Juan Sebastián Elcano was a Spanish sailor, explorer and navigator of Basque origin. He led the second half of the Earth’s first circumnavigation, after he took over the expedition, following Ferdinand Magellan’s death. Elcano was born in the 15th century, in Castile, a medieval polity located in Southwest Europe. Before becoming a sailor, he was in the military, and he also fought in the Italian wars. Later, he got settled and became a merchant ship captain. When Magellan began his voyage, Elcano was the ship’s master on board the ‘Concepcion’, which was one of the five ships of the fleet. Upon completing the trip and returning to Spain, the-then King of Spain, Charles V honored Elcano and also gave him an annual pension. In addition, his family was given rule over the Marquisate of Buglas in Negros Island, Philippines.
