where was ferdinand magellan from?
Updated March 03, 2017. In September 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set sail with a fleet of five Spanish ships in attempt to find the Spice Islands by heading west. Although Magellan died during the journey, he is credited with the first circumnavigation of Earth. First Heading to Sea. Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in Sabrosa, Portugal to Rui de Magalhaes and Alda de Mesquita. Because his family had ties to the royal family, Magellan became a page to the Portuguese queen after his parents' untimely deaths in 1490.