Historical
1501: Italy - Michelangelo returns to his native Florence to begin work on the statue David
1501: Itan - Safavid dynasty rules Iran until 1736, Safavids adopt a Shia branch of Islam
1502: South America - First reported African slaves in the New World
1503: France - Nostradamus was born on either December 14 or December 21
1503: Italy - Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa and completes It three or four years later
1503: Spain, France - Battle of Cerignola, Spain defeats France, considered to be the first battle in history won by gunpowder small arms
1503: Sudan - Foundation of the Sultanate of Sennar by Amara Dunqas, in what is modern Sudan
1504: Spain - A droughty period, with famine in all of Spain
1506: Spain - At least two thousand converted Jews are massacred in a Lisbon riot
1506: Spain - Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain
1506: Ukraine, Poland - Poland is Invaded by Tatars (or Tartars) from the Crimean Khanate (Ukraine)
1507: Dominican Republic, Haiti - The first recorded epidemic of smallpox in the New World occurs on the Island of Hispaniola and decimates the native Taino population
1509-1510: England - The Great Plague afflicts various parts of Tudor England
1509: Portugal - Battle of Diu marks the beginning of Portuguese dominance of the Spice trade
1511: Portugal, Malaysia - Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca (island of Malaysia)
1512: Poland - Polish scientist Copernicus writes Commentariolus, and moves the sun to the center of the solar system
1512: Spain - The southern part (historical core) of the Kingdom of Navarre (in Spain) is Invaded by Castile and Aragon
1513: England, France - Battle of the Spurs, Henry VIII crush the French
1513: England, Scotland - Battle of Flodden Field, Henry VIII repels the Invading Scots
1513: Italy - Machiavelli The Prince, writes a treatise about political philosophy
1513: Panama - Vasco Nunez de Balboa, in service of Spain arrives at the Pacific Ocean (which he called Mar del Sur) across the Isthmus of Panama, It was the first European to sight the new ocean
1513: Portugal, China - The Portuguese mariner Jorge Alvares lands at Macau, China, during the Ming Dynasty
1513: Turkey - Sultan Selim I (The Grim) orders the massacre of Shia Muslims in Anatolia
1514: Lithuania, Poland, Russia - Battle of Orsha halts the expansion of Muscovy into Eastern Europe
1515: Turkey, Poland - Battle of Chaldiran, the Ottoman Empire wrests Eastern Anatolia from the Safavids
1516-1517: Turkey, Egypt - The Ottomans defeat the Mamluks and gain control of Egypt, Arabia, and the Levant
1517: England - The Sweating Sickness epidemic hits Tudor England
1517: Saxony - The Protestant Reformation begins when Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses in Saxony
1518: Iran - Mir Chakar Khan Rind leaves Baluchistan (Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) and settled in Punjab (Pakistan and India)
1519-1521: Mexico - Hernan Cortes leads the Spanish conquest of Mexico
1519-1522: globe - Spanish expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magellan and Elcano first to circle Earth
1519: China - Wang Yangming, the Chinese philosopher and governor of Jiangxi province, describes his Intent to use the fire power of the fo-lang-ji, a breech-loading Portuguese culverin, in order to suppress the rebellion of Prince Zhu Chen-hao
1519: France - Barbary pirates led by Hayreddin Barbarossa raid Provence and Toulon in southern France
1519: Italy - Leonardo da Vinci dies of natural causes on May 2
1519: Spain - Charles I of Spain becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (ruled until 1556)
1520-1566: Turkey - The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent marks the zenith of the Ottoman Empire
1520: Portugal, Ethiopia - The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the Imperial encampment of Emperor Dawit II in Shewa 9 October
1521: Philippines - Philippines discovered by Ferdinand Magellan, he was later killed in battle in central Philippines in the same year
1521: Portugal, China - After building fortifications at Tuen Mun, the Portuguese attempt to Invade Ming Dynasty China, but are expelled by Chinese naval forces
1521: Turkey, Serbia - Belgrade is captured by the Ottoman Empire
1522: Turkey - Rhodes falls to the Ottoman Turks of Suleiman the Magnificent, the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
1523: Sweden, Norway, Denmark - Sweden gains Independence from the Kalmar Union
1524-1525: Germany - German Peasants War in the Holy Roman Empire
1524: North America - Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland
1525: Spain, german, France - Battle of Pavia, Spain and Germany defeat Francis I of France and capture him
1526: India - Mughal Empire, founded by Babur, rules India until 1739 and hold titles until 1857
1526: Turkey. Hungary - Battle of Mohacs, the Ottomans defeat the Kingdom of Hungary
1527: Italy - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, sacks Rome, this basically ends the Italian Renaissance
1527: Sweden - Protestant Reformation begins in Sweden
1529: Austria, Turkey - Siege of Vienna, Austrians defeat the Ottoman Empire
1529: Ethiopia - Battle of Shimbra, Kure Imam Ahmad Gragn defeats the Ethiopian Emperor Dawit II, the opening clash of the Ethiopian-Adal War
1529: Portugal, Spain - Treaty of Zaragoza defined the antimeridian of Tordesillas attributing the Moluccas to Portugal and Philippines to Spain
1531-1532: England - The Church of England breaks away from the Roman Catholic Church and recognizes King Henry VIII as the head of the Church
1531: Peru - The Inca Civil War is fought between the two brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar
1532: Spain, Peru - Francisco Pizarro leads the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
1533: England - Anne Boleyn becomes Queen of England
1533: England - Elizabeth Tudor is born
1534: France, Canada - Jacques Cartier claims Quebec for France
1534: France - Affair of the Placards, Francis becomes more active in repression of French Protestants
1534: Turkey, Iraq - Battle of Baghdad, Ottomans capture Baghdad
1535: Germany - The Munster Rebellion, an attempt of radical, millennialist, Anabaptists in Germany to establish a theocracy ends in bloodshed
1536: Argentina - Foundation of Buenos Aires by Pedro de Mendoza
1536: England - Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery and treason
1536: Portugal - Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal
1537: Portugal, Brazil - Portuguese establishes Recife in Pernambuco, north-east of Brazil
1538: Turkey, Spain, Italy - Battle of Preveza, Ottoman Turks defeat the Spanish-Venetian fleet
1539: North America - Hernando de Soto explores Inland North America
1541: Algeria, Spain - An Algerian military campaign by Charles V of Spain (Habsburg) is unsuccessful
1541: Brazil - Amazon River is discovered and explored by Francisco de Orellana
1541: Chile - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile
1541: Korea, Russia - Sahib I Giray of Crimea Invade Russia
1541: Turkey, Hungary - Capture of Buda and the absorption of the major part of Hungary by the Ottoman Empire
1542: France, England, Scotland - War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V, this time Henry VIII is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French
1543: Ethiopia, Portugal - Battle of Wayna Daga, Ethiopian/Portuguese troops decisively defeat the Muslim army, Imam Ahmad Gragn killed
1543: Portugal, Japan - The Nanban trade period begins after Portuguese traders make contact with Japan
1544: France, Spain - Battle of Ceresole, French defeat an Imperial-Spanish army
1544: Scotland - Battle of the Shirts in Scotland, the Frasers and Macdonalds of Clan Ranald fight over a disputed chiefship, reportedly, 5 Frasers and 8 Macdonalds survive
1546: Italy - Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. Peters Basilica
1547: Russia - Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible is crowned tsar of (All)Russia, thenceforth becoming the first Russian tsar
1547: Spain, Italy, Hungary - Battle of Muhlberg, Emperor Charles V decisively dismantles the Schmalkaldic League
1548: China, Japan - The Ming Dynasty 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
1548: Japan - Battle of Uedahara, firearms are used for the first time on the battlefield in Japan, and Takeda Shingen is defeated by Murakami Yoshikiyo
1549: El Salvador, Brazil - Tome de Souza establishes Salvador in Bahia, northeast of Brazil
1550-1551: Spain, Americas - Valladolid debate concerning the existence of souls in AmerIndians
1550: Mongolia, China - Mongols led by Altan Khan Invade China and besiege Beijing
1551: England - Fifth outbreak of sweating sickness in England, John Caius of Shrewsbury writes the first full contemporary account of the symptoms of the disease
1551: Malta, Libya - North African pirates enslave the entire population of the Maltese Island Gozo, between 5,000 and 6,000, sending them to Libya
1552: Russia, Bulgaria - Russia conquers the Khanate of Kazan
1553: England - Mary Tudor becomes the first queen regnant of England
1554: Brazil - Portuguese missionaries Jose de Anchieta and Manuel da Nobrega establishes Sao Paulo, southeast Brazil
1555: England, Russia - The Muscovy Company is the first major English joint stock trading company
1556-1605: India - During his reign, Akbar expands the Mughal Empire in a series of conquests
1556: China - The Shaanxi Earthquake in China is the deadliest known earthquake in history
1556: Germany - Georgius Agricola of Germany, the "Father of Mineralogy", publishes his De re metallica
1556: India - Mir Chakar Khan Rind captured Delhi with Emperor Humayun
1556: India - Second Battle of Panipat, Akbar the Great defeats the Sultan of Bengal
1556: Italy - Pomponio Algerio, radical theologian, is executed by boiling in oil as part of the Roman Inquisition
1556: Italy - 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 Indian village Hochelaga
1556: Russia - Russia conquers the Astrakhan Khanate
1557: Portugal, China - The Portuguese settle in Macau in China
1557: Spain - Spain became the first sovereign nation in history to declare bankruptcy, Philip II of Spain had to declare four state bankruptcies in 1557, 1560, 1575 and 1596
1557: Turkey, Ethiopia - The Ottomans capture Massawa, all but Isolating Ethiopia from the rest of the world
1558-1583: Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Russia - Livonian War between Poland, Grand Principality of Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark and Russia
1558-1603: England - The Elizabethan era is considered the height of the English Renaissance
1558: England, France - After 200 years, the Kingdom of England loses Calais to France
1558: England - Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen Elizabeth I at age 25
1559: Italy - With the Peace of Cateau Cambresis, the Italian Wars conclude