While in the service of Spain, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to
circumnavigate (travel around) the globe. His voyage provided
clear proof that the Earth is round. Early life and travels
Ferdinand Magellan was born in Oporto, Portugal, in 1480. His
parents were members of the Portuguese nobility, and the young
Magellan found himself in the service of royalty at an early
age. He was only twelve when he began serving the queen of
Portugal as a page, a position of employment for youths in royal
courts. As a young member of Queen Leonora's School of Pages in
Lisbon (the Portuguese capital) Magellan was encouraged to learn
subjects that would aid him greatly later, such as cartography
(mapmaking), astronomy, and celestial navigation (learning how
to steer a ship based on the positions of the stars). Magellan
joined the Portuguese service to sail with the fleet in 1505. He
went to East Africa and later was at the battle of Diu, in which
the Portuguese destroyed