The Life and Legacy of Ferdinand Magellan

*Includes descriptions of the voyage from crew member Antonio Pigafetta's journal. 

*Includes maps and pictures of important people and places in Magellan's life.

*Includes a Table of Contents. 


“Most versed in nautical charts, he knew better than any other the true art of navigation, of which it is certain proof that he by his genius, and his intrepidity, without anyone having given him the example, how to attempt the circuit of the globe which he had almost completed... The glory of Magellan will survive him.” – Antonio Pigafetta


A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? The Age of Exploration and the explorers who set out on their history-making expeditions left many legacies and profoundly influenced history around the world. The voyages of men like Columbus and the conquests of men like Cortes escalated tensions between the European nations, initiated imperialistic empires on a global scale, helped birth the United States, and ensured that the wars in the 20th century were truly world wars. In Charles River Editors’ Legendary Explorers series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of the most important explorers of history in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. 


Ferdinand Magellan was unquestionably one of the more remarkable figures of the Age of Exploration, and given his fateful expedition, he has the era's most unique legacy. Today he is remembered as the first man to circumnavigate the globe, despite the fact he died thousands of miles away from Spain in the Philippines. It is also commonly overlooked that among the famous and historic expeditions in the early 16th century, Magellan's was by far the most dangerous, unique, and adventurous. Nearly 240 men would set sail from Spain in August 1519 aboard 5 ships, and 18 would return to Spain in September 1522 aboard 1 ship.


Given his legacy and the fact that he died half a world away from Spain, the nature of his achievements has sometimes been misunderstood. Though he personally didn't circumnavigate the globe, Magellan was one of the most accomplished navigators of his time, and during his expedition he crucially charted territories previously unexplored by Europeans, including the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America. 


Perhaps the most important fact about Magellan, though, is that he succeeded precisely where Christopher Columbus before him had failed. While Columbus has gone down in history as the discoverer of America (for Europeans), finding a new continent was never his true goal. For the Europeans of the time, the establishment of trade routes to Asia remained the most important commercial ambition of all, and though he is not as notorious as Columbus or Cortes, it was Magellan who established a westward route to the Spice Islands of the Indian Ocean. In the early 16th century, that was a more important accomplishment to Europeans than the discovery of a New World. In economic terms, the opening up of new trade routes with Asia was a more significant development than the conquest of the Americas, and the development of the new American colonial economies is unimaginable without the expansion of commerce with the East. 


Legendary Explorers: The Life and Legacy of Ferdinand Magellan chronicles Magellan’s life and his historic expedition, analyzing the aftermath of his expeditions and his legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Magellan like you never have before, in no time at all.