This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1520.
Events
*''unknown dates''
**Scholars at
Complutense University,
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish city in the Community of Madrid. Straddling the Henares River, it is located to the northeast of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municipalities ...
, under the direction of
Diego Lopez de Zúñiga, complete the
Complutensian Polyglot Bible.
**
Ulrich von Hutten
Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.
By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hutte ...
's satirical poem ''Aufwecker der teutschen Nation'' (Awakener of the German Nation) is published – his earliest work in German.
New books
Prose
*''
Hochstratus Ovans
''Hochstratus Ovans'' is a dialogue published in Cologne in 1520 referring to Jacob van Hoogstraten. In it, Johann Maier Eck and Girolamo Aleandro are reproached for burning Martin Luther's books.
Martin Bucer had read the pamphlet and suspected ...
''
*
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
**''
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
''To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation'' (german: An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation) is the first of three tracts written by Martin Luther in 1520. In this work, he defined for the first time the signature doctrines of the priesth ...
(An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation)''
**''
On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae praeludium)''
**''
On the Freedom of a Christian
''On the Freedom of a Christian'' (Latin: ''"De Libertate Christiana"''; German: ''"Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen"''), sometimes also called ''"A Treatise on Christian Liberty"'' (November 1520), was the third of Martin Luther’s major ...
''
*
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
– ''
Discourse on Reforming the Government of Florence (Discorso sopra il riformare lo stato di Firenze)''
*
Shin Maha Thilawuntha
Shin Mahāsīlavaṃsa ( my, ရှင်မဟာ သီလဝံသ, variously transcribed Shin Maha Silavamsa, Shin Maha Thilawuntha or Rhaṅʻ Mahāsīlavaṃsa) was a Theravadan Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and a classical Burmese poet who live ...
– ''
Yazawin Kyaw'' (Burmese), supplement
*''
Ruyijun zhuan
''Ruyijun zhuan'' (), translated into English as ''The Lord of Perfect Satisfaction'', is a Chinese erotic novella written in the Ming dynasty by an unknown author. Set in the Tang dynasty, it follows the political career and love life of Empr ...
'' (claimed completion date)
Drama
*
John Heywood – ''
Johan Johan The Husband
''The Merry Play between John John the Husband, Tib his Wife, and Sir John, the Priest'' is a Tudor era farcical comedic interlude written in 1520 and first published in 1533 by English playwright John Heywood. It relates the tale of a common Engl ...
''
*''Approximate year'' –
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
: ''
Andria
Andria (; Barese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in Apulia ( southern Italy). It is an agricultural and service center, producing wine, olives and almonds. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the Apulia region (behind Bari, Taranto, and Fogg ...
''
Poetry
*
Robert Copland – (published in London by
Wynkyn de Worde
Wynkyn de Worde (died 1534) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognised as the first to popularise the products of the printing press in England.
Name
Wynkyn de Worde was a German immigra ...
)
*
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...
(translated) – ''Terens in Englysh'' (published in Paris)
[
*''Approximate year''
** John Lydgate – ''Testament''][
**'']The Squire of Low Degree
''The Squire of Low Degree'', also known as ''The Squyr of Lowe Degre'', ''The Sqyr of Lowe Degre'' or ''The Sqyr of Lowe Degree'', is an anonymous late Middle English or early Modern English verse romance. There is little doubt that it was inte ...
'' (written c. 1500; published in London by Wynkyn de Worde)[
]
Births
*March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 &nd ...
– Matthias Flacius, German Lutheran theologian (died 1575
__NOTOC__
Year 1575 ( MDLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 21 – Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a monopoly on producin ...
)
*''unknown date''
**François Baudouin
François Baudouin (1520 – 24 October 1573), also called Balduinus, was a French jurist, Christian controversialist and historian. Among the most colourful of the noted French humanists, he was respected by his contemporaries as a statesman an ...
, French humanist historian (died 1573
Year 1573 ( MDLXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 25 – Battle of Mikatagahara in Japan: Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugaw ...
)
** Natalis Comes, Italian mythologist, poet and historian (died 1582
1582 ( MDLXXXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) in the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. This year saw the be ...
)
**Denis Lambin
Denis Lambin (Latinized as Dionysius Lambinus; 1520 – September 1572) was a French classical scholar.
Life
Lambin was born at Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais. Having devoted several years to classical studies during a residence in Italy, he was invited ...
, French classicist (died 1572
Year 1572 ( MDLXXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 16 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, is tried for treason, for his part ...
)
*''probable''
**Hernando de Acuña
Hernando de Acuña (c. 1520 – 22 June 1580), a native of Valladolid, was a Spanish poet and translator of the Spanish Golden Age. He was admired by Emperor Charles V for both his military and literary talents.
Life
Of noble birth, he devoted ...
, Spanish poet (died 1580
__NOTOC__
Events
January–June
* January 31 – Portuguese succession crisis of 1580: The death of Henry, King of Portugal, with no direct heirs, leads to conflict between his potential successors, including King Philip II of ...
)
**Giovanni Bona de Boliris
Giovanni Bona de Boliris (c.1520 – c.1572) was a humanist poet and writer, who wrote in Latin and Italian.
Life
Boliris was born in Cattaro (Kotor), in what was then called Albania Veneta (today Kotor, Montenegro). He studied in the Univer ...
, Italian humanist, poet and writer, writing in Latin and Italian (died 1572
Year 1572 ( MDLXXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 16 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, is tried for treason, for his part ...
)
**Thomas Churchyard
Thomas Churchyard (c. 1523 – 1604) was an English author and soldier. He is chiefly remembered for a series of autobiographical or semi-autobiographical verse collections, including ''Churchyardes Chippes'' (1575); ''Churchyard's Choise'' (157 ...
, English author and poet (died 1604
Events
January–June
* January 1 – '' The Masque of Indian and China Knights'' is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court.
* January 14 – The Hampton Court Conference is held between James I of England ...
)
** Pernette Du Guillet, French poet (died 1545
Year 1545 ( MDXLV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* February 22 – A firman of the Ottoman Empire is issued for the dethronement of Radu ...
)
**Jorge de Montemor
( es, Jorge de Montemayor) (1520? – 26 February 1561) was a Portuguese novelist and poet, who wrote almost exclusively in Spanish. His most famous work is a pastoral prose romance, the ''Diana'' (1559).
Biography
He was born at Montemor- ...
, Portuguese novelist and poet, writing in Spanish (died 1561
Year 1561 ( MDLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 31 – The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots in ...
)
** Christophe Plantin, French-born Dutch humanist and printer (died 1589
Events
January–June
* War of the Three Henrys: In France, the Catholic League is in rebellion against King Henry III, in revenge for his murder of Henry I, Duke of Guise in December 1588. The King makes peace with his old riv ...
)
** Madeleine Des Roches (Madeleine Neveu), French author, poet and salonnière (died 1587
Events
January–June
* February 1 – Queen Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, after Mary has been implicated in a plot to murder Elizabeth. Seven days later, on the orders of E ...
)
** Alexander Scott, Scottish poet (died 1582/83)
**Georg Thym
Georg Thym (c.1520, Zwickau – 21 December 1560, Wittenberg) was a German teacher, poet and writer.
Life
Thym attended school in his home town and then, from 1540, attended the University of Wittenberg, where he met (among others) Martin Luther ...
, German teacher, poet and writer (died 1560
Year 1560 ( MDLX) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – In the Kingdom of Scotland, French troops commanded by Henri Cleutin and ...
)
Deaths
* March 16 – Martin Waldseemüller, German humanist and cartographer (born c.1470)
* May 31 – Johannes Aesticampianus
Johannes Rhagius Aesticampianus (also Johannes Rak von Sommerfeld or Hans Rack) (1457 - 31 May 1520) was a German theologian and humanist.
Life
Johannes Rak was born in 1457 in Sommerfeld (now Lubsko, Poland). His father, Matthias Rak, died youn ...
, German humanist theologian (born 1457
Year 1457 ( MCDLVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 11 – After years of captivity and absence from the Ming throne, the ...
)
*''unknown date'' – William Dunbar, Scottish poet (born 1459/60)
References
1520
{{Year in literature article categories
1520 books
Years of the 16th century in literature