The Magellan Expedition

Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese in the service of the Spanish

crown, was looking for a westward route to the to the Spice
Islands of Indonesia. On March 16, 1521, Magellan's expedition
landed on Homonhon island in the Philippines. He was the first
European to reach the islands. Rajah Humabon of Cebu was
friendly with Magellan and embraced Christianity, but
their enemy, Lapu-Lapu was not. Humabon wanted Magellan to
kill Lapu-Lapu while Magellan wanted to convert Lapu-Lapu into
Christianity. On April 17, 1521, Magellan sailed to Mactan and
ensuing battle killed Magellan by the natives lead by Lapu-Lapu.
Out of the five ships and more than 300 men who left on the
Magellan expedition in 1519, only one ship (the Victoria) and 18
men returned to Seville, Spain on September 6, 1522.
Nevertheless, the said expedition was considered historic because it marked the first
circumnavigation of the globe and proved that the world was round.

Juan Sebastian de Elcano, the master of ship "Concepcion" took over the command of the
expedition after the death of Magellan and captained the ship "Victoria" back to Spain. He
and his men earned the distinction of being the first to circumnavigate the world in one full
journey. After Magellan's death in Cebu, it took 16 more months for Elcano to return to
Spain. The Magellan expedition started off through the westward route and returning to
Spain by going east; Magellan and Elcano's entire voyage took almost three years to
complete.