Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan in English; Hernan de Magallanes in Spanish, c. 1480 – 1521) commanded the first expedition to circumnavigate the world, although Juan Sebastian del Cano completed the voyage after Magellan's death. His desire for revenge against the Portuguese king prompted him to seek a westward route to the Spice Islands without touching Portuguese territory. After finding a passage between South America and Tierra del Fuego, Magellan took almost four months to cross the Pacific and died in the Philippines on 27 April 1521. See here for a more detailed biographical sketch.