| 1501 AD Battle of Shurer -The Safawod Dynasty was founded in 1501 when Ismail I of Arabadil defeated the leader of the White Sheep dynasty at the battle of Shurer. This consolidated Shite rule of Iran. |
| 1501 AD Louis XII Conquers Northern Italy - 1501- Loius XII conquers Northern Italy and is declared by Pope Alexander VI King of Naples. Under the terms of the Peace of Trent the German king Maximilian I recognizes the French conquest of Northern Italy. |
| 1502 AD Vasco de Gama Founds Chochin - The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama built a factory and trading post at Chochin in Southwestern India. It was the first European settlement in India. |
| 1503 AD Da Vinci paints Mona Lisa -In 1503- Leonardo Da Vinci completed his painting the Mona Lisa. |
| 1504 AD Ferdinand of Argon Conquers Naples On January 1, Ferdinand of Aragon completed the conquest of Naples when French forces at Gaeta surrendered. Under the terms of the treaty of Lyon France maintained control of Northern Italy while Spain maintained control of Southern Italy. |
| 1508 AD Muscat Captured by Portugal - Muscat in Southern Arabia was conquered by the Portuguese. They established it as their base of operation in Arabia. |
| 1508 AD Michelangelo Begins Painting The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo spent four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He worked unassisted. |
| 1509 AD Battle of Diu - The Portuguese established their predominance over the spice trade by defeating a Muslim fleet at the battle of Diu,. The battle took place on February 2, 1509 in the Indian Ocean. |
| 1512 AD Ponce De Leon Claims Florida for Spain - In a quest for the fabled “fountain of youth,” Juan Ponce de Leon, explored Florida. He claimed the land for Spain. |
| 1513 AD Battle of the Spurs - The Battle of the Spurs, which took its name from the flight of French troops, took place in August 1513. The battle which took place at Guinegate pitted the French against the forces of England's Henry VIII,and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian troops. The French defeat forced them to give up Milan, and Loius XII, the invasion of Italy. |
| 1514 AD Battle of Ridanya - The Ottomans led by Selim defeated Tumay Bey the sultan of Egypt at the battle of Ridanya near Cairo. The Ottomans had previously defeated a combined Egyptian Syrian army at the battle of Marj Dabiq in Syria. The Ottomans went on to sack Cairo. The Egyptians as well as the Arabs of Arabia pledge their allegiance to the Ottomans. |
| 1514 AD War Between Ottomans and Shiites - The Ottomans, who were Sunni Muslims, attacked the Shite Persian. The Ottoman Selim who had already massacred 40,000 Shite subjects, defeated the Persian army at the battle of Chaldiran on August 23, 1513. Selim went on to occupy Tabriz and slaughtered 80,000 of its citizens. |
| 1517 AD Martin Luther Nail Thesis to Church -The Protestant Reformation was launched when Martin Luther nailed his criticism of the Catholic Church on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. The heart of Luthers complaints were the sale of indulgences by Catholic clergy. |
| 1517 AD Cortes Completes The Conquest of Mexico - Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortes conquered the Aztec capital of Techotchitlan. Thus completing his brutal conquest of the Aztec Indians and all of Mexico. |
| 1517 AD Sebastian Cabot Discovers Hudson Bay -Sebastian Cabot discovered the entrance to Hudson Bay in 1517. He traveled as far south as South Carolina. |
| 1519 AD Ferdinand Magellan Sets Sail Around the World - On August 10, 1519 Portuguese navigator Magellan left Seville with a fleet of five ships on a journey of exploration. He found a route around South America throught the Straits that now bear his name. Magellan died in the Pacific, but his lieutenant and 18 of his men returned to Seville in 1522, after circumnavigating the globe. |
| 1520 AD Suleiman the Magnificent Selim the Ottoman sultan died, he was succeeded by his son Suleiman I. Suleiman became known as Suleiman the Magnificent. |
| 1521 AD Magellan Dies - Ferdinand Magellan, who had circumnavigated South America and reached the Pacific, discovered the Philippine Islands which he claimed for Spain. Magellan is killed in a skirmish with Mactan Indians. Magellan's lieutenant and his remaining men returned to Seville Spain in 1522 after circling the globe. |
| 1522 AD Battle of Bicocca -Charles V of Germany defeated the French forces in the first Valios- Hapsburg War at the battle of Biocca- outside of Milan. As a result the French were once again ousted from Italy. |
| 1524 AD German Peasant's Rebel - Peasants in Southern Germany took heed of Luthers call for religious reform and extended it to include a call for social reform as well. The peasants overthrew the local government in Muhlhausen and demand an end to serfdom, feudal dues and tithes. The uprising was violent and between 100 and 150 thousand peasants are killed inlcuding 5,000 killed by an army of Philip, Landgrave of Hesse who finally end the rebellion on May 14, 1525. Its leader Thomas Muntzer is beheaded. |
| 1524 AD Verazzano Discovers New York Bay -Sailing under a French flag, Giovanni da Verrazano discovered New York Bay, on April 17, 1524. Verrazano first sighted land on March 1st– it was the coast of North Carolina. Verrazano, thus, found New York Bay in the course of his long search for a passage to the Pacific. |
| 1525 AD Battle of Pavia- On February 24 the French are decisively defeated at the Battle of Pavia. Facing the French and their Swiss mercenaries are Spanish and German armies. 6,000 French soldiers are killed in the battle and Francois, the King of France, is taken prisoner. He is forced to sign the Treaty of Madrid renouncing all claims to Burgundy, Flanders, Artois, Tournia and Italy. |
