1521 CE

Or 30 – The oldest surviving dateable document written primarily in the Romanian language: Neacșu's letter, written by a trader from Câmpulung, to Johannes Benkner, the mayor of Brașov, warning that the Ottoman Empire is preparing its troops to cross into Wallachia and Transylvania; the script used is Romanian Cyrillic. Battle of Esquiroz: French forces under Henri d'Albret, exiled King of Navarre, are defeated by the Spanish and forced to abandon their attempt to recover Henri's kingdom. Spanish–German–Papal forces under Prosper Colonna force French Marshal Odet de Lautrec to abandon Milan.

In the 1520s, the 16th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • July 15 — San Juan Bautista is founded as the new capital of the archipelago of Puerto Rico.source
  • September 15 – Teodosie becomes the new Voivode of Wallachia, at the capital, Targoviste, now in Romania.source
  • September 15 – Gazi Husrev Bey replaces Bali-beg Jahjapašić as the Ottoman Governor of Bosnia.source
  • Duarte de Menezes becomes governor of Portuguese India (until 1524)Indiasource

Conflict & Security

  • January 27 – Suleiman the Magnificent suppresses a revolt by the ruler of Damascus, Janbirdi al-Ghazali.source
  • January - The men in Mora, who denied the plea of Gustav Vasa to rebel against the Danes, change their mind and send their best skiers after the fleeing Vasa to tell him this, which inspires the Vasaloppet. The Dalecarlians then elect Vasa as their leader, which is the beginning of the Swedish War of Liberation.Swedensource
  • March 16 – Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines, in eastern Samar.source
  • March - Gustav Trolle is given the task to subdue the rebellion, but fail in Hälsingland and retreat.Swedensource
  • March - The rebel army takes control of Falun after the Battle of Falun.Swedensource
  • April 23 – Revolt of the Comuneros – Battle of Villalar: Castilian royalists defeat the rebels. Juan López de Padilla, Francisco Maldonado, and Juan Bravo are executed the following day as the leaders of the rebels.source
  • April or May – Battle of Tunmen in Tuen Mun (present-day Hong Kong): The Ming Dynasty navy defeats the Portuguese navy (arguably the first Sino-European battle in world history).source
  • April - Rebel victory at Battle of Västerås, which makes the nobility to choose the side of Vasa against the Danes.Swedensource
  • April - Rebel victory at Battle of Brunnbäck Ferry.Swedensource
  • May 20 – At the Battle of Pampeluna in Spain, and alliance of forces from French and the Kingdom of Navarre forces defeat those of Spain.source
  • June 25 – Suleiman the Magnificent begins the siege of Belgrade.source
  • June 29 or 30 – The oldest surviving dateable document written primarily in the Romanian language: Neacșu's letter, written by a trader from Câmpulung, to Johannes Benkner, the mayor of Brașov, warning that the Ottoman Empire is preparing its troops to cross into Wallachia and Transylvania; the script used is Romanian Cyrillic.source
  • June 30 – Battle of Esquiroz: French forces under André de Foix, fighting for the exiled King of Navarre Henri d'Albret, are defeated by the Spanish, and forced to abandon their attempt to recover Henri's kingdom.source
  • 30 June – Battle of Esquiroz: French forces under Henri d'Albret, exiled King of Navarre, are defeated by the Spanish and forced to abandon their attempt to recover Henri's kingdom.Francesource
  • August 13 – Fall of Tenochtitlan: Cuauhtémoc surrenders to Cortés, thus incorporating the Aztec Empire into the Spanish Empire and ending the Late Postclassic period in Mesoamerica.source
  • August 20 – The Italian War of 1521–1526 breaks out between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Francis I of France as Henry III of Nassau-Breda leads Imperial troops on an invasion of northeastern France.source
  • August 20 – Siege of Mézières Armies of the Holy Roman Empire besiege the French town of Mézières for 3 weeks.Francesource
  • August 29 – Belgrade is captured by the Ottoman army of Suleiman the Magnificent.source
  • September 12 – In the Italian War, the Holy Roman Empire abandons its siege of the French-controlled city of Parma after 17 days.source
  • October 25 – The Revolt of the Comuneros, an uprising by citizens of the Kingdom of Castile against the rule of Spain's King Carlos I, ends as the comuneros surrender Toledo.source
  • December - Nyköping Castle and Stegeborg Castle fall to the rebels.Swedensource
  • The Grand Duchy of Ryazan is annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.source
  • The Swedish Army was founded by Gustav Vasa.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • March 6 – Ferdinand Magellan makes the first European contact with Guam, most likely landing in Tumon.source
  • April 7 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.source

Religion & Belief

  • January 3 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther, in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.source
  • February 2 – The Nydala Abbey Bloodbath take place in Nydala Abbey.Swedensource
  • April 16–18 – Martin Luther is examined before Emperor Charles V and the Diet of Worms, where he refuses to recant his writings and allegedly proclaims, "Here I stand", regarding his belief in the Bible alone, as the standard of Christian doctrine.source
  • November 23 – Spanish–German–Papal forces under Prospero Colonna force French Marshal Odet de Lautrec to abandon Milan.source
  • 23 November – Spanish–German–Papal forces under Prosper Colonna force French Marshal Odet de Lautrec to abandon Milan.Francesource

Science & Discovery

  • Jacopo Berengario da Carpi publishes Commentaria cum amplissimus additionibus super anatomiam Mundini in Bologna, including observation of the vermiform appendix.source

Health & Medicine

  • January 22 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, opens the Diet of Worms in Worms, Germany.source
  • April 7 – Martin Luther preaches an inflammatory sermon to students at Erfurt, while on his way to Worms.source
  • May 25 – The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw and banning his literature.source
  • December 27 – The Zwickau prophets arrive in Wittenberg, disturbing the peace and spreading the idea of rejecting infant baptism.source

Crime & Justice

  • March 6 – Martin Luther is summoned to appear before the Diet of Worms.source
  • April 26 – Martin Luther leaves Worms and disappears for around a year – he is rumored to be murdered, but is actually in hiding at the Wartburg castle.source

Culture & Society

  • March 31 – The First Mass in the Philippines is held.source
  • May 27 – After the death of his cousin, Prince Zhu Houcong became the new Ming dynasty Emperor of China, taking the imperial name of the Emperor Jiajing<.source
  • August - Gustav Vasa is elected King of Sweden at Vadstena.Swedensource

Births

  • March 21 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (died 1553)source
  • April 5 – Francesco Laparelli, Italian architect (died 1570)source
  • April 14 – Johann Marbach, German theologian (died 1581)source
  • April 18 – François de Coligny d'Andelot, French general (died 1569)source
  • 18 April – François de Coligny d'Andelot, French general (died 1569)Francesource
  • May 8 – Petrus Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (died 1597)source
  • June 8 – Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu, daughter of King Manuel I (died 1577)source
  • June 21 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev (died 1580)source
  • August 4 – Pope Urban VII (died 1590)source
  • August 19 – Lodovico Guicciardini, Italian historian (died 1589)source
  • November 21 – Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield, English baron (died 1549)source
  • November 29 – Marcantonio Maffei, Italian Catholic archbishop and cardinal (died 1583)source
  • December 1 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese warlord (died 1573)source
  • December 13 – Pope Sixtus V (died 1590)source
  • Catherine Howard, fifth queen of Henry VIII of England, (born between 1518 and 1524; d. 1542)source
  • Anne du Bourg, French magistrate and a Protestant martyr. (d.1559)Francesource
  • Louis de La Trémoille, French nobleman and 1st Duke of Thouars (d.1577)Francesource
  • Louise de Brézé, French noblewoman .(d.1577)Francesource

Deaths

  • February 2 – The Nydala Abbey Bloodbath takes place at Nydala Abbey, Sweden; the abbot and many monks are murdered by Danes.source
  • April 20 – Zhengde Emperor of China (born 1491)source
  • April 27 – Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer (born 1480)source
  • April 27 – Battle of Mactan: Ferdinand Magellan is killed in the Philippines when he confronts Lapulapu, the chief of the island.source
  • April 28 - Suzanne, French noblewomen, Duchess of Bourbon (b.1491)Francesource
  • May 10 – Sebastian Brant, German humanist and satirist (born 1457)source
  • May 17 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason in Tower Hill.source
  • May 17 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (executed) (born 1478)source
  • June 22 – Leonardo Loredan, Doge of Venice (born 1436)source
  • July 9 – Raffaele Riario, Italian cardinal (born 1461)source
  • July – Juan Ponce de León, Spanish conquistador (born 1460)source
  • August 27 – Josquin des Prez, Flemish composer (born c. 1450)source
  • October 22 – Edward Poynings, Lord Deputy to King Henry VII of England (born 1459)source
  • 29 November – William Rokeby, a leading statesman and cleric in the early sixteenth-century, who held the offices of Bishop of Meath, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.Irelandsource
  • December 1 – Pope Leo X (born 1475)source
  • December 13 – King Manuel I of Portugal (born 1469)source
  • George Cromer (died 1543) was appointed (Church of Ireland) Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland under Henry VIII.Irelandsource