Events in History
Completion of the Reconquista
Jan 2 Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula
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- Jan 16 The first grammar of a modern language, Spanish, is presented to Queen Isabella.
- Mar 4 King James IV of Scotland concludes an alliance with France against England.
Event of Interest
Mar 31 Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon issue the Alhambra Decree which expels Jews from their kingdoms
Isabella I of Castile
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Contract of Interest
Apr 17 Christopher Columbus signs a contract with the Spanish monarchs to find the "Indies" with the stated goal of converting people to Catholicism. This promises him 10% of all riches found, and the governorship of any lands encountered.
Christopher Columbus
- Apr 30 Christopher Columbus is given royal commission by Spanish monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinand II to equip his fleet to the New World
- Apr 30 Spain announces it will expel all Jews
- May 15 Cheese & Bread rebellion: German mercenaries kill 232 residents of Alkmaar, Netherlands
Santa María
Aug 3 Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the "Indies"
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- Aug 11 Rodrigo de Borja becomes Pope Alexander VI
- Aug 12 Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World
- Sep 6 Christopher Columbus' fleet leaves Gomera, Canary islands
- Sep 25 Crewman on Pinta sights "land"-a few weeks early
- Oct 2 King Henry VII of England invades France
- Oct 7 Christopher Columbus misses Florida when he changes course
- Oct 12 Flemish rebel leader Philip van Kleef surrenders
- Oct 12 Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall on a Caribbean island he names San Salvador (likely Watling Island, Bahamas). The explorer believes he has reached East Asia (OS 21 Oct)
- Oct 13 English admiral Sir Edward Poynings' fleet occupies Lock
- Oct 14 Christopher Columbus leaves San Salvador; arrives in Santa Maria of Concepcion (Bahamas)
- Oct 16 Christopher Columbus' fleet anchors at "Fernandina" (Long Island, Bahamas)
- Oct 19 Christopher Columbus sights "Isabela", now Fortune Island/Long Cay, Bahamas
- Oct 24 24 Jews are burned at the stake in Mecklenburg, Germany
- Oct 26 Lead (graphite) pencils first used
- Oct 28 Christopher Columbus sights Cuba and claims it for Spain under the name "Juana"
- Nov 5 Christopher Columbus 1st learns about growing and harvesting maize (corn) from Cuba's indigenous population
- Nov 7 Ensisheim Meteorite strikes a wheat field near the village of Ensisheim in Alsace, France. Oldest meteorite with a known date of impact.
Event of Interest
Nov 9 Peace of Etaples between Henry VII of England and Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII
- Nov 15 Christopher Columbus notes 1st recorded reference to tobacco
- Nov 15 In La Guardia, Spain, 6 Jews & 5 Conversos are accused of ritual murder
- Nov 22 Pinta under Martín Alonso Pinzón separates from Christopher Columbus's fleet
- Dec 5 Christopher Columbus discovers Hispaniola (El Espanola/Haiti)
- Dec 25 Christopher Columbus' flagship the Santa María runs aground and sinks on the north coast of Hispaniola. The crew are left to found a colony as Columbus returns to Spain
- Dec 26 1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)
- Dec 31 100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily
Birthdays in History
- Jan 12 Andreas Alicatus, Italian author
- Mar 6 Jean Luis Vives, Spanish theory/humanist/reformer
- Apr 4 Ambrosius Blarer, German reformer, born in Konstanz, Germany (d. 1564)
- Apr 11 Marguerite of Navarre, Queen of Navarre, wife of Henry II of Navarre, born in Angoulême, France (d. 1549)
- May 8 Andrea Alciato, Italian lawyer and writer, born in Alzate Brianza, Milan, Italy (d. 1550)
- Jul 2 Elizabeth Tudor, English princess, second daughter and fourth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, born in Richmond Palace, Surrey, England (d. 1495)
- Sep 12 Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1519)
Deaths in History
- Apr 9 Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent), leading Florentine statesman and patron of the arts during Florentine Renaissance, dies at 43
- Jun 7 Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland (1447-92), dies at 64
- Jun 16 Jan Coppenhole, Flemish rebel leader, beheaded
- Jul 25 Innocent VII [Giovanni B Cibo], Italian Pope (1484-92), dies
- Oct 12 Piero della Francesca, Italian painter
- Nov 9 Jami [Mowlanā Nūr Od-dīn ʿabd Or-raḥmān Ebn Aḥmad], Persian poet (Lava'ih), dies at 78