Overview
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan fell out with the authorities in Portugal, so went to work for Spain – a rival power. He offered to find the Spanish a new trade route to a group of islands called the Moluccas, where valuable spice plants grew. The group was in the East Indies, now called Indonesia.
In 1519, Magellan set sail with five ships, and had to cope with storms and mutinies along the way. However, when he reached the ‘Great South Sea’, the sailing was calm, and Magellan named it the Pacific (Peaceful) Ocean.
Magellan was killed in the Philippines, after becoming involved in local fighting. His expedition’s one remaining ship made it to the Moluccas, then finally reached home. It was the first European ship to circumnavigate the globe.