What was the purpose of Magellan's voyage? He couldn't have known in advance that the earth was round, right?

Of course he cannot be 100% sure in advance that the earth is... round? ! Oh no! It's the ball!

The earth is a ball, which was first proposed by Pythagoras of ancient Greece in the 6th century BC. It is natural that this doctrine has its adherents.

What's more, after the development of capitalism, Europeans urgently needed to find a way to the East - the Silk Road was cut off during the Ming Dynasty. The East's high-quality silk, tea, and Southeast Asia The spices and the gold in some places are all mouth-watering.

First, Columbus went west and discovered America in 1492. At that time, he thought it was Japan or India (but he actually arrived in the Bahamas first). Although he did not reach the East, the colonization of America gave Spain a first-class advantage. .

Then, Vasco da Gama led one of Spain’s bitter rivals, the Portuguese fleet, around the Cape of Good Hope and arrived in India in 1498.

Now it’s interesting. Your competitors are working so hard and are heading east. What about Spain? Guard America?

Magellan was originally from Portugal. He had a good friend named Faliro, an astrologer. He had calculated the relative geometric relationships of several colonies and believed that the earth was indeed a ball. But Portugal had no interest and even fired Magellan. This was not the case with the archrival Spain. King Carlos I summoned Magellan, assigned him three ships, and asked him to go out.

It can be seen from this:

Spain objectively needs to find a trade channel to the East that is different from Portugal.

Magellan subjectively did support the long-standing conclusion that the earth is a ball

This was the reason for his circumnavigation.