter of 1520?

They had spent three months searching the coast for a passage, including a false start in the River Plate estuary.

How many of his five ships did Magellan briefly lose to the mutineers at St. Julian?

Only the flagship and one small ship stayed loyal; disguised marines retook the Victoria and Mendoza was stabbed in the throat.

What punishment did Magellan give the mutineer Juan de Cartagena?

Quesada was beheaded, Mendoza was already dead, and a priest was marooned alongside Cartagena.

Which ship was wrecked in a storm while scouting south of St. Julian, without loss of life?

Its 35 survivors lived on shellfish at Santa Cruz for two weeks until rescued.

Which ship deserted the fleet in the strait and sailed back to Spain?

Its crew reached Seville in May 1521 and blamed everything on Magellan; his wife was placed under house arrest.

Why did Magellan name the ocean he entered in November 1520 the 'Mar Pacifico'?

Until the 18th century it was sometimes called the Sea of Magellan in his honour.

How long did Magellan expect the Pacific crossing to take?

It took three months and twenty days, and around 30 men died, mostly of scurvy.

What personal food supply may have kept Magellan free of scurvy on the Pacific crossing?

Unknown to anyone at the time, it contained vitamin C.

On 6 March 1521, at which island did the exhausted fleet first make landfall after crossing the Pacific?

The Chamorro took rigging, knives and a ship's boat; Magellan retaliated by burning houses and killing several men.

On which small island did Magellan's crew hold the first Mass in the Philippines on 31 March 1521?

They planted a cross on its highest hill; the local rajahs wore quantities of gold that caught Magellan's eye.

Which ruler of Cebu was baptised 'Carlos' after being converted by Magellan?

His queen took the name Juana and asked for the image of the Santo Niño; the two men then sealed a blood compact.

On which island was Magellan killed on 27 April 1521?

Its chief, Lapulapu, refused conversion and refused to hand over the body even for a ransom of copper and iron.

According to Pigafetta, how many men did Magellan take ashore for his final battle?

They waded through water for 'more than two crossbow flights' because rocks kept the boats offshore.

How did Pigafetta describe Magellan in the sentence recording his death?

He was struck in the face by a spear, then in the arm, then cut down in the leg with a cutlass.

What number of Filipinos had Magellan converted to Christianity in his few weeks in the islands?

They included the ruler of Cebu and most leaders around it, but not Lapulapu.

What did the newly baptised ruler of Cebu do to the Spaniards after Magellan's defeat?

The fleet fled the Philippines and later burned the Concepción for lack of men to crew three ships.

Who commanded the Victoria on its return to Spain, completing the circumnavigation?

He had taken part in the St. Julian mutiny and had joined the voyage seeking a royal pardon.

How many of the roughly 270 men who left Spain came home aboard the Victoria?

Twenty more had died of starvation on the last leg, and 13 were detained by the Portuguese at Cape Verde.

On which island of the Moluccas did the fleet finally load its cargo of cloves in November 1521?

Its ruler al-Mansur, 'Almanzor' to the Spaniards, was a friendly host.

How much spice did the Victoria carry home?

Cloves and cinnamon; the Portuguese at Cape Verde detained 13 crewmen when they discovered the cargo.

What surprised Elcano's crew when they reached Cape Verde in July 1522?

Sailing west with the sun had cost them a day; Cardinal Contarini first explained why.

How was Magellan regarded in both Iberian kingdoms in the immediate aftermath of the voyage?

His homeland called him a traitor; Elcano's testimony painted him as disloyal and nepotistic.

When Elcano was summoned to Valladolid with two guests, whom did he pointedly leave out?

Pigafetta went anyway and handed the king a copy of his notes.

How many years passed before the next circumnavigation, by Francis Drake?

The 1525 Loaísa expedition, with Elcano as second-in-command, had failed to repeat the feat.

What are the Magellanic Clouds?

NASA's Magellan spacecraft and the US Navy's Project Magellan also carry his name.

What was the 'black goose' that Pigafetta said had to be skinned rather than plucked?

The crew also saw a 'camel without humps', probably a guanaco.

How many Spanish leagues did the voyage cover?

About 60,440 km; it revealed the true size of the globe and the need for a date line.

How many years did Magellan serve in Portuguese India after arriving in 1505?

He served in Goa, Cochin and Quilon and fought at the Battle of Diu in 1509.

How many children did Magellan have with his wife, Diogo Barbosa's stepdaughter?

Rodrigo and Carlos both died young, and Beatriz died in Seville around 1521, before any survivor returned.

To whom did the Casa de Contratación refuse to pay Magellan's salary 'considering the outcome of the voyage'?

Archbishop Fonseca had her placed under house arrest with her young son.

How many crewmen died of starvation between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Verde in 1522?

They had only rice for rations after rounding the Cape on 6 May.

Which Mexican actor played Magellan in the 2025 film about his voyage?

Rodrigo Santoro played him in the 2022 series Boundless.

In 2019, which two countries jointly applied to UNESCO to honour the circumnavigation route?

One wanted Magellan recognised, the other Elcano and the king's funding.

How was the first man to die on the expedition, a crewman convicted at sea, executed at Guanabara Bay?

He had been caught raping a cabin boy during the Atlantic crossing.

What did Magellan name the passage his ships entered on 1 November 1520?

Emperor Charles V later renamed it in Magellan's honour, and within seven years it was being called Estrecho de Magallanes.

Which later captain was the first to discover that Tierra del Fuego was an island?

He was the second captain to navigate the strait; Valdivia later sent Ulloa to survey it for the route to Chile.