Person

Ferdinand Magellan

c. 1480–1521 · 16th century · Also known as Fernão de Magalhães

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese navigator who led a Spanish expedition from 1519 to find a western route to the Spice Islands. He passed the strait that bears his name and crossed the Pacific, reaching the Philippines in 1521, where he met local rulers and was killed at Mactan. His surviving ships loaded cloves at Tidore, and one completed the first circumnavigation.

Ferdinand Magellan
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Rajahnate of ButuanRajahnate of CebuTidore SultanateGuam

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ferdinand Magellan. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-magellan
MLA
“Ferdinand Magellan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-magellan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ferdinand Magellan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-magellan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ferdinand Magellan’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-magellan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻