NAME

Ferdinand Magellan
OCCUPATION
Explorer
BIRTH DATE
c. 1480
DEATH DATE
April 27, 1521
PLACE OF BIRTH
Sabrosa or Porto, Portugal
PLACE OF DEATH
Mactan, Philippines
AKA
Fernando de Magallanes
Hernando de Magallanes
Fernão de Magalhães
FULL NAME
Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan
One of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery, Ferdinand Magellan is best known for leading the first expedition to
circumnavigate the globe, although he personally did not complete the route, perishing in the South Pacific. A determined man, he
overcame personal obstacles, mutinies, uncharted seas and biting hunger and malnutrition during the course of his voyage. Today,
his name is synonymous with discovery and exploration.
Fernão Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan is an anglicized version of his name) was born in approximately 1480 in the small
Portuguese town of Villa de Sabroza. As the son of the mayor, he led a privileged childhood, and at an early age, he went to the royal
court in Lisbon to serve as page to the Queen. He was very well educated, studying with some of the finest tutors in Portugal, and from
an early age showed an interest in navigation and exploration.
Magellan is a well-educated and well-connected young man, it was easy for Magellan to sign on with many of the different
expeditions departing from Spain and Portugal at the time. In 1505 he accompanied Francisco De Almeida, who had been named
Viceroy of India. De Almeida had a fleet of twenty heavily-armed ships, and they sacked settlements and established towns and forts
in north-eastern Africa along the way. Magellan fell out of favor with De Almeida around 1510, however, when he was accused of
illegally trading with Islamic locals. He returned to Portugal in disgrace, and offers to join new expeditions dried up.
Magellan is credited with being the first to circumnavigate the world in spite of two somewhat glaring details: first of all, he
died halfway through the journey and second of all, he never intended to travel in a circle: he simply wanted to find a new route to
the Spice Islands. Some historians have said that Juan Sebastián Elcano, who captained the Victoria back from the Philippines, is a
worthier candidate for the title of first to circumnavigate the globe. Elcano had begun the voyage as master on board the
Concepción.

The Magellan expedition was responsible for several major discoveries. In addition to the Pacific Ocean and numerous islands,
waterways and other geographic information, the expedition also sighted a great many new animals, including penguins and guanacos.
The discrepancies between their log book and the date when they returned to Spain led directly to the concept of the International
Date Line. Their measurements of distances traveled helped contemporary scientists determine the size of the earth. They were the
first to sight certain galaxies visible in the night sky, now aptly known as the Magellanic Clouds. Although the Pacific had been first
discovered in 1513 by Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, it is Magellan's name for it that stuck (Balboa called it the "South Sea").
Immediately upon the return of the Victoria, European sailing ships began trying to duplicate the voyage, including an
expedition led by surviving captain Elcano. It wasn’t until Sir Francis Drake’s 1577 voyage, however, that anyone managed to do it
again. Still, the knowledge gained immensely advanced the science of navigation at the time.
Today, Magellan’s name is synonymous with discovery and exploration. Telescopes and spacecraft bear his name, as does a region in
Chile. Perhaps because of his untimely demise, his name does not have the negative baggage associated with Christopher Columbus,
blamed by many for subsequent atrocities in the lands he discovered.

Homonhon was uninhabited, but Magellan’s ships were seen and contacted by some locals who led them to Cebu, home of
Chief Humabon, who befriended Magellan. Humabon and his wife even converted to Christianity along with many of the locals. They
then convinced Magellan to attack Lapu-Lapu, a rival chieftain on nearby Mactan Island. On April 17, 1521, Magellan and some of his
men attacked a much larger force of islanders, trusting their armor and advanced weapons to win the day. The attack was fought off,
however, and Magellan was among those killed. Efforts to ransom his body failed: it was never recovered.

Born: 2 August 1799, Santa Cruz, Manila

Died: 17 February 1872, Manila

Place of burial: Rizal Park, Manila

Parents: Francisco Gomez, Martina Custodio

Education: Colegio de San Juan de

Letran, University of Santo Tomas

Padre Mariano Gomez

Mariano Gómez de los Ángeles (Spanish: [ˈmaˈɾjano ˈɣomes]) was a Filipino Catholic priest, part of
the Gomburza trio who were falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th
century. He was placed in a mock trial and summarily executed in Manilaalong with two other clergymen.
Gómez was born on August 2, 1799 in the suburb of Santa Cruz, Manila. He was a Tornatrás, one born of mixed
native (Filipino), Chinese and Spanish ancestries. His parents were Alejandro Francisco Gómez and Martina Custodia.
After studying in the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán, he took theology in the University of Santo Tomás. He was a
student preparing for the priesthood in the Seminary of Manila.
He was also the uncle of ilustrado nationalist and labor leader Dominador Gomez.
On June 2, 1824, he was designated the head priest of Bacoor, Cavite. Aside from taking care of the spiritual
necessities of the town and the church, he also taught agriculture and cottage industries.[citation needed] Gómez also helped
in maintaining a harmonious relationship among his other priests. He fought for equal rights of native priests against
the abuses of their Spanish counterparts.
Gómez was accused of treason, sedition, and taking active part in the Cavite mutiny of 1872 and sentenced to
death by garrote in a military court. He was sent to jail along with Fray José Burgos, Fray Jacinto Zamora, Joaquín
Pardo de Tavera, and Máximo Paterno. The three friars were executed on February 17, 1872 at Bagumbayan field; and
have been known since then by the acronym composed of their collective surnames – Gomburza.
Before his death, Gómez was active in the publication of the newspaper "La Verdad" (Spanish, "The Truth").
At the age of 72, he was the oldest of the three priests.