Ferdinand Magellan (a Portuguese sea captain sailing for Spain) had an important goal when he left the town of Seville on the 10th of August, 1519: Find a westward route to the Spice (Maluku) Islands. He did not personally achieve that goal, but his crew (led by Juan Sebastian Elcano) did.
Despite a grossly inaccurate map, and ubelievably wretched conditions aboard ship, remnants of Magellan's crew circumnavigated the world in a ship called Victoria. Their expedition lasted about three years.
Magellan (1480-1521) never planned to sail around the globe. His assignment - to reach the Spice Islands, also known as the Moluccas (or Maluku Islands), thereby proving they belonged to Spain - already had more-than-enough challenges.
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