- Jan 22 Ottoman forces take Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate
- Apr 13 Ottoman army occupies Cairo
- May 19 Philip van Bourgondie installed as bishop of Utrecht
- Jun 11 Sir Thomas Pert reaches Hudson Bay
- Jul 1 1st burning of Protestants at the stake in the Netherlands
- Jul 1 Inquisitor Adrian Boeyens (pope Adrianus VI) becomes cardinal
- Jul 9 Gelderse crowd robber murders population of Asperen
- Aug 15 Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.
The Protestant Reformation
Oct 31 Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to Albrecht von Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating the Protestant Reformation
