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Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage around the World

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Part 3: The End of the Voyage

This is where our sad story ends. Ferdinand Magellan had decided to try to control the Filipino peoples by converting them to Christianity. This had worked well on Cebu, but it had no effect on Mactan. Magellan, not listening to his officers, led the invasion of Mactan himself. Having converting so many other native people to his sacred religion, Magellan now believed that he was on a mission to spread that religion everyone who had not heard it.

For this invasion, he took only 60 men. More than a thousand natives awaited on Mactan. Yes, Magellan and his men were armed with swords and covered in armor, but the armor didn't cover their legs and the swords were no use against spears thrown from far away. Magellan was killed in a sudden charge, and his men retreated to their ships.

The voyage continued without him. One ship even made it back to Spain. But it took awhile for word of the voyage to spread.

Magellan's voyage was a great moment in the history of exploration. It was the first voyage to circle the globe, proving that the world was round. It was the first voyage to sail through the American continent and beyond. It was the first voyage to sail the width of the Pacific Ocean.

It was one of a kind.

First page > The Story Before the Voyage > Page 1, 2, 3