Fernando de Magallanes

The Man Who Proved the Earth Was Round (the Hard Way)

In an age when most people feared sailing off the edge of the world, Ferdinand Magellan (or Fernando de Magallanes, to his fellow Iberians) set out to do something even crazier—sail all the way around it. With a handful of rickety ships, a rebellious crew, and an ironclad belief in his navigational skills, he launched one of history’s most ambitious voyages in 1519. What followed was a journey filled with mutiny, storms, starvation, and one particularly ill-advised battle in the Philippines. His adventure, chronicled in The First Voyage Around the World by Antonio Pigafetta, is a tale of ambition, survival, and some truly bizarre moments.

From Portuguese Patriot to Spanish Explorer

Born around 1480 in Portugal, Magellan grew up fascinated by maps, the sea, and the lucrative spice trade. After years of serving in the Portuguese navy, a dispute with King Manuel I left him jobless and sulking. So, in what can only be described as history’s most dramatic job switch, he offered his services to Portugal’s biggest rival: Spain.

King Charles I of Spain (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) took a chance on the ambitious navigator and gave him a fleet of five ships—the Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago—to find a western route to the Spice Islands (modern-day Indonesia). What could possibly go wrong?

Mutinies, Starvation, and Penguins

Magellan’s crew set sail in 1519, and before long, the journey turned into something resembling a reality survival show. The first mutiny happened near modern-day Argentina, when some of the Spanish captains decided they weren’t so keen on taking orders from a Portuguese leader. Magellan, ever the problem solver, executed the ringleaders and marooned the rest. Message received. (Pigafetta, The First Voyage Around the World, p. 47).

Then came the infamous winter in Patagonia, where the crew, trapped in icy conditions, was forced to eat sawdust, rats, and even the leather from their shoes. (Spoiler: they did not leave a five-star review for this part of the world.) But not everything was miserable—this was also when Europeans first encountered penguins. The sailors, utterly baffled by these strange "half-duck, half-fish" creatures, described them as "delicious." (Pigafetta, p. 59).

The Strait of Magellan and the Endless Pacific

In October 1520, Magellan finally found what he was looking for—a narrow passage through the southern tip of South America, now known as the Strait of Magellan. The San Antonio promptly deserted the expedition and sailed back to Spain (smart move), but the remaining ships pressed on into the vast unknown.

And then came the Pacific. Magellan named it the Mar Pacífico (Peaceful Sea), which is ironic considering it nearly killed them. For three straight months, the crew drifted across an endless, windless ocean, drinking foul water and gnawing on hardtack biscuits filled with maggots. "We ate the rats with great relish," Pigafetta wrote (p. 76), proving that low expectations can make anything taste gourmet.

The Philippines: Victory, Tragedy, and One Fatal Miscalculation

By March 1521, the surviving crew staggered into the Philippines, where they were greeted with hospitality. Magellan, sensing an opportunity for both diplomacy and religious conversion, made friends with local chieftains. But then, in what might be history’s worst case of overconfidence, he agreed to help one of them, Rajah Humabon, fight a rival tribe on the island of Mactan.

Underestimating his opponents (and possibly overestimating his own invincibility), Magellan led a small force against the warriors of Lapu-Lapu. Armed with European armor and muskets, he probably expected a quick victory. Instead, he was overwhelmed and speared to death in knee-deep water while his remaining crew fled back to the ships. (Pigafetta, p. 104).

It was a tragic, yet strangely fitting end for an explorer whose ambition had taken him to the ends of the earth—only to be undone by a local chieftain with a sharp stick.

The Journey Continues Without Him

Though Magellan didn’t live to see his mission completed, his remaining men, led by Juan Sebastián Elcano, pushed forward. After looting the Spice Islands, they limped back to Spain in 1522 aboard the Victoria—the only surviving ship. Of the original 270 crew members, only 18 made it home.

Despite the hardships, their journey proved beyond doubt that the Earth was round (sorry, flat-earthers), and established Spain as a dominant power in global trade. Magellan’s name would forever be tied to history’s first circumnavigation, even if he didn’t quite live to see it.

Legacy of a Stubborn Visionary

Magellan was many things—brilliant, ruthless, stubborn to a fault—but above all, he was determined. His voyage changed the world, opening up global trade routes and expanding the limits of what was thought possible. The First Voyage Around the World, Pigafetta’s firsthand account, remains a fascinating and often unintentionally hilarious read, capturing both the triumphs and absurdities of the journey.

So, the next time your GPS reroutes you down a dead-end street, just remember—it could be worse. At least you’re not lost in the Pacific, drinking rat soup.