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Article: Magellan, Ferdinand (Fernão Magalhães; c. 1480–1521)
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
- Author:
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MAGELLAN, FERDINAND (Fern
ã
o Magalh
ã
es; c. 1480
–
1521)
MAGELLAN, FERDINAND
(Fern
ã
o Magalh
ã
es; c. 1480
–
1521), Portuguese navigator. Magellan was born into a Portuguese noble family of French origin, possibly at Ponte da Barca in
northern Portugal. In 1492, he became a page in the queen's court. In March 1505 Magellan and his brother enlisted in the fleet of Francisco de Almeida, bound for India down the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Cape Verdes Islands and around the Cape of Good Hope. Almeida sailed in East African waters for more than two years, sacked Mombassa, and established a string of Portuguese forts to serve as trading centers and to ...