Explore 88 historical events from 1490–1499.
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known European ex…
John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings
Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese mariner, explorer and nobleman. His discovery of the first direct maritime route between Europe and India via the Cape of Good Hope and across the In…
Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first Governor of Colonial Chile. After having served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was …
Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (died 1553)
Muhammad Abu 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad at-Tarabulsi al-Hattab al-Ru'yani, more commonly referred to in Islamic scholarship as al-Hattab or Imam al-Hattab, was a 16th-century CE Musli…
Al-Hattab, Muslim jurist (died 1547)
Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg, also frequently called Ernest the Confessor, was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a champion of the Protestant cause during the early years of the Prote…
Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1546)
Francesco Canova da Milano was an Italian lutenist and composer. He was born in Monza, near Milan, and worked for the papal court for almost all of his career. Francesco was herald…
Francesco Canova da Milano, Italian composer (died 1543)
Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandía was the second child of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei and a member of the House of Borgia. He was the brother of Cesare, Gioffre, …
Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandía, Italian son of Pope Alexander VI (born 1474)
Michael Joseph, better known as Michael An Gof, was one of the leaders of the Cornish rebellion of 1497, along with Thomas Flamank.
Michael An Gof, rebel leader
Thomas Flamank was a lawyer and former MP from Cornwall, who together with Michael An Gof led the Cornish rebellion of 1497, a protest against taxes imposed by Henry VII of England…
Thomas Flamank, rebel leader
James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley was a British nobleman and the only lord to fully join the Cornish rebellion of 1497 opposing the rule of Henry VII of England. He was a leader in th…
James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley, English rebel leader (born c
Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp, was a Duchess of Pomerania by birth, and married to Eric II, Duke of Pomerania.
Sophie of Pomerania, Duchess of Pomerania (born 1435)
Gustav Eriksson Vasa, also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (Riksföreståndare) from…
Gustav I of Sweden (died 1560)
Charles II or Charles John Amadeus, was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat (1472–1519) was the actual ruler as a regent. In 1485 his father Ch…
Charles II, Duke of Savoy (born 1489)
Isabella of Portugal was Queen of Castile and León between 1447 and 1454 as the second wife of King John II.
Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile and León (born 1428)
A monk is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in …
A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky
The Battle of Seminara, part of the First Italian War, was fought in Calabria on 28 June 1495 between a French garrison in recently conquered Southern Italy and the allied forces o…
A French force heavily defeats a much larger Neapolitan and Spanish army at the battle of Seminara, leading to the creat
The First Italian War, or Charles VIII's Italian War, was the opening phase of the Italian Wars. The war pitted Charles VIII of France, who had initial Milanese aid, against the Ho…
First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIII defeats the Holy League.
Petrus Apianus, also known as Peter Apian, Peter Bennewitz, and Peter Bienewitz, was a German humanist, known for his works in mathematics, astronomy and cartography. His work on "…
Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (died 1557)
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening…
On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaic
Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the southernmost point of continental Europe, it is …
Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the two countries
Johann or Johannes Agricola was a German Protestant Reformer during the Protestant Reformation. He was a follower and friend of Martin Luther, who became his antagonist in the matt…
Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (died 1566)
Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci, usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represen…
Pontormo, Italian painter (died 1557)
Eskender was Emperor of Ethiopia and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was Constantine II. The son of Emperor Baeda Maryam I by his wife Queen Romna, his early yea…
Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (born 1471)
Giovanni Santi was an Italian painter and poet, father of Raphael Sanzio. He was born in 1435 at Colbordolo in the Duchy of Urbino. He studied under Piero della Francesca and was i…
Giovanni Santi, artist and father of Raphael (born c. 1435)