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Secondary sourceBook1891

The Life of Ferdinand Magellan and the First Circumnavigation

F. H. H. Guillemard · 1891

A detailed 1891 scholarly biography of Magellan's life and his historic voyage around the world.

A scholarly biography written about Magellan, used here as a secondary account of his life and voyage.

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The Life of Ferdinand Magellan and the First CircumnavigationPDF · 394 pages
F. H. H. Guillemard, The Life of Ferdinand Magellan and the First Circumnavigation of the Globe, 1891. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This book, written by F. H. H. Guillemard and published in 1891, is a full biography of Ferdinand Magellan and an account of the first circumnavigation of the globe. It was part of a series on the world's great explorers, edited by scholars connected to the Royal Geographical Society.

Why it matters

Written centuries after Magellan's death, this biography drew together earlier sources to tell the story of his life and voyage for a later readership. It reflects how historians of the late 19th century understood and celebrated Magellan's achievement, and it remains a useful secondary source for studying the details of the expedition.

Look closer

  • Why might a biography written in 1891 present Magellan differently than a document written during his own lifetime?
  • What sources do you think the author used to reconstruct Magellan's story?
  • What might this kind of book leave out compared to firsthand accounts from the voyage itself?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ferdinand Magellan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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