Magellan Killed in Philippines: Lapu-Lapu Halts Spanish Conquest
Chief Lapu-Lapu's warriors killed Ferdinand Magellan in the shallows off Mactan Island in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. Magellan had waded ashore with 49 men to punish the chief for refusing to submit to Spanish authority. The Mactan warriors, numbering roughly 1,500, overwhelmed the small landing party. Magellan was struck in the leg by a poisoned arrow, then hacked to death. His crew retreated, eventually completing the circumnavigation under Juan Sebastian Elcano. Only 18 of the original 270 crew members survived the entire voyage. In the Philippines, Lapu-Lapu is celebrated as the first Asian to resist European colonization. Magellan, who had already crossed the Pacific, died never knowing he had proven the Earth could be sailed around.
April 27, 1521
505 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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