“Man can only discover new oceans if he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. » André Gide shows the struggle of exploration in this quote. It shows that in order to find and do new things, you must be willing to let go of the things that may be holding you back. Ferdinand Magellan, a famous explorer, had many things in his life that could have been valid excuses for not accomplishing certain things. Although he faced many obstacles, he managed to overcome these difficulties and become one of the greatest explorers of the Renaissance. Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 and lived until 1521. He was born in Sabrosa, Portugal, to a family of Portuguese minor nobility. . When he was twelve, he and his brother moved to Lisbon where he served in the court of Queen Leonora. While serving there, he heard many stories of maritime exploration and also learned many sea navigation skills. He heard stories about the rivalry between the Spanish and the Portuguese for control of the spice trade in the East Indies. All these stories created great interest for Magellan in the field of maritime exploration because they promised great riches and fame. Ferdinand and his brother were assigned to a fleet of Portuguese ships heading to India in 1505. After this expedition, Ferdinand undertook numerous expeditions to India. India and Africa. Although he gained great knowledge during these expeditions, he was wounded in several battles. One such expedition consisted of a huge force of soldiers and ships sent by King Manuel to Morocco to influence the Moroccan governor into paying its taxes to the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese Empire easily defeated the Moroccan troops, but Ferdinand remained in Morocco and was later injured in a skirmish that left him seriously injured and left... middle of paper..... . and has never traveled around the world. in a single trip, but if one of his previous trips to the Spice Islands were included, he would be considered the first person to travel across the entire world. Thanks to Magellan's voyage, European knowledge of world geography increased considerably. His journey proved once again that the world was definitely round, but also showed that the world was much bigger than anyone thought at the time. Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation set a standard for navigation and exploration of this mysterious and new world. “Ferdinand Magellan.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Internet. March 01, 2014. Thatcher, Oliver J. “Internet History Sourcebooks.” » Internet History Sourcebooks. Internet Modern History Source, June 1998. Web. March 2. 2014. .