1494 CE

The Cetinje Octoechos (Цетињски октоих, an Eastern Orthodox octoechos (liturgy), first tone), the first incunabulum written in the Serbian recension of Church Slavonic, and the first book printed in Cyrillic in Southeast Europe, is completed in Cetinje. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, recognises the pretender Perkin Warbeck as rightful King of England. Fra Luca Pacioli's Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalità is published in Venice, containing the first printed account of algebra in the vernacular, and the first published description of the double-entry accounting system.

In the 1490s, the 15th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • January 25 – Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.source
  • February 5 – The war between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ends after almost seven years, with the Tsar Ivan III signing a "treaty of Eternal Peace" with Lithuania's Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon. Lithuania is guaranteed its independence in return for ceding its territories captured by Moscow.source
  • June 7 – Treaty of Tordesillas: Spain and Portugal divide the New World between themselves.source
  • July 2 – Spain ratifies the Treaty of Tordesillas to divide the lands discovered outside of Europe between Spain (the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon) and Portugal, essentially granting Spain almost all of the lands in the Americas and Portugal all of the lands in Africa.source
  • July 29 – Jan V Zatorski, ruler of the Duchy of Zator, sells the Duchy to King Jan I Olbracht of Poland for 80,000 florins, on condition that he retains his title and the right to continue to live in his castle for the rest of his life.source
  • September 5 – The Kingdom of Portugal ratifies its agreement with Spain, the Treaty of Tordesillas, conceding that Spain has jurisdiction of most of the New World, with the exception of what will eventually become the Portuguese colony of Brazil, initially a longitude of 42°30' W.source
  • September 11 – King Charles VIII of France and Ludovico Sforza, regent for the Duke of Milan, meet in Asti and conclude an alliance against King Alfonso II of Naples.source
  • 11 September 1494: French king Charles VIII and Louis of Orléans arrived in Asti and concluded an alliance with duke Ludovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este.Francesource
  • September 13 – Henry Deane appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland under Edward PoyningsIrelandsource
  • October 13 – The British administrator assigned to Ireland, Sir Edward Poynings, arrives at Ireland with about 1,000 men and lands at Howth.source
  • December 1 – The Irish Parliament opens at Drogheda on the first Monday after Saint Andrew's Day as summoned by Sir Edward Poynings, to pass the two "Poynings' Laws" restricting Irish self-government. The more drastic of the two laws provides that laws already enacted in England apply to Ireland as well, while the other law directs that the Irish Parliament cannot be summoned without prior approval by the King of England.source
  • Charles VIII of France purchases the right to the Byzantine Empire from exiled pretender, Andreas Palaiologos.source
  • Hugh Conway was created Lord Treasurer of Ireland by King Henry VII of EnglandIrelandsource

Conflict & Security

  • May 7 – The infant Amda Seyon II succeeds his father Eskender as Emperor of Ethiopia.source
  • May 31 – First Battle of Acentejo: Natives of the island of Tenerife, known as Guanches, defeat the invading Spanish forces.source
  • July 2 – In a battle fought at the village of Igris (now part of western Romania) in territory claimed by Hungary and the Ottoman state of Wallachia, the Hungarian General Pál Kinizsi defeats Turkish armies led by the Ottoman governor Basarab II of Wallachia.source
  • 5 September – The first Battle of Rapallo is fought between the Kingdom of Naples and Swiss mercenaries hired by France.Italysource
  • September 8 – The three day Battle of Rapallo, fought as part of the Italian War of 1494–1495 between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Naples, is won by the French naval fleet, which then captures and loots Rapallo, near Genoa, after the Neapolitans flee.source
  • October 13 – Edward Poynings arrives at Howth with 1,000 men.Irelandsource
  • 20 October – The Siege of Mordano takes place.Italysource
  • October 21 – France and Milan, with at least 14,000 troops, capture the town of Mordano, part of the Lordship of Imola, an ally of Naples. The French then begin killing at least 300 of the Mordano defenders and pillaging the town, while the Kingdom of Naples refuses to come to Mordano's defense.source
  • October 22 – Ludovico Sforza becomes Duke of Milan upon the death of his nephew, the Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza, and invites Charles VIII of France to invade Italy in support of his claim, beginning the First Italian War in the Italian Wars.source
  • October 22 – Ludovico Sforza becomes Duke of Milan, and invites Charles VIII of France to invade Italy in support of his claim, beginning the Italian War of 1494–98.Francesource
  • October 26 – Amda Seyon II is deposed and killed, and his uncle Na'od succeeds him as Emperor of Ethiopia.source
  • November 8 – Facing little opposition in his march across Italy, King Charles VIII of France captures Pisa.source
  • November 17 – Italian War of 1494–98: The armies of King Charles VIII of France enter Florence. Charles is dissuaded from destroying the city by the Florentine leader, Girolamo Savonarola, who had recently taken control from the Medici family. After being persuaded that he has a divine role of reformation of the Roman Catholic Church, King Charles spares Florence from destruction and leaves the city on November 28, guiding his troops onward toward Rome.source
  • November 17 – Italian War of 1494–98: The armies of Charles VIII of France enter Florence.Francesource
  • November 28 – French military under Charles VIII marched on to Rome from Florence.Francesource
  • December 25 – Second Battle of Acentejo: The Spanish crush the native forces of the island of Tenerife, leading to the subjugation of this last bastion of resistance in the Canary Islands.source
  • Aztec forces conquer and sack Mitla.source
  • 19–21 October 1494: Siege of Mordano. Franco–Milanese victory; the French soldiers sacked Mordano, the Milanese soldiers tried to protect the civilians.Francesource
  • 5–8 September 1494: Battle of Rapallo. A land battle involving the French fleet. French victory; Neapolitans abandoned Rapallo, which the French army sack.Francesource

Exploration & Expansion

  • April 30 – On his second voyage to the New World, Columbus and his crew become the first Europeans to sail into what is now Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.source
  • May 5 – Christopher Columbus first sights Jamaica.source

Religion & Belief

  • January 4 – The Cetinje Octoechos (Цетињски октоих, an Eastern Orthodox octoechos (liturgy), first tone), the first incunabulum written in the Serbian recension of Church Slavonic, and the first book printed in Cyrillic in Southeast Europe, is completed in Cetinje.source
  • May – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, recognises the pretender Perkin Warbeck as rightful King of England.source
  • December 1 – Edward Poynings assembles the Parliament of Ireland in Drogheda to tell it that it is thereafter to be placed under the authority of the Privy Council of England by Poynings' Law (1495).Irelandsource
  • December 31 – King Charles VIII of France and the French Army peacefully march into Rome after being granted free passage by Pope Alexander VI.source
  • December 31 – January 6: peaceful French entry into Rome with Pope Alexander VI's permission, but some French looting takes place.Francesource

Economy & Finance

  • November 9 – The Medici Bank becomes insolvent and the House of Medici is expelled from Florence.source

Science & Discovery

  • Johann Reuchlin publishes De verbo mirifico.source

Climate & Environment

  • March 24 – An earthquake estimated centuries later at 5.5 magnitude, strikes the Chinese city of Qujing, destroying 200 homes.source
  • September 24 – The earliest hurricane to be specifically recorded by historians, strikes the island of Hispaniola near the Spanish colonial capital, La Isabela, the day after Christopher Columbus arrives at Saona, following five months of explorations.source

Culture & Society

  • March 16 – Maximilian, King of the Romans, marries Bianca Maria Sforza, sister of the Duke of Milan after the annulment of his marriage to Anne, Duchess of Brittany.source
  • November 10 – Fra Luca Pacioli's Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalità is published in Venice, containing the first printed account of algebra in the vernacular, and the first published description of the double-entry accounting system.source

Births

  • February 2 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (died 1557)source
  • February 11 – Takeda Nobutora, Japanese warlord (died 1574)source
  • February 20 – Johan Friis, Danish statesman (died 1570)source
  • March 24 – Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist and scholar (died 1555)source
  • March 25 – Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach, Margravine (died 1518)source
  • April 20 – Johannes Agricola, German Protestant reformer (died 1566)source
  • May 24 – Pontormo, Italian painter (died 1557)source
  • September 8 – Sri Chand, Indian founder of the ascetic sect of Udasi (died 1629)source
  • September 11 – Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess of Guelders (1518–1538) (died 1572)source
  • September 12 – King Francis I of France (died 1547)source
  • November 5 – Hans Sachs, German meistersinger ("mastersinger") (died 1576)source
  • November 6 – Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan (died 1566)source
  • November (probable) – François Rabelais, French Renaissance writer (died 1553)source
  • William Tyndale, English-born religious reformer and Bible translator (executed 1536)source
  • Jean Parmentier, navigator, cartographer, and poet (died 1529)Francesource
  • Francis I of France (died 1547)Francesource
  • Renée of Bourbon, dutchess consort (died 1539)Francesource
  • Oronce Finé, mathematician and cartographer (died 1555)Francesource

Deaths

  • January 11 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian artist (born 1449)source
  • January 20 – Seongjong of Joseon, King of Joseon (born 1457)source
  • January 25 – King Ferdinand I of Naples (born 1423)source
  • 25 January 1494: king Ferdinand I of Naples dies and was succeeded by his son Alfonso II of Naples (who also laid claim to Milan). King Charles VIII of France disputed the succession, and began preparations for an invasion of Italy to enforce his claim on the Neapolitan kingship.Francesource
  • 25 January 1494: Ferdinand I of NaplesItalysource
  • 22 April – Philippe de Crèvecœur d'Esquerdes, military commander (born 1418)Francesource
  • May 7 – Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (born 1471)source
  • August 1 – Giovanni Santi, Italian artist and father of Raphael (born c. 1435)source
  • August 11 – Hans Memling, Flemish painter (born c. 1430)source
  • September 24 – Poliziano, Italian humanist (born 1454)source
  • October 21 – Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan (born 1469)source
  • October 26 – Amda Seyon II, Emperor of Ethiopia (born c. 1487)source
  • November 8 – Melozzo da Forlì, Italian painter (born c. 1438)source
  • November 15 – William Calthorpe, English knight (born 1410)source
  • November 16 – Theda Ukena, countess regent of East Frisia (born 1432)source
  • November 17 – Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian humanist (born 1463)source
  • December 19 or December 20 – Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet (born c. 1434-1441)source