Francisco Serrão

Francisco Serrão
Born14??
Died1521
NationalityPortuguese
Occupation(s)Explorer, soldier
Known forFirst known European to sail east past Malacca through modern Indonesia and the East Indies and the first european to reach the western tip of the Pacific Ocean.

Francisco Serrão (died 1521) was a Portuguese explorer and a possible cousin of Ferdinand Magellan. His 1512 voyage was the first known European sailing east past Malacca through modern Indonesia and the East Indies. He became a confidant of Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, the ruler of Ternate, becoming his personal advisor. He remained in Ternate where he died around the same time Magellan died.