The 16th century begins with the Julian year

1501 Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna. * March 25 & ...

( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year

1600 __NOTOC__ In the Gregorian calendar, it was the last century leap year until the year 2000. Events January–June * January 1 – Scotland adopts January 1 as New Year's Day instead of March 25. * January ** Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of T ...

( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th century is regarded by historians as the century which saw the rise of

Western civilization Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

and the Islamic gunpowder empires. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

in Italy and Europe saw the emergence of important artists, authors and scientists, and led to the foundation of important subjects which include accounting and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...

proposed the heliocentric universe, which was met with strong resistance, and

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was ...

refuted the theory of

celestial spheres The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and others. In these celestial models, the apparent motions of the fixed stars ...

through observational measurement of the 1572 appearance of a

Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...

supernova. These events directly challenged the long-held notion of an immutable universe supported by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

and

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

, and led to major revolutions in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and science.

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

became a champion of the new sciences, invented the first thermometer and made substantial contributions in the fields of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

, becoming a major figure in the

Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution was a series of events that marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy) and chemistry transfo ...

. Spain and Portugal colonized large parts of Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, followed by France and England in

Northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 2 ...

and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...

. The Portuguese became the masters of trade between

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the coasts of Africa, and their possessions in the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

, whereas the Spanish came to dominate the

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, a ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and opened trade across the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

, linking the Americas with the Indies. English and French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s began to practice persistent theft of Spanish and Portuguese treasures. This era of

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

established mercantilism as the leading school of economic thought, where the economic system was viewed as a

zero-sum game Zero-sum game is a mathematical representation in game theory and economic theory of a situation which involves two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and an equivalent loss for the other. In other words, player one's gain is e ...

in which any gain by one party required a loss by another. The mercantilist

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief syste ...

encouraged the many intra-European wars of the period and arguably fueled European expansion and imperialism throughout the world until the 19th century or early 20th century. The

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in central and northern Europe gave a major blow to the authority of the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the British-Italian

Alberico Gentili Alberico Gentili (14 January 155219 June 1608) was an Italian-English jurist, a tutor of Queen Elizabeth I, and a standing advocate to the Spanish Embassy in London, who served as the Regius professor of civil law at the University of Oxfor ...

wrote the first book on public international law and divided

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

from

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

and Catholic theology. European politics became dominated by religious conflicts, with the groundwork for the epochal

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

being laid towards the end of the century. In the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

continued to expand, with the Sultan taking the title of

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

, while dealing with a resurgent Persia. Iran and Iraq were caught by a major popularity of the

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...

sect of Islam under the rule of the Safavid dynasty of warrior-mystics, providing grounds for a Persia independent of the majority- Sunni

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

. In the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, following the defeat of the Delhi Sultanate and

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

, new powers emerged, the

Sur Empire The Sur Empire ( ps, د سرو امپراتورۍ, dë sru amparāturəi; fa, امپراطوری سور, emperâturi sur) was an Afghan dynasty which ruled a large territory in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 16 year ...

founded by

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری) (1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان) , was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...

, Deccan sultanates, and the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

by Emperor Babur, a direct descendant of

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

and Genghis Khan. His successors

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...

and Akbar, enlarged the empire to include most of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

. The empire developed a strong and stable economy in the world, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of culture, which significantly influenced the course of

Indian history According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...

. Japan suffered a severe civil war at this time, known as the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, and emerged from it as a unified nation. China was ruled by the Ming dynasty and came into conflict with Japan and Japanese piracy over the control of Korea.

Significant events

1501–1509

Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched

: Michelangelo returns to his native

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

to begin work on the statue ''

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

''. *

: Safavid dynasty reunifies

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and rules over it until 1736. Safavids adopt a

branch of Islam. *

: First Battle of Cannanore between the Third Portuguese Armada and

Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...

under

João da Nova João da Nova ( gl, Xoán de Novoa, Joam de Nôvoa; es, Juan de Nova; ; born c. 1460 in Maceda, Ourense, Galicia; died July 16, 1509 in Kochi, India) was a Portuguese-Galician explorer of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the service of Portuga ...

and Zamorin of

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

's navy marks the beginning of Portuguese conflicts in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. * 1502: First reported African slaves in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

* 1502: The

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the long ...

sacks Sarai in the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...

, ending its existence. * 1503:

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

defeats

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

at the Battle of Cerignola. Considered to be the first battle in history won by gunpowder small arms. * 1503:

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

begins painting the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

'' and completes it three years later. * 1503:

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

is born on either December 14 or December 21. *

1504 __NOTOC__ Year 1504 (Roman numerals, MDIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 1 – Kingdom of France, French troops of King Louis XII ...

: A period of

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

, with

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

in all of Spain. *

: Death of Isabella I of Castile;

Joanna of Castile Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to P ...

becomes the Queen. *

: Foundation of the

Sultanate of Sennar The Funj Sultanate, also known as Funjistan, Sultanate of Sennar (after its capital Sennar) or Blue Sultanate due to the traditional Sudanese convention of referring to black people as blue () was a monarchy in what is now Sudan, northwestern E ...

Amara Dunqas Amara Dunqas was the first ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar, which he ruled from 1504 - 1533/4. "Dunqas" is an epithet meaning "bent down, with an inclined head", referring to the way of how he required his subjects to approach him. According to Ja ...

, in what is modern Sudan *

1505 __NOTOC__ Year 1505 ( MDV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * June 6 – The M8.2–8.8 Lo Mustang earthquake strikes Nepal, causing se ...

Zhengde Emperor The Zhengde Emperor (; 26 October 149120 April 1521) was the 11th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1505 to 1521. Born Zhu Houzhao, he was the Hongzhi Emperor's eldest son. Zhu Houzhao took the throne at only 14 with the era name Zh ...

ascends the throne of

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

. *

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

enters St. Augustine's Monastery at Erfurt, Germany, on 17 July and begins his journey to instigating the

. *

: Sultan Trenggono builds the first Muslim kingdom in Java, called

Demak Demak is on the north coast of Central Java province, on the island of Java, Indonesia. * Demak, Demak, modern-day large town * Demak Sultanate, sixteenth century sultanate * Demak Regency Demak ( jv, ꦢꦼꦩꦏ꧀) is a regency located in t ...

, in Indonesia. Many other small kingdoms were established in other islands to fight against Portuguese. Each kingdom introduced local language as a way of communication and unity. *

1506 __NOTOC__ Year 1506 ( MDVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 14 – The classical statue of ''Laocoön and His Sons'' is uneart ...

completes the ''

''. *

: King

Afonso I of Kongo Mvemba a Nzinga, Nzinga Mbemba, Funsu Nzinga Mvemba or Dom Alfonso. (c. 1456–1542 or 1543), also known as King Afonso I, was the sixth ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo from the Lukeni kanda dynasty and ruled in the first half of the 16th century ...

wins the battle of Mbanza Kongo, resulting in Catholicism becoming Kongo's state religion. Elgrancapitantrasbatalladeceriñola

: At least two thousand converted Jews are massacred in a Lisbon riot, Portugal. *

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

dies in

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

. *

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

is invaded by

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

from the

. *

1507 __NOTOC__ Year 1507 ( MDVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * April 25 – Martin Waldseemüller publishes his ''Cosmographiae Introductio'' ("I ...

: The first recorded epidemic of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

in the

on the island of Hispaniola. It devastates the native

Taíno The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...

population. *

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...

conquered Hormuz and

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...

, among other bases in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

, taking control of the region at the entrance of the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...

. * 1508: The Christian-Islamic power struggle in Europe and West Asia spills over into the Indian Ocean as

Battle of Chaul The Battle of Chaul was a naval battle between the Portuguese and an Egyptian Mamluk fleet in 1508 in the harbour of Chaul in India. The battle ended in a Mamluk victory. It followed the Siege of Cannanore in which a Portuguese garrison succes ...

during the Portuguese-Mamluk War * 1508–

1512 Year 1512 ( MDXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * Mid-January – Following the death of Svante Nilsson, Eric Trolle is elected the new ...

: Michelangelo paints the

Sistine Chapel ceiling The Sistine Chapel ceiling ( it, Soffitto della Cappella Sistina), painted in fresco by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The Sistine Chapel is the large papal chapel built within the Vatican ...

. *

1509 __NOTOC__ Year 1509 ( MDIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 21 – The Portuguese first arrive at the Seven Islands of Bombay and ...

: The defeat of joint fleet of the

Sultan of Gujarat The Gujarat Sultanate (or the Sultanate of Guzerat), was a Medieval Indian kingdom established in the early 15th century in Western India, primarily in the present-day state of Gujarat, India. The dynasty was founded by Sultan Zafar Khan Muza ...

, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, and the

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

with support of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

and the

in Battle of Diu marks the beginning of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

dominance of the Spice trade and the

. *

: The Portuguese king sends

Diogo Lopes de Sequeira D.Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (1465–1530) was a Portuguese fidalgo, sent to analyze the trade potential in Madagascar and Malacca. He arrived at Malacca on 11 September 1509 and left the next year when he discovered that Sultan Mahmud Shah was plan ...

to find Malacca, the eastern terminus of Asian trade. After initially receiving Sequeira, Sultan Mahmud Shah captures and/or kills several of his men and attempts an assault on the four Portuguese ships, which escape.Ricklefs (1991), p.23 The

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

nese fleet is also destroyed in Malacca. *

: Krishnadevaraya ascends the throne of

1510s The 1510s decade ran from January 1, 1510, to December 31, 1519. References {{DEFAULTSORT:1510s ...

Retrato de Afonso de Albuquerque (após 1545) - Autor desconhecido

– 1510: The 'great

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

' in various parts of

Tudor England Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor architecture, the fin ...

. * 1510:

of Portugal conquers

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

in India. *

1511 Year 1511 ( MDXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * March 26 - The 1511 Idrija earthquake occurs, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (' ...

of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the

Sultanate of Malacca The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Paramesw ...

in present-day Malaysia. *

writes ''

Commentariolus The ''Commentariolus'' (''Little Commentary'') is Nicolaus Copernicus's brief outline of an early version of his revolutionary heliocentric theory of the universe. After further long development of his theory, Copernicus published the mature vers ...

'', and proclaims the sun the center of the solar system. *

: The southern part (historical core) of the Kingdom of Navarre is invaded by Castile and Aragon. *

: Qutb Shahi dynasty, founded by Quli Qutb Mulk, rules Golconda Sultanate until

1687 Events January–March * January 3 – With the end of latest of the Savoyard–Waldensian wars in the Duchy of Savoy between the Savoyard government and Protestant Italians known as the Waldensians, Victor Amadeus III, Duke ...

. *

: The first Portuguese exploratory expedition was sent eastward from Malacca (in present-day Malaysia) to search for the '

Spice Islands A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

' ( Maluku) led by

Francisco Serrão 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 S ...

. Serrão is shipwrecked but struggles on to

Hitu Hitu is an Austronesian language of the Central Malayo-Polynesian subgroup spoken on Ambon Island in eastern Indonesia, part of a dialect chain A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geo ...

(northern

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

) and wins the favour of the local rulers.Ricklefs (1991), page 24 *

1513 Year 1513 ( MDXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * March 9 – Pope Leo X (layman Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici) succeeds Pope Julius ...

: Machiavelli writes ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

'', a treatise about political philosophy *

: The Portuguese

mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the ...

Jorge Álvares Jorge Álvares (died 8 July 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is credited as the first European to have reached China by sea during the Age of Discovery. His starting of settlements on an island in what is now Hong Kong is still considered a sign ...

lands at

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

, China, during the

. *

: Henry VIII defeats the French at the

Battle of the Spurs The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate (, "Day of the Spurs"; ''deuxième bataille de Guinegatte'') took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai, during the Italian Wars. Henry VIII and ...

. *

: The

Battle of Flodden Field The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in which invading Scots are defeated by Henry VIII's forces. *

: Sultan

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

("The Grim") orders the massacre of

Muslims in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

(present-day Turkey). *

Vasco Núñez de Balboa Vasco Núñez de Balboa (; c. 1475around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an ...

, in service of Spain arrives at the

(which he called Mar del Sur) across the Isthmus of Panama. He was the first European to do so. * 1514: The

Battle of Orsha The Battle of Orsha ( be, Бітва пад Оршай, translit=Bitva pad Oršaj, lt, Oršos mūšis, pl, bitwa pod Orszą, uk, Битва під Оршею), was a battle fought on 8 September 1514, between the allied forces of the Grand Du ...

halts Muscovy's expansion into

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

. * 1514: Dózsa rebellion (peasant revolt) in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

* 1514: The Battle of Chaldiran, the

gains decisive victory against Safavid dynasty. * 1515: The

wrests Eastern

from the Safavids after the Battle of Chaldiran. * 1515: The Ottoman Empire, Ottomans conquers the last beyliks of Anatolia, the Beylik of Dulkadir, Dulkadirs and the Ramadanid Emirate, Ramadanids. * 1516–1517: The Ottoman Empire, Ottomans defeat the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Mamluks and gain control of Egypt, Arabian Peninsula, Arabia, and the Levant. * 1517: The Sweating sickness epidemic in

. * 1517: The

begins when

posts his Ninety-five Theses in Saxony. * 1518: The Treaty of London (1518), Treaty of London was a non-aggression pact between the major European nations. The signatories were Burgundy, France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, the Papal States and Spain, all of whom agreed not to attack one another and to come to the aid of any that were under attack. * 1518: Mir Chakar Khan Rind leaves Balochistan (region), Baluchistan and settles in Punjab region, Punjab. * 1518: Leo Africanus, also known as al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi, an Andalusian Berber diplomat who is best known for his book ''Description of Africa (1550 book), Descrittione dell’Africa'' (Description of Africa), is captured by Spanish pirates; he is taken to Rome and presented to Pope Leo X. * 1518: The dancing plague of 1518 begins in Strasbourg, lasting for about one month. * 1519:

dies of natural causes on May 2. *1519: Wang Yangming, the Chinese philosopher and governor of Jiangxi province, describes his intent to use the firepower of the ''fo-lang-ji'', a breech-loading Portuguese culverin, in order to suppress the rebellion of Prince Zhu Chenhao. * 1519: Barbary pirates led by Hayreddin Barbarossa, a Turk appointed to ruling position in Algiers by the Ottoman Empire, raid Provence and Toulon in southern France. * 1519: Charles I of Archduke of Austria, Austria,

, and the Low Countries becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (ruled until 1556). * 1519–1522: Spanish expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magellan, Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano, Elcano are the first to Circumnavigate the Earth. * 1519–1521: Hernán Cortés leads the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

1520s

* 1520–1566: The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent marks the zenith of the

. * 1520: The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portugal, Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor Dawit II in Shewa 9 October. * 1520:

forces under Krishnadevaraya defeat the Adil Shahi dynasty, Adil Shahi under at the Battle of Raichur * 1520: Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah, Ali Mughayat Shah of Aceh begins an expansionist campaign capturing Daya on the west Sumatran coast (in present-day Indonesia), and the pepper and gold producing lands on the east coast. * 1520: The Portugal, Portuguese established a trading post in the village of Lamakera on the eastern side of Solor (in present-day Indonesia) as a transit harbour between Maluku and Malacca. * 1521: Belgrade (in present-day Serbia) is Siege of Belgrade (1521), captured by the Ottoman Empire. * 1521: After building fortifications at Tuen Mun, the Portuguese attempt to invade

China, but are expelled by Chinese naval forces. * 1521: Philippines encountered by Ferdinand Magellan. He was later killed in the Battle of Mactan in central Philippines in the same year. * 1521: Jiajing Emperor ascended the throne of

, China. * 1521: November, Ferdinand Magellan's expedition reaches Maluku (province), Maluku (in present-day Indonesia) and after trade with Ternate returns to Europe with a load of cloves. * 1521: Pati Unus leads the invasion of Malacca (in present-day Malaysia) against the Portuguese occupation. Pati Unus was killed in this battle, and was succeeded by his brother, sultan Trenggana. * 1522: Rhodes Siege of Rhodes (1522), falls to the Ottomans of Suleiman the Magnificent. Sack of Rome of 1527 by Johannes Lingelbach 17th century

Sack of Rome of 1527 by Johannes Lingelbach 17th century

* 1522: The Portuguese ally themselves with the rulers of Sultanate of Ternate, Ternate (in present-day Indonesia) and begin construction of a fort. * 1522: August, Luso-Sundanese Treaty signed between Portugal and Sunda Kingdom granted Portuguese permit to build fortress in Sunda Kelapa. * 1523: Sweden Foundation of Modern Sweden, gains independence from the Kalmar Union. * 1523: The Cacao bean is introduced to Spain by Hernán Cortés * 1524–1525: German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire. * 1524: Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland. * 1524: Ismail I, the founder of Safavid dynasty, dies and Tahmasp I becomes king. OttomanJanissariesAndDefendingKnightsOfStJohnSiegeOfRhodes1522

OttomanJanissariesAndDefendingKnightsOfStJohnSiegeOfRhodes1522

* 1525: Timurid Empire forces under Babur defeat the Lodi dynasty at the First Battle of Panipat, end of the Delhi Sultanate. * 1525: Holy Roman Empire, German and Spanish Empire, Spanish forces defeat France at the Battle of Pavia, Francis I of France is captured. * 1526: The Ottomans defeat the Kingdom of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács. * 1526:

, founded by Babur, dominates India until 1857. * 1527: Sack of Rome (1527), Sack of Rome with Pope Clement VII escaping and the Swiss Guards defending the Vatican City, Vatican being killed. The sack of the city of Rome considered the end of the Italian Renaissance. * 1527: Protestant Reformation begins in Sweden. * 1527: The last ruler of Majapahit falls from power. This state (located in present-day Indonesia) was finally extinguished at the hands of the

. A large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, and members of the royalty moved east to the island of Bali; however, the power and the seat of government transferred to Demak under the leadership of Pangeran, later Raden Patah, Sultan Fatah. * 1527: June 22, The Javanese Prince Fatahillah of the Sultanate of Cirebon, Cirebon Sultanate successfully defeated the Portuguese armed forces at the site of the Sunda Kelapa Harbor. The city was then renamed Jayakarta, meaning "a glorious victory." This eventful day came to be acknowledged as Jakarta's Founding Anniversary. * 1527:

forces defeat the Rajput led by Rana Sanga of Mewar at the Battle of Khanwa * 1529: The Austrians defeat the

at the Siege of Vienna (1529), siege of Vienna. * 1529: Treaty of Zaragoza (1529), Treaty of Zaragoza defined the antimeridian of Treaty of Tordesillas, Tordesillas attributing the Moluccas to Portugal and Philippines to Spain. * 1529: Imam Ahmad Gragn defeats the Ethiopian Emperor Dawit II of Ethiopia, Dawit II in the Battle of Shimbra Kure, the opening clash of the Ethiopian–Adal War.

1530s

* 1531–1532: The History of the Church of England, Church of England breaks away from the

and recognizes Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII as the head of the Church. * 1531: The Inca Civil War is fought between the two brothers, Atahualpa and Huáscar. * 1532: Francisco Pizarro leads the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. * 1532: Foundation of São Vicente, São Paulo, São Vicente, the first permanent Portuguese settlement in the Americas. * 1533: Anne Boleyn becomes Queen of England. * 1533: Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth Tudor is born. * 1534: Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France. * 1534: The Ottomans Capture of Baghdad (1534), capture Baghdad from the Safavid Iran, Safavids. * 1534: Affair of the Placards, where King Francis I of France, Francis I becomes more active in repression of French Protestants. * 1535: The Münster Rebellion, an attempt of radical, Millennialism, millennialist, Anabaptists to establish a theocracy, ends in bloodshed. * 1535: The Portuguese in Ternate depose Sultan Tabariji of Ternate, Tabariji (or Tabarija) and send him to Portuguese Goa where he converts to Christianity and bequeaths his Portuguese godfather Jordao de Freitas the island of

.Ricklefs (1991), page 25 Hairun becomes the next sultan. * 1536: Katherine of Aragon dies in Kimbolton Castle, in England. * 1536: In England, Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery and treason. * 1536: Establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition, Inquisition in Portugal. * 1536: Foundation of Buenos Aires (in present-day Argentina) by Pedro de Mendoza. * 1537: The Portuguese Empire, Portuguese establish Recife in Pernambuco, north-east of

. * 1537: William Tyndale's partial translation of the Bible into English is published, which would eventually be incorporated into the King James Bible. * 1538: Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founds Bogotá. * 1538: Spanish Empire, Spanish–Republic of Venice, Venetian fleet is defeated by the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Preveza. * 1539: Hernando de Soto (explorer), Hernando de Soto explores inland North America.

1540s

*1540: The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, is founded by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions with the approval of Pope Paul III. *1540:

founds the Sur Empire, Suri dynasty in

, an ethnic Pashtuns, Pashtun (Pathan) of the house of Sur Dynasty, Sur, who supplanted the Mughal dynasty as rulers of North India during the reign of the relatively ineffectual second Mughal emperor

. Sher Shah Suri decisively defeats Humayun in the Battle of Bilgram (May 17, 1540). *1541: Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago, Chile, Santiago de Chile. *1541: An Algerian military campaign by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain (Habsburg) is unsuccessful. *1541: Amazon River is encountered and explored by Francisco de Orellana. *1541: Siege of Buda (1541), Capture of Buda and the absorption of the major part of

by the

. *1541: Sahib I Giray of Crimean Khanate, Crimea invades Grand Duchy of Moscow, Russia. *1542: War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII is allied with the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Suleiman I are allied with the French people, French. *1542: Akbar The Great is born in the Rajput Umarkot Fort *1542: Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the island of Samar and Leyte ''Philippines, Las Islas Filipinas'' honoring Philip II of Spain and became the official name of the archipelago. *1543: Ethiopian/Portugal, Portuguese troops decisively defeat the Adal-Ottoman Muslim army led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, Ahmad Gragn at the Battle of Wayna Daga; Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, Ahmad Gragn is killed at this battle. * 1543:

publishes his theory that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun *1543: The Nanban trade period begins after Portuguese traders make contact with Japan. *1544: The France, French defeat an Holy Roman Empire, Imperial–Spanish Empire, Spanish army at the Battle of Ceresole. *1544: Battle of the Shirts in Scottish clan, Scotland. The Clan Fraser, Frasers and Macdonalds of Clan Ranald fight over a disputed chiefship; reportedly, 5 Frasers and 8 Macdonalds survive. *1545: Songhai Empire, Songhai forces sack the Mali Empire, Malian capital of Niani, Mali, Niani *1545: The Council of Trent meets for the first time in Trent (in northern Italy). *1546: Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica. *1546: Francis Xavier works among the peoples of Ambon, Ternate and Morotai (Moro) laying the foundations for a permanent mission. (to 1547) *1547: Henry VIII dies in the Palace of Whitehall on 28 January at the age of 55. *1547: Francis I of France, Francis I dies in the Château de Rambouillet on 31 March at the age of 52. *1547: Edward VI of England, Edward VI becomes King of England and Ireland on 28 January and is crowned on 20 February at the age of 9. *1547: Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V decisively dismantles the Schmalkaldic League at the Battle of Mühlberg. *1547: Grand Duchy of Moscow, Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible is crowned tsar of (All) Russia, thenceforth becoming the Tsar of Russia#Tsars of Russia, first Russian tsar. *1548: Battle of Uedahara: Firearms are used for the first time on the battlefield in Japan, and Takeda Shingen is defeated by Murakami Yoshikiyo. * 1548: Askia Daoud, who reigned from 1548 to 1583, establishes public libraries in Timbuktu (in present-day Mali). *1548: The

government of China issues a decree banning all foreign trade and closes down all seaports along the coast; these Hai jin laws came during the Wokou wars with Japanese pirates. *1549: Tomé de Sousa establishes Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in Bahia, north-east of

. *1549: Arya Penangsang with the support of his teacher, Sunan Kudus, avenges the death of Raden Kikin by sending an envoy named Rangkud to kill Sunan Prawoto by Keris Kyai Satan Kober (in present-day Indonesia).

1550s

* 1550: The architect Mimar Sinan builds the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. * 1550: Mongols led by Altan Khan invade Ming Dynasty, China and besiege Beijing. * 1550–1551: Valladolid debate concerning the human rights of the Indigenous people of the Americas. * 1551: Fifth outbreak of sweating sickness in England. John Caius of Shrewsbury writes the first full contemporary account of the symptoms of the disease. * 1551: North African Barbary pirates, pirates enslave the entire population of the Maltese island Gozo, between 5,000 and 6,000, sending them to Libya. * 1552: Russia conquers the Khanate of Kazan in central Asia. * 1552: Jesuit China Mission, Francis Xavier dies. * 1553: Mary I of England, Mary Tudor becomes the first queen regnant of England and restores the Church of England under Papal authority. * 1553: The

found a settlement at History of Macau, Macau. * 1554: Missionary, Missionaries José de Anchieta and Manuel da Nóbrega establishes São Paulo, southeast

. * 1554: Elizabeth I of England, Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London upon the orders of Mary I of England, Mary I for suspicion of being involved in the Wyatt's rebellion, Wyatt rebellion. * 1555: The Muscovy Company is the first major English Joint stock company, joint stock trading company. * 1556: Publication in Venice of Delle Navigiationi et Viaggi (terzo volume) by Giovanni Battista Ramusio, secretary of Council of Ten, with plan ''La Terra de Hochelaga'', an illustration of the Hochelaga (village), Hochelaga. * 1556: The Shaanxi earthquake in China is history's deadliest known earthquake during the Ming dynasty. * 1556: Georgius Agricola, the "Father of Mineralogy", publishes his ''De re metallica''. * 1556: Akbar defeats Hemu at the Second battle of Panipat. * 1556: Russia conquers the Astrakhan Khanate. * 1556–1605: During his reign, Akbar expands the Mughal Empire in a series of conquests (in the Indian subcontinent). * 1556: Mir Chakar Khan Rind captures Delhi with

. * 1556: Pomponio Algerio, radical theologian, is executed by boiling in oil as part of the Roman inquisition. * 1557: Habsburg Spain declares bankruptcy. Philip II of Spain had to declare four National bankruptcy, state bankruptcies in 1557, 1560, 1575 and 1596. * 1557: The

settle in

(on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from present-day Hong Kong). * 1557: The Ottoman Empire, Ottomans capture Massawa, all but isolating Ethiopia from the rest of the world. * 1558: Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen Elizabeth I at age 25. * 1558–1603: The Elizabethan era is considered the height of the English Renaissance. * 1558–1583: Livonian War between Poland, Grand Principality of Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark and Russia. * 1558: After 200 years, the Kingdom of England loses Calais to France. * 1559: With the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis, the Italian Wars conclude. * 1559: Sultan Hairun of Ternate (in present-day Indonesia) protests the Portuguese's Christianity, Christianisation activities in his lands. Hostilities between Sultanate of Ternate, Ternate and the Portuguese.

1560s

Akbar shoots Jaimal at the siege of Chitor

* 1560: Ottoman navy defeats the Spanish Empire, Spanish fleet at the Battle of Djerba. * 1560: Elizabeth Bathory is born in Nyirbator, Hungary. * 1560: By winning the Battle of Okehazama, Oda Nobunaga becomes one of the pre-eminent warlords of Japan. * 1560: Jeanne d'Albret declares Calvinism the official religion of Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre. * 1560: St. Lazarus' Church, Macau, Lazarus Church, Macau * 1561: Sir Francis Bacon is born in London. * 1561: The battles of Kawanakajima, fourth battle of Kawanakajima between the Uesugi and Takeda at Hachimanbara takes place. * 1561: Guido de Bres draws up the Belgic Confession of Protestant faith. * 1562: Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor Akbar reconciles the Muslim and Hindu factions by marrying into the powerful Rajput Hindu caste. * 1562–1598: French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Huguenots. * 1562: Massacre of Wassy and Battle of Dreux in the French Wars of Religion. * 1562: Portuguese Dominican Order, Dominican priests build a palm-trunk fortress which Javanese people, Javanese Muslims burned down the following year. The fort was rebuilt from more durable materials and the Dominicans commenced the Christianity, Christianisation of the local population. * 1563: Black Death, Plague outbreak claimed 80,000 people in Elizabethan era, Elizabethan

. In London alone, over 20,000 people died of the disease. * 1564:

born on February 15 * 1564: William Shakespeare baptized 26 April * 1565: Deccan sultanates defeat the

at the Battle of Talikota. * 1565: Mir Chakar Khan Rind dies at aged 97. * 1565: Estácio de Sá establishes Rio de Janeiro in

. * 1565: The Knights Hospitaller, Hospitallers, a Crusading Order, defeat the

at the siege of Malta (1565). * 1565: Miguel López de Legazpi establishes in Cebu the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines starting a period of Spanish colonization that would last over three hundred years. * 1565: Spanish navigator Andres de Urdaneta discovers the maritime route from Asia to the Americas across the

, also known as the ''tornaviaje''. * 1565: Royal Exchange, London, Royal Exchange is founded by Thomas Gresham. * 1566: Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the

, dies on September 7, during the battle of Szigetvar. * 1566–1648: Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands. * 1566: Da le Balle Contrade d'Oriente, composed by Cipriano de Rore. * 1567: After 45 years' reign, Jiajing Emperor died in the Forbidden City, Longqing Emperor ascended the throne of

. * 1567: Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned by Elizabeth I. * 1568: The Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvanian Diet (assembly), Diet, under the patronage of the prince John Sigismund Zápolya, the former king of Hungary, inspired by the teachings of Ferenc Dávid, the founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania, promulgates the Edict of Torda, the first law of freedom of religion and of conscience in the World. * 1568–1571: Morisco Revolt in Spain. * 1568–

: The Azuchi-Momoyama period in Japan. * 1568: Hadiwijaya sent his adopted son and son in-law Senopati, Sutawijaya, who would later become the first ruler of the Mataram Sultanate, Mataram dynasty of Indonesia, to kill Arya Penangsang. * 1569: Rising of the North in England. * 1569: Mercator 1569 world map published by Gerardus Mercator. * 1569: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is created with the Union of Lublin which lasts until 1795. * 1569: Peace treaty signed by Sultan Hairun of Ternate and Governor Lopez De Mesquita of Portugal.

1570s

* 1570: Ivan the Terrible, tsar of Russia, orders the massacre of inhabitants of Novgorod. * 1570: Pope Pius V issues ''Regnans in Excelsis'', a papal bull excommunicating all who obeyed Elizabeth I and calling on all Catholics to rebel against her. * 1570: Sultan Hairun of Ternate (in present-day Indonesia) is killed by the Portuguese. Babullah of Ternate, Babullah becomes the next Sultan. * 1571: Pope Pius V completes the Holy League (Mediterranean), Holy League as a united front against the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turks. * 1571: The Spanish-led Holy League navy destroys the

navy at the Battle of Lepanto (1571), Battle of Lepanto. * 1571: Crimean Khanate, Crimean Tatars attack and Russo-Crimean Wars, sack Moscow, burning everything but the Moscow Kremlin, Kremlin. * 1571: Native Americans in the United States, American Indians kill Spanish missionaries in what would later be Jamestown, Virginia. * 1571: Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi establishes Manila, Philippines as the capital of the Spanish East Indies. * 1572: Brielle is taken from Habsburg Spain by Protestant Watergeuzen in the Capture of Brielle, in the Eighty Years' War. * 1572: Conquistador, Spanish conquistadores apprehend the last Inca Empire, Inca leader Tupak Amaru at Vilcabamba, Peru, and execute him in Cuzco. * 1572: Jeanne d'Albret dies aged 43 and is succeeded by Henry IV of France, Henry of Navarre. * 1572: Catherine de' Medici instigates the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre which takes the lives of Protestant leader Gaspard II de Coligny, Gaspard de Coligny and thousands of Huguenots. The violence spreads from Paris to other cities and the countryside. * 1572: First edition of the epic The Lusiads of Luís Vaz de Camões, three years after the author returned from the East. * 1572: The 9 years old Crown prince, Taizi, Zhu Yijun ascended the throne of Ming Dynasty, known as Wanli Emperor. * 1573: After heavy losses on both sides the siege of Haarlem ends in a Spain, Spanish victory. La masacre de San Bartolomé, por François Dubois

La masacre de San Bartolomé, por François Dubois

* 1574: in the Eighty Years' War the capital of County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Middelburg, Zeeland, Middelburg declares for the Protestants. * 1574: After a siege of 4 months the siege of Leiden ends in a comprehensive Dutch Revolt, Dutch rebel victory. * 1575: Oda Nobunaga finally captures Nagashima fortress. * 1575: Following a five-year war, the Ternateans under Sultan Babullah of Ternate, Babullah defeated the Portuguese. * 1576: Tahmasp I, Safavid shah, dies. * 1576: The Battle of Haldighati is fought between the ruler of Mewar, Maharana Pratap and the

's forces under Emperor Akbar led by Raja Man Singh. * 1576: Sack of Antwerp by badly paid Spaniards, Spanish soldiers. * 1577–1580: Francis Drake Circumnavigation, circles the world. * 1577: Ki Ageng Pemanahan built his palace in Pasargede or Kotagede. * 1578: King Sebastian of Portugal is killed at the Battle of Alcazarquivir. * 1578: The Portuguese establish a fort on Tidore but the main centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku becomes Ambon. * 1578: 3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso is conferred the title of Dalai Lama by Tumed Mongol ruler, Altan Khan. Recognised as the reincarnation of two previous Lamas, Sonam Gyatso becomes the third Dalai Lama in the lineage. * 1579: The Union of Utrecht unifies the northern Netherlands, a foundation for the later Dutch Republic. * 1579: The Union of Arras unifies the southern Netherlands, a foundation for the later states of the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands and Belgium. The Image of Irelande - plate03

* 1579: The British navigator Sir Francis Drake passes through Maluku and transit in Ternate on his circumnavigation of the world. The Portuguese establish a fort on Tidore but the main centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku becomes Ambon.

1580s

La batalla de Gravelinas, por Nicholas Hilliard

* 1580: Francis Drake, Drake's royal reception after his attacks on Spanish possessions influences Philip II of Spain to build up the Spanish Armada. English ships in Spanish harbours are impounded. * 1580: Spain unifies with Portugal under Philip II of Spain, Philip II. The struggle for the throne of Portugal ends the Portuguese Empire. The Spanish and Portuguese crowns are Iberian Union, united for 60 years, i.e. until 1640. * 1580–1587: Nagasaki comes under control of the Jesuits. * 1581: Dutch Act of Abjuration, declaring abjuring allegiance to Philip II of Spain. * 1581: Bayinnaung dies at the age of 65. * 1582: Oda Nobunaga commits seppuku during the Honnō-ji Incident coup by his general, Akechi Mitsuhide. * 1582: Pope Gregory XIII issues the Gregorian calendar. The last day of the Julian calendar was Thursday, 4 October 1582 and this was followed by the first day of the Gregorian calendar, Friday, 15 October 1582 * 1582: Yermak Timofeyevich conquers the Siberia Khanate on behalf of the Stroganovs. * 1583: Denmark builds the world's first theme park, Dyrehavsbakken, Bakken. * 1583: Death of Sultan Babullah of Ternate. * 1584–1585: After the Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585), siege of Antwerp, many of its merchants flee to Amsterdam. According to Luc-Normand Tellier, "At its peak, between 1510 and 1557, Antwerp concentrated about 40% of the world trade...It is estimated that the port of Antwerp was earning the Spanish crown seven times more revenues than the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Americas." * 1584: Gedhe Pamanahan, Ki Ageng Pemanahan died. Sultan Pajang raised Sutawijaya, son of Ki Ageng Pemanahan as the new ruler in Mataram Sultanate, Mataram, titled "Loring Ngabehi Market" (because of his home in the north of the market). * 1585: Akbar annexes Kashmir and adds it to the History of Afghanistan#Mughals, Uzbeks, and Safavids, Kabul Subah Fusta_by_Jan_Huygen_van_Linschoten

* 1585: Colony at Roanoke Colony, Roanoke founded in North America. * 1585–1604: The Anglo-Spanish War (1585), Anglo-Spanish War is fought on both sides of the Atlantic. * 1587: Mary, Queen of Scots is executed by Elizabeth I. * 1587: The reign of Abbas I of Persia, Abbas I marks the zenith of the Safavid dynasty. * 1587: Troops that would invade Pajang Mataram Sultanate storm ravaged the eruption of Mount Merapi. Sutawijaya and his men survived. * 1588: Mataram into the kingdom with Sutawijaya as Sultan, titled "Senapati Ingalaga Sayidin Panatagama" means the warlord and cleric Manager Religious Life. * 1588: England repulses the Spanish Armada. * 1589: Spain repulses the English Armada. * 1589: Catherine de' Medici dies at aged 69.

1590–1600

* 1590: Siege of Odawara (1590), Siege of Odawara: the Late Hōjō clan, Go-Hojo clan surrender to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Japan is unified. * 1591: List of Crimean khans, Gazi Giray leads a huge Tatar expedition against Moscow. * 1591: In Mali, Morocco, Moroccan forces of the Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur Saadi, Ahmad al-Mansur led by Judar Pasha defeat the Songhai Empire at the Battle of Tondibi. * 1592–1593: John Stow reports 10,675 Black Death, plague deaths in London, a city of approximately 200,000 people. * 1592–1598: Korea, with the help of

China, repels Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, two Japanese invasions. * 1593–1606: The Long War (Ottoman wars), Long War between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turks. * 1594: St. Paul's College, Macau, founded by Alessandro Valignano. * 1595: First Dutch expedition to Indonesia sets sail for the East Indies with two hundred and forty-nine men and sixty-four cannons led by Cornelis de Houtman.Ricklefs (1991), page 27 * 1596: Birth of René Descartes. * 1596: June, de Houtman's expedition reaches Banten the main pepper port of West Java where they clash with both the Portuguese and Indonesians. It then sails east along the north coast of

losing twelve crew to a Javanese attack at Sidayu and killing a local ruler in Madura. * 1597: ''Romeo and Juliet'' is published. * 1597: Cornelis de Houtman's expedition returns to the Netherlands with enough spices to make a considerable profit. * 1598: The Edict of Nantes ends the French Wars of Religion. * 1598: Abbas I of Persia, Abbas I moves Safavids capital from Qazvin to Isfahan in 1598. * 1598–1613: Russia descends into anarchy during the Time of Troubles. * 1598: The Portuguese require an armada of 90 ships to put down a Solorese uprising. (to 1599) * 1598: More Dutch fleets leave for Indonesia and most are profitable. Sekigaharascreen

* 1598: The province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México is established in Northern New Spain. The region would later become a territory of Mexico, the New Mexico Territory in the United States, and the US State of New Mexico. * 1598: Death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, known as the unifier of Japan. * 1599: The Mali Empire is defeated at the Battle of Jenné. * 1599: The van Neck expedition returns to Europe. The expedition makes a 400 per cent profit. (to 1600) * 1599: March, Leaving Europe the previous year, a Second Dutch Expedition to Indonesia (1598-1600), fleet of eight ships under Jacob van Neck was the first Dutch fleet to reach the ‘Spice Islands’ of Maluku. *

: Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for Christian heresy, heresy in Rome. Fülek megvétele 1593-ban

: Battle of Sekigahara in Japan. End of the Sengoku period, Warring States period and beginning of the Edo period. *

: The Portuguese win a major naval battle in the bay of Ambon.Ricklefs (1991), page 28 Later in the year, the Dutch join forces with the local Hituese in an anti-Portuguese alliance, in return for which the Dutch would have the sole right to purchase spices from Hitu. *

: Elizabeth I grants a charter to the British East India Company beginning the English advance in Asia. *

: Michael the Brave unifies the three Romanian principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvania after the Battle of Șelimbăr from 1599.

Undated

*The Histories (Polybius), Polybius' "The Histories" translated into Italian language, Italian, English language, English, German language, German and French language, French.Polybius: "The Rise Of The Roman Empire", Page 36, Penguin, 1979. * Mississippian culture disappears. * Medallion rug, variant Star Ushak style,

(modern Turkey), is made. It is now kept at The Saint Louis Art Museum.

Gallery

File:Alberico Gentili.jpg, Alberico Gentili, Dr Alberico Gentili, the Father of international law File:Vasili III of Russia.jpg, Vasily III, Grand Duke of Moscow by André Thévet File:Hernán Cortés anónimo.jpg, Hernán Cortés, Hernan Cortes File:Akbar1.jpg, Akbar, Akbar the Great File:Philip II, King of Spain from NPG.jpg, Philip II of Spain File:François Ier Louvre.jpg, Francis I of France, Francis I of France File:Hans Holbein, the Younger, Around 1497-1543 - Portrait of Henry VIII of England - Google Art Project.jpg, Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1536 – 1537, '' Henry VIII,'' King of England and Ireland File:Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, III Duque de Alba, por Antonio Moro.jpg, Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo File:Ivan IV by anonim (18th c., GIM).jpg, Ivan IV the Terrible File:1590 or later Marcus Gheeraerts, Sir Francis Drake Buckland Abbey, Devon.jpg, Francis Drake, Sir Francis Drake File:Odanobunaga.jpg, Oda Nobunaga

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

: ''Related article: Timeline of historic inventions#16th century, List of 16th century inventions.'' * The Columbian Exchange introduces many plants, animals and diseases to the Old World, Old and

s. * Introduction of the spinning wheel revolutionizes textile production in Europe. * The letter J is introduced into the English alphabet. * 1500: First portable watch is created by Peter Henlein of Germany. *

: Juan Ponce de León sights Florida and

sights the eastern edge of the

. * 1519–1522, 22: Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano lead the first circumnavigation of the World. * 1519–1540: In America, Hernando de Soto (explorer), Hernando de Soto expeditions map the Gulf of Mexico coastline and bays. * 1525: Modern square root symbol (√) * 1540: Francisco Vásquez de Coronado sights the Grand Canyon. * 1541–1542, 42: Francisco de Orellana sails the length of the Amazon River. * 1542–1543, 43: Firearms are introduced into Japan by the

. * 1543:

publishes his theory that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun * 1545: Theory of complex numbers is first developed by Gerolamo Cardano of Italy. * 1558: Camera obscura is first used in Europe by Giambattista della Porta of Italy. * 1559–1562: Spanish settlements in Alabama/Florida and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia confirm dangers of hurricanes and local native warring tribes. * 1565: Spanish settlers outside New Spain (Mexico) colonize Florida's coastline at St. Augustine, Florida, St. Augustine. * 1565: Invention of the graphite pencil (in a wooden holder) by Conrad Gesner. Modernized in 1812. * 1568: Gerardus Mercator creates the first Mercator projection map. * 1572: Supernova SN 1572 is observed by

in the

. * 1582: Gregorian calendar is introduced in Europe by Pope Gregory XIII and adopted by Catholic countries. * c. 1583:

of Pisa, Italy identifies the constant swing of a pendulum, leading to development of reliable timekeepers. * 1585: earliest known reference to the 'Wheelbarrow#Chinese sailing carriage, sailing carriage' in China. * 1589: William Lee (inventor), William Lee invents the stocking frame. * 1591: First flush toilet is introduced by John Harington (writer), Sir John Harrington of England, the design published under the title 'The Metamorphosis of Ajax'. * 1593:

invents a thermometer. * 1596: William Barents discovers Spitsbergen. * 1597: Opera in

by Jacopo Peri.

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:16th Century 16th century, Centuries Early Modern period 2nd millennium

Significant events

1501–1509

1510s The 1510s decade ran from January 1, 1510, to December 31, 1519. References {{DEFAULTSORT:1510s ...

1520s

1530s

1540s

1550s

1560s

1570s

1580s

1590–1600

Undated

Gallery

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

See also

References

Further reading

External links