New Settlement
Jan 15 King Francis I of France commissions Jean-Francois Roberval to settle the province of New France
- Feb 12 Santiago, Chile, founded (or Feb 24)
Event of Interest
May 6 King Henry VIII orders a bible in English be placed in every church in England
Henry VIII
Hernando de Soto's Expedition lands in Florida
May 8 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his expedition discover the Mississippi River
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- Jun 18 Irish parliament selects Henry VIII of England as King of Ireland
- Jul 9 Estevão da Gama departs Massawa, leaving behind 400 matchlock men and 150 slaves under his brother Christovão da Gama, with orders to help the Emperor of Ethiopia defeat Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi who has invaded his Empire
- Aug 18 A Portuguese ship drifts ashore in the ancient Japanese province of Higo (modern day Kumamoto Prefecture). (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1541)
Event of Interest
Aug 21 Ottoman Turks under Suleiman the Magnificent capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom and go on to dominate central Hungary for 150 years
Suleiman the Magnificent
Voyage of Discovery
Aug 23 French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada
Jacques Cartier
- Sep 11 Santiago, Chile, is destroyed by indigenous warriors, lead by Michimalonko
Event of Interest
Oct 31 Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting "The Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
Michelangelo
- Nov 9 Queen Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's fifth wife) confined in Tower of London
- Dec 29 Isabella of Poland and King Ferdinand of Austria sign Treaty of Gyalu