1509 CE

The French army under the command of Louis XII leave Milan to invade Venetian territory. Part of the War of the League of Cambrai and the Italian Wars. Luca Pacioli's De divina proportione, concerning the golden ratio, is published in Venice, with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci. Portuguese fidalgo Diogo Lopes de Sequeira becomes the first European to reach Malacca, having crossed the Gulf of Bengal.

In the 1500s, the 16th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

March 13 – At Bourges, the French king Louis XII ratifies treaties that were concluded 10 December 1508, regarding the creation of the League of Cambrai.source
April 21 – Henry VIII becomes King of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.source
May 2 – Juan Ponce de León obtains authorization to bring his family from Spain to his home in the Casa de Contratación in Caparra, Puerto Rico.source
July 26 – Krishnadevaraya ascends the throne of the Vijayanagara Empire.source
26 July – Krishnadevaraya starts his reign as Emperor of the Vijayanagara EmpireIndia source
Basil Solomon becomes Syriac Orthodox Maphrian of the East.source
Afonso de Albuquerque becomes governor of Portuguese India (and continues until 1515)India source

Conflict & Security

January 30 – French ambassador Janus Lascaris leaves Venice, after being recalled by king Louis XII in the eve of the War of the League of Cambrai.source
February 3 – Battle of Diu: The Portuguese defeat a coalition of Indians, Muslims and Italians.source
3 February – Battle of Diu is fought.India source
April 15 – The French army under the command of Louis XII leave Milan to invade Venetian territory. Part of the War of the League of Cambrai and the Italian Wars.France source
April 17 – In Venice, the envoy of the French king Louis XII delivers the declaration of war to the Venetian doge Leonardo Loredan, thus marking the official beginning of the War of the League of Cambrai.source
May 9 – The French army under the command of Louis XII crosses the Adda River at Cassano d'Adda.source
May 9 – Louis XII and his army cross the Adda River at Cassano d'Adda.France source
May 14 – Battle of Agnadello: French forces defeat the Venetians. The League of Cambrai occupies Venice's mainland territories.source
May 17 – Venice made an effort to appease the emperor Maximilian I by offering various political and territorial concessions, but the effort failed.source
July 17 – Venetian forces retake the city of Padua from French forces.source
July 17 – French forces lose control of the city of Padua to the Venetians.France source
August 8 – The French, along with support from the Holy Roman Empire, begin a siege of Padua that would last for months to retake the city.France source
August 10 – Maximillian I of the Holy Roman Empire along with French allies begins a siege of Padua that would last for months to retake the city.source
October 1 – The siege of Padua ends with Venetian victory, causing the retreat of HRE and French forces back to Tyrol and Milan.source
November 4 – Afonso de Albuquerque becomes the Viceroy of Portuguese India, replacing Francisco de Almeida, who departs five days later from Diu. Almeida never makes it home, getting killed along with his 64 men in a battle on March 1 with the local Khoekhoe people at South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.source
December 1 – Prince Le Oanh is installed as the new Emperor of Vietnam by a coup d'etat against his cousin, Emperor Le Uy Muc, and is enthroned at the age of 14 as Emperor Le Tuong Duc. Uy Muc is granted his request to be allowed to commit suicide rather than to be executed.source
Francisco de Almeida ceases his governorship of Portuguese India (commenced 1505)India source
The Portuguese acquire Bombay.India source

Exploration & Expansion

January 21 – The Portuguese first arrive at the Seven Islands of Bombay and land at Mahim after capturing a barge of the Gujarat Sultanate in the Mahim Creek.source
May 9 – The Venetians, encamped around the town of Treviglio, move south towards the Po River in search of better positions.source
September 11 – Portuguese fidalgo Diogo Lopes de Sequeira becomes the first European to reach Malacca, having crossed the Gulf of Bengal.source

Religion & Belief

March 18 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, names Margaretha land guardians of the Habsburg Netherlands.source
March 23 – Pope Julius II issues the papal bull Petierunt a nobis, declaring his allegiance to the League of Cambrai.source
April 27 – Pope Julius II places Venice under interdict and excommunication for refusing to cede part of Romagna to papal control.source
June 19 – Brasenose College, Oxford, is founded by a lawyer, Sir Richard Sutton, of Prestbury, Cheshire, and the Bishop of Lincoln, William Smyth.source
August 19 – Maximillian I orders all Jews within the Holy Roman Empire to destroy all books opposing Christianity.source
November 10 – Uriel von Gemmingen is assigned to secure others' opinions before continuing the Jewish book purge started on August 19th.source
St Paul's School, London is founded by John Colet, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral.source
Johannes Pfefferkorn writes his fourth and fifth pamphlets condemning the Jewish faith and people, Das Osterbuch and Der Judenfeind.source

Science & Discovery

Georg Tannstetter is appointed by Maximilian I as the Professor of Astronomy at the University of Vienna.source

Disasters & Accidents

September 27 – A violent storm ravages the Dutch coast, killing potentially thousands of people.source

Climate & Environment

September 10 – The Constantinople earthquake destroys 109 mosques and kills an estimated 10,000 people.source

Culture & Society

June 11 – Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon.source
June 11 – Luca Pacioli's De divina proportione, concerning the golden ratio, is published in Venice, with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci.source
June 24 – King Henry VIII and Queen Consort Catherine of Aragon are crowned.source
Royal Grammar School, Guildford, England, is founded under the will of Robert Beckingham.source
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, England, is founded as a grammar school for boys.source
Erasmus writes his most famous work, In Praise of Folly.source

Births

January 2 – Henry of Stolberg, German nobleman (died 1572)source
January 3 – Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian Catholic cardinal (died 1591)source
January 25 – Giovanni Morone, Italian Catholic cardinal (died 1580)source
February 2 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (died 1536)source
March 25 – Girolamo Dandini, Italian Cardinalsource
March 27 – Wolrad II, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg, German nobleman (died 1578)source
April 23 – Afonso of Portugal, Portuguese Roman Catholic cardinal (died 1540)source
July 10 – John Calvin, French religious reformer (died 1564)source
July 10 – John Calvin, theologian, principal developer of the system later called Calvinism (died 1564)France source
August 3 – Étienne Dolet, French scholar and printer (died 1546)source
August 3 – Étienne Dolet, scholar and printer (died 1546)France source
August 25 – Ippolito II d'Este, Italian cardinal and statesman (died 1572)source
October 20 – Arthur Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, Scottish prince (died 1510)source
November 4 – John, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Polish-German nobleman (died 1565)source
November 7 – Bernardino Telesio, Italian philosopher and natural scientist (died 1588)source
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish conquistador (died 1579)source
Guillaume Le Testu, privateer (died 1573)France source
Kanaka Dasaru poet, philosopher, musician and composer is born in modern Karnataka (dies 1609)India source

Deaths

January 27 – John I, Count Palatine of Simmern, German nobleman (born 1459)source
January – Adam Kraft, German sculptor and architect (born circa 1460)source
March 14 – Giovanni Antonio Sangiorgio, Italian cardinal (born unknown)source
April 21 – Henry VII of England, King of England and Lord of Ireland (born 1457)source
April 27 – Margaret of Brandenburg, German abbess of the Poor Clares monastery at Hof (born 1453)source
May 28 – Caterina Sforza, Italian countess of Forlì (born 1463)source
June 29 – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby, mother of Henry VII of England (born 1443)source
July 11 – William II, Landgrave of Hesse, German nobleman (born 1469)source
July 16 – Mikalojus Radvila the Old, Lithuanian nobleman (born circa 1450)source
July 16 – Joao da Nova, Portuguese explorer (born 1460)source
July 28 – Ignatius Noah of Lebanon, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch (born 1451).source
December 1 – Lê Uy Mục, 8th king of the later Lê Dynasty of Vietnam (born 1488)source
Shen Zhou, Chinese painter (born 1427)source
Eleanor de Poitiers, Burgundian courter and writer (born circa 1444)source
Nephew of Philippe de Luxembourg (born unknown)France source
Viranarasimha Raya king of Vijayanagar empireIndia source
Clement Fitzleones, an Irish lawyer and judgeIreland source
Ulick Fionn Burke, 6th Lord of ClanricardeIreland source