In the first circumnavigation of Earth, who completed the voyage after Magellan's death?

Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of Earth after Ferdinand Magellan’s death.

Magellan’s expedition left Spain in 1519 with five ships and sought a westward route to the Spice Islands. Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521, during the Battle of Mactan. Elcano, a Basque mariner from Getaria, later took command of the remaining ship, the Victoria.

The Victoria reached Spain in September 1522, completing the voyage with only a small number of the original crew. The expedition demonstrated in practice that Earth could be circumnavigated, although educated Europeans already understood that the planet was spherical.

The achievement is often incorrectly credited entirely to Magellan. He planned and began the expedition, but he did not finish it. Elcano’s leadership of the return voyage is why he is recognized as the first person to complete a circumnavigation.