Events in History
- Jan 2 Muhammad XII. (Boabdil) last Nasird ruler of Moorish fortress Alhambra surrenders to the Catholic Monarchs
- 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.
- Mar 31 Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Aragon issue the Alhambra Decree which expels Jews from their Kingdoms of Castile and 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"
- 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.
- Nov 9 Peace of Etaples (Henry VII of England & Charles VIII of France)
- 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 (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas) in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus
- 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 Andreas Alciatus, [Giovanni Andrea-Alciato], Italian lawyer
- Jul 2 Elizabeth Tudor, English princess (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 Kazimierz IV, 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