Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe between 1519 and 1522. The expedition was sponsored by King Charles V of Spain and aimed to reach the Spice Islands in present-day Indonesia by sailing west, against prevailing winds, hoping to find a western route for European trade. Magellan's fleet of five ships was the first to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the southern tip of South America, which was later named the Strait of Magellan. Although Magellan did not survive the entire voyage, as he was killed in the Philippines, the expedition successfully circumnavigated the globe for the first time, proving the Earth was round and establishing Europe's