The Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire headed by Emperor Charles IV issues the Golden Bull of 1356, establishing various constitutional aspects of...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Constitutional Law, Middle Ages, Governance

Scotland retains its independence with the signing of the Treaty of Berwick, thus ending the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Tags: Treaty, Scottish Independence, Middle Ages, Sovereignty, Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution

The Great Schism of the West splits the Catholic Church, eventually leading to three simultaneous popes and not resolved until 1417.

Tags: Catholicism, Schism, Religion

John Wycliffe is dismissed from the University of Oxford for criticism of the Catholic Church, leading to the Lollardy movement in England.

Tags: Christianity, Heresy, Catholicism, Middle Ages, Religious Movement

Union of Krewo between Poland and Lithuania.

Tags: Political Union, Dynastic Marriage, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Middle Ages, Habsburgs, Monarchy

The Kalmar Union is established, uniting Norway, Sweden and Denmark into one kingdom.

Tags: Political Union, Monarchy, Regional Power

The settlement of the Canary Islands signals the beginning of the Spanish Empire.

Tags: Spanish Empire, Colonialism, Territorial Expansion, Castile, Indigenous Peoples, Conquest

Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic at the Council of Constance.

Tags: Religious Reform, Heresy, Catholicism, Religious Violence, Martyrdom, Late Middle Ages

James I returns to Scotland after being held hostage under three Kings of England since 1406.

Tags: Monarchy, Scottish History, English History, Political Intrigue

Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) founded by Pope Martin V.

Tags: Universities, Catholicism, Higher Education, Late Middle Ages, Religious Orders, Scholasticism, Cultural Development

9 January – Pretrial investigations for Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France under English occupation.

Tags: Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc, Trial, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Military Leadership

Printing press in Mainz, Germany: The printing press is invented in the Holy Roman Empire by Johannes Gutenberg before 1440, based on existing screw p...

Tags: Printing Press, Holy Roman Empire, Communication, Renaissance

Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter, dies.

Tags: Art History, Renaissance

The Albanian league is established in Lezha, Skanderbeg is elected leader. A war begins against the Ottoman Empire. An Albanian state is set up and la...

Tags: Albania, Ottoman Empire, Resistance, Middle Ages, State Formation, Warfare, Nationalism

Joan of Arc is posthumously acquitted of heresy by the Catholic Church, redeeming her status as the heroine of France.

Tags: Joan of Arc, Catholicism, Heresy, Hundred Years' War, Middle Ages, Sainthood

Edward IV of England secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville.

Tags: Monarchy, Marriage, War of the Roses, Political Intrigue

The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile leads to the unification of Spain.The renaissance king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. ...

Tags: Marriage, Unification, Monarchy, Political Consolidation, Isabella I of Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon, State Formation

After the Great standing on the Ugra river, Muscovy gained independence from the Great Horde.

Tags: Political Independence, Russian History, Golden Horde, Khanate, Sovereignty

Spanish Inquisition begins in practice with the first auto-da-fé.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Violence, Heresy, Jews, Reconquista

Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão becomes the first European to enter the Congo.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Colonialism, Atlantic Slave Trade, Maritime History

The Jews are expelled from Andalusia.

Tags: Religious Violence, Expulsion, Jews, Catholic Monarchs, Reconquista, Anti-Semitism

William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, prints his translation of Aesop's Fables in London.

Tags: Printing Press, Literature, Translation

Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas from Spain.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus, Spanish Empire, Columbian Exchange, European Colonization, Atlantic World, Indigenous Peoples, Discovery

Ferdinand and Isabella sign the Alhambra Decree, expelling all Jews from Spain unless they convert to Catholicism; 40,000–200,000 leave.

Tags: Religious Violence, Anti-Semitism, Expulsion, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Isabella I of Castile, Catholicism, Conversion, Human Rights

Leonardo da Vinci creates the first known design for a helicopter.

Tags: Renaissance, Inventions, Leonardo da Vinci, Aviation, Design

Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas and agree to divide the World outside of Europe between themselves.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Papal Authority, Geopolitics, Imperialism

Manuel I succeeds John II as the king of Portugal (reigns until 1521).

Tags: Monarchy, Portuguese Empire, Renaissance, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Colonialism, Succession

Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica is made in Rome

Tags: Renaissance, High Renaissance, Sculpture, Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo, Catholicism, Art History, Religious Art, Vatican

First portable watch is created by Peter Henlein of Germany.The Iberian Union in 1598, under Philip II, King of Spain and Portugal

Tags: Timekeeping, Iberian Union, Renaissance, Mechanical Engineering, Portable Devices

Charles of Ghent (future Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor) was born.

Tags: Habsburg Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Spanish Empire, Renaissance, Monarchy, European Politics, Dynastic Succession, Imperialism

Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire

Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Portuguese Empire, Age of Discovery

Michelangelo returns to his native Florence to begin work on the statue David.

Tags: Renaissance, Michelangelo, Florence, David, Italian Renaissance, Sculpture, Art, Humanism, High Renaissance, Patronage

Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa and completes it three years later.

Tags: Renaissance, Painting, Art History, Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance, High Renaissance, Visual Arts

Death of Isabella I of Castile; Joanna of Castile becomes the Queen.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Castile, Spanish Empire, Isabella I of Castile, Political Transition

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

Tags: Christianity, Monasticism, Catholicism, Religious History, Religious Reform

Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Discovery, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, European Expansion, Atlantic World

Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa.

Tags: Renaissance, Painting, Art History, Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance, High Renaissance, Visual Arts, Humanism

Copernicus writes Commentariolus, and proclaims the Sun the center of the Solar System.

Tags: Astronomy, Scientific Revolution, Renaissance, Cosmology, Heliocentrism, Nicolaus Copernicus, Scientific Thought

Ascension of Francis I of France as King of France following the death of Louis XII.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Succession, Francis I, Monarchy, French History

Nicolaus Copernicus develops the quantity theory of money and states the earliest known form of Gresham's law: ("Bad money drowns out good").

Tags: Nicolaus Copernicus, Economics, Coinage, Finance, Monetary Policy

The Reformation begins when Martin Luther posts his Ninety-five Theses in Saxony.

Tags: Christianity, Saxony, Religious Reform, Catholicism, Printing Press, Religious Doctrine, Heresy

The Treaty of London was a non-aggression pact between the major European nations. The signatories were Burgundy, France, England, the Holy Roman Empi...

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Renaissance, European Politics, Balance of Power, International Relations, Burgundy

Death of Emperor Maximilian; Charles I of Austria, Spain, and the Low Countries becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, Emperor, Succession, Habsburgs, Monarchy, Imperialism

Leonardo da Vinci dies of natural causes on May 2.Europe at the time of the accession of Charles V in 1519

Tags: Renaissance, Death, Charles V, Art, Painting, Sculpture, Leonardo da Vinci, High Renaissance

The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Foreign Relations

Sweden gains independence from the Kalmar Union.

Tags: Independence, Denmark, Monarchy, Nationalism, Union

Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland.

Tags: Exploration, Age of Discovery, Cartography

Modern square root symbol (√)

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Symbolism, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Numbers

Protestant Reformation begins in Sweden.

Tags: Christianity, Religion, Religious Reform, European History

Anne Boleyn becomes Queen of England.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII, Christianity, Marriage, English Reformation, Monarchy, Royal Court

Elizabeth Tudor is born.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, Monarchy, Succession, English Monarchy, Religious Reformation, Henry VIII

Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Colonialism, French Empire, New France, North American History, Political Expansion

Affair of the Placards, where King Francis I becomes more active in repression of French Protestants.

Tags: Christianity, Francis I, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Huguenots, Religious Conflict

The Münster Rebellion, an attempt of radical, millennialist, Anabaptists to establish a theocracy, ends in bloodshed.

Tags: Rebellion, Theocracy, Religious Violence, Christianity, Religious Extremism, Social Unrest, Holy Roman Empire

Catherine of Aragon dies in Kimbolton Castle, in England.Territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman (in red and orange)

Tags: Tudor England, Ottoman Empire, Death, Suleiman the Magnificent, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Monarchy, Marriage, Divorce, Catholicism, Succession

In England, Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery and treason.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Adultery, Monarchy, Treason, Political Intrigue

Foundation of Buenos Aires (in present-day Argentina) by Pedro de Mendoza.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, New World

Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal.

Tags: Inquisition, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Anti-Semitism, Heresy, Jews, Conversion

William Tyndale's partial translation of the Bible into English is published, which would eventually be incorporated into the King James Bible.

Tags: Bible, Translation, Christianity, English Language, Religious Texts, Printing Press

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

Tags: Jesuits, Catholicism, Counter-Reformation, Religious Orders, Missionary Work, Education, Religious History

Copernicus publishes his theory that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun

Tags: Astronomy, Scientific Revolution, Mathematics, Cosmology, Heliocentrism, Nicolaus Copernicus, Renaissance, Scientific Theory

Vesalius: pioneering research into human anatomy.

Tags: Renaissance, Medicine, Scientific Revolution, Scientific Publication, Observation

Gerolamo Cardano discovers complex numbers.

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Complex Numbers, Gerolamo Cardano, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Number Theory, Italian Renaissance

The Council of Trent meets for the first time in Trent (in northern Italy).

Tags: Catholicism, Counter-Reformation, Council, Religious History, Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Church Reform

Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica.

Tags: Renaissance, Architecture, Michelangelo, Italian Renaissance, Art History, Catholicism, Religious Art

Henry VIII dies in the Palace of Whitehall on 28 January at the age of 55.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Renaissance, Christianity, Henry VIII, English History

Francis I dies in the Château de Rambouillet on 31 March at the age of 52.

Tags: French Monarchy, Francis I, French History, Royal Death, Renaissance, Succession, European History

Edward VI becomes King of England and Ireland on 28 January and is crowned on 20 February at the age of 9.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Christianity

Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible is crowned tsar of (All) Russia, thenceforth becoming the first Russian tsar.

Tags: Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, Monarchy, Russian History, Autocracy, Tsardom, Imperialism

Mary Tudor becomes the first queen regnant of England and restores the Church of England under Papal authority.

Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Papal Authority, Religious Violence

Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London upon the orders of Mary I for suspicion of being involved in the Wyatt rebellion.

Tags: Tudor England, Elizabeth I, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Monarchy, Imprisonment, Succession, Political Intrigue

Georgius Agricola, the "Father of Mineralogy", publishes his De re metallica.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Metallurgy, Mining, Renaissance, Holy Roman Empire

Niccolò Tartaglia introduces parenthesis.

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Notation, Numbers, Renaissance, Italian Renaissance

Pomponio Algerio, radical theologian, is executed by boiling in oil as part of the Roman Inquisition.

Tags: Inquisition, Religious Violence, Theology, Christianity, Counter-Reformation, Martyrdom, Radicalism

Publication in Venice of Delle Navigiationi et Viaggi (terzo volume) by Giovanni Battista Ramusio, secretary of Council of Ten, with plan La Terra de ...

Tags: Exploration, Cartography, Early America, Renaissance, Voyages of Discovery, Indigenous Peoples, Travel Literature

Robert Recorde introduces the equal sign.

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Notation, Symbolism, Scientific Revolution, Mathematical Innovation, Education

Camera obscura is first used in Europe by Giambattista della Porta of Italy.

Tags: Optics, Renaissance

Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen Elizabeth I at age 25.

Tags: Monarchy, Queen, Succession, Tudor Dynasty, English Monarchy, Christianity, Renaissance

Floating Dry Dock in Venice, Venetian Republic

Tags: Venetian Republic, Naval Technology, Shipbuilding, Renaissance, Maritime History

Jeanne d'Albret declares Calvinism the official religion of Navarre.

Tags: Navarre, Huguenots, Christianity, Religious Reform, French Wars of Religion, Religious Politics

Guido de Bres draws up the Belgic Confession of Protestant faith.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Theology

Galileo Galilei born on February 15

Tags: Astronomy, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Galileo Galilei, Physics, Heliocentrism, Scientific Method, Italian Renaissance, Telescope, Cosmology

Gerolamo Cardano is the first to produce a systematic treatment of probability.

Tags: Mathematics, Gerolamo Cardano, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Statistics, Intellectual History

William Shakespeare baptized 26 April

Tags: Renaissance, English Literature, Playwright, Poetry, Shakespeare, Drama, Elizabethan Era, Cultural Impact

Invention of the graphite pencil (in a wooden holder) by Conrad Gesner. Modernized in 1812.

Tags: Writing, Art, Renaissance, Materials Science

Da le Balle Contrade d'Oriente, composed by Cipriano de Rore.

Tags: Renaissance, Music, Italian Renaissance, Cultural History

Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Elizabeth I, Tudor Period, Scottish History, English History, Monarchy, Political Intrigue, Imprisonment, Religious Conflict

Gerardus Mercator creates the first Mercator projection map.

Tags: Cartography, Navigation, Geography, Mapping, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Global Trade

The Transylvanian Diet, under the patronage of the prince John Sigismund Zápolya, the former king of Hungary, inspired by the teachings of Ferenc Dávi...

Tags: Religious Freedom, Christianity

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is created with the Union of Lublin which lasts until 1795.

Tags: Commonwealth, Political Union, Monarchy

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.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Conflict, Papal Bull, Elizabeth I, Counter-Reformation, Excommunication, English Reformation, Catholicism

Supernova SN 1572 is observed by Tycho Brahe in the Milky Way.

Tags: Astronomy, Tycho Brahe, Milky Way, Supernova, Scientific Revolution, Renaissance, Cosmology, Observational Astronomy

Rafael Bombelli provides rules for complex arithmetic.

Tags: Mathematics, Complex Numbers, Algebra, Scientific Revolution, Italian Renaissance, Number Theory

Jeanne d'Albret dies aged 43 and is succeeded by Henry of Navarre.

Tags: Succession, Huguenots, French Wars of Religion, Monarchy, Navarre, Religious Conflict

First edition of the epic The Lusiads of Luís Vaz de Camões, three years after the author returned from the East.

Tags: Renaissance, Literature, Portuguese Empire, Epic Poetry, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Colonialism, National Identity

The Union of Arras unifies the southern Netherlands, a foundation for the later states of the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands and Belgiu...

Tags: Political Unification, Union, Habsburgs, Rebellion, Regionalism

Spain unifies with Portugal under Philip II. The struggle for the throne of Portugal ends the Portuguese Empire. The Spanish and Portuguese crowns are...

Tags: Philip II, Union, Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, Iberian Union, Colonialism, Political Union, Monarchy

Dutch Act of Abjuration, declaring abjuring allegiance to Philip II of Spain.

Tags: Dutch Revolt, Philip II, Independence, Rebellion, Christianity, Political Revolution, Sovereignty

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 d...

Tags: Calendar, Astronomy, Timekeeping, Gregorian Calendar, Religious Authority, Renaissance

Gregorian calendar is introduced in Europe by Pope Gregory XIII and adopted by Catholic countries.

Tags: Calendar, Astronomy, Catholicism, Timekeeping, Christianity, Religious Authority, Renaissance

Mary, Queen of Scots is executed by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Tudor England, Monarchy, Religious Conflict, Scottish History, Elizabeth I, Execution, Succession, English Reformation

William Lee invents the stocking frame.

Tags: Textile Industry, Industrial Revolution, Mechanization, Manufacturing

Catherine de' Medici dies at aged 69.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Religious Wars, Monarchy

François Viète's New algebra shows the modern notational algebraic manipulation.

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Scientific Revolution, Notation, Symbolism

First flush toilet is introduced by Sir John Harrington of England, the design published under the title 'The Metamorphosis of Ajax'.

Tags: Hygiene, Public Health

Galileo Galilei invents a thermometer.

Tags: Galileo Galilei, Scientific Revolution, Instrumentation, Measurement, Physics

Backstaff: Invented by Captain John Davis.

Tags: Navigation, Exploration, Maritime History, Age of Discovery

William Barents discovers Spitsbergen.

Tags: Exploration, Arctic, Geography, Discovery, Maritime, Age of Discovery, Cartography, Maritime History

Opera in Florence by Jacopo Peri.

Tags: Renaissance, Florence, Opera, Music, Theater, Arts, Performance

Romeo and Juliet is published.

Tags: Shakespeare, Renaissance, English Literature, Drama, Tragedy, Playwright, Theater

The Edict of Nantes ends the French Wars of Religion.

Tags: Huguenots, Henry IV, Religious Tolerance, French Wars of Religion, Catholicism, Religious Freedom, Christianity, Counter-Reformation

William Gilbert: Earth's magnetic field.

Tags: Astronomy, Physics, Magnetism, Scientific Revolution, Renaissance, Experimentation, Earth Science

Michael the Brave unifies the three Romanian countries: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania after the Battle of Șelimbăr from 1599.

Tags: Unification, Romanian History, Principality, Political Geography

Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome.Siege of Fiľakovo castle during the Long Turkish War

Tags: Catholicism, Military, Religious Violence, Heresy, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Inquisition, Martyrdom

On February 17 Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake by the Inquisition.

Tags: Renaissance, Inquisition, Heresy, Religious Violence, Martyrdom, Catholicism, Astronomy, Philosophy