Category: 16th Century

Categories: Time Periods

Previous / Next Century

The Sixteenth Century CE, i.e. 1501 to 1600

During the 16th century, Spain and Portugal explored the world's seas and opened world-wide oceanic trade routes. Large parts of the New World became Spanish and Portuguese colonies, and while the Portuguese became the masters of Asia's and Africa's Indian Ocean trade, the Spanish opened trade across the Pacific Ocean, linking the Americas with Asia.

In Europe, the Protestant Reformation gave a major blow to the authority of the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. European politics became dominated by religious conflicts, with the groundwork for the epochal Thirty Years' War being laid towards the end of the century. Nonetheless, some of the greatest works of art were created under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church during this time period.

In the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire continued to expand, with the Sultan taking the title of Caliph, while dealing with a resurgent Persia. Iran and Iraq were caught by major popularity of the once-obscure Shiite sect of Islam under the rule of the Safavid dynasty of warrior-mystics, providing grounds for a Persia independent of the majority-Sunni Muslim world.

Copernicus proposed the heliocentric universe, which was met with strong resistance, and Tycho Brahe refuted the theory of celestial spheres through observational measurement of the 1572 appearance of a Milky Way Super Nova. These events directly challenged the long-held notion of an immutable universe supported by Ptolemy and Aristotle, and led to major revolutions in astronomy and science. (1)

Significant people

• Leonardo da Vinci, famous artist and inventor and scientist (1452 – 1519).

• Henry VII, founder of Tudor dynasty. Introduced ruthlessly efficient mechanisms of taxation which restored England after bankruptcy due to Wars of the Roses (1457 – 1509).

• Ismail I (1487-1524) reunified Persia, established Safavid dynasty and declared Shia Islam the state religion.

• Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam) (Oct 27, 1466/69, Rotterdam– Jul 12, 1536 Basel. Dutch Renaissance humanist and Catholic Christian theologian.

• Zygmunt I the Old, King of Poland. Established a conscription army and bureaucracy to finance it (1467 – 1548).

• György Dózsa, leader of Hungarian peasant revolt (1470 – 1514).

• Michelangelo Buonarroti. Italian painter and sculptor (1475 – 1564).

• Raphael, Italian painter, (1483 – 1520)

• Martin Luther. German religious reformer (1483 – 1546).

• Giovanni Battista Ramusio (20 Jul 1485 – 10 Jul 1557), diplomat and secretary of council of Ten of Venice Italy, author of Delle Navigationi et Viaggi. Third volume (terzo volume) contains plan La Terra de Hochelaga showing village of Hochelaga.

• Henry VIII (1491 – 1547). Broke with the Catholic faith. Married six times.

• Anne Boleyn, first Queen of England to be executed. Mother of Elizabeth I.

• Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (1491 – 1556).

• Paracelsus (11 November or 17 December 1493 in Einsiedeln, Switzerland – 24 September 1541 in Salzburg, Austria), Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist.

• Francis I of France, first Renaissance monarch of his Kingdom (1494 – 1547).

• Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of Ottoman Empire. Conqueror and legal reformer (1494 – 1566).

• Abbas I, the strongest king of Safavid dynasty (1571-1629).

• Gustav I of Sweden, restored Swedish sovereignty and introduced Protestantism in Sweden (1496–1560).

• Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and first to reign as King of Spain. Involved in almost constant conflict with France and Ottoman Empire while promoting Spanish colonization of Americas (1500 – 1558).

• Cuauhtémoc, the last Tlatoani of the Aztec, led native resistance against Conquistadores (1502 – 1525).

• Nostradamus, French astrologer and doctor, author of Les Propheties. (1503 – 1566).

• Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, Somali Imam and general (1507 – 1543).

• Andrea Palladio (November 30, 1508 – August 19, 1580), influential Western architect.

• John Calvin, theologian, and reformer. Founder of Calvinism (1509 – 1564).

• Manus Ó Domhnaill (Manus O'Donnell), King of Tír Chonaill in Ulster. Irish Renaissance prince (d.1564).

• Andreas Vesalius, anatomist, physician, and author of influential human anatomy book, De humani corporis fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body').(1514–1564)

• Andrea Amati (c. 1520 – c. 1578), earliest violin maker. His instruments still survive.

• John Knox (c. 1510 – 1572). Scottish clergyman. Leader of Protestant Reformation. Presbyterian founder.

• Philip II of Spain. It was first said of his empire that "the sun did not set". Defender of Catholicism and self-proclaimed leader of Counter-Reformation (1527 – 1598).

• Ivan IV of Russia, first Russian tsar (1533–1584).

• William the Silent, William I of Orange-Nassau, main leader of Dutch revolt against Spanish (1533–1584).

• Oda Nobunaga, daimyo of the Sengoku period of Japanese civil war. First ruler of Azuchi-Momoyama period (1534 – 1582).

• Toyotomi Hideyoshi, daimyo of the Sengoku period of Japanese civil war. Second ruler of Azuchi-Momoyama period (1536 – 1598).

• Edward VI. First Protestant monarch of England. (1537 – 1553).

• Lady Jane Grey (1537 – 1554). Nine days queen. Deposed.

• Mary I of England. Countered English Protestant Reformation. Nicknamed Bloody Mary for religious persecution (1516 – 1558).

• Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603). Daughter of Henry VIII. Her reign is still one of England's greatest.

• William Shakespeare (1564–1616). English poet and playwright. Often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon".

• Mary, Queen of Scots, First female head of House of Stuart (1542 – 1587).

• Akbar the Great, third Mughal emperor. Led Mughal Empire to zenith (1542 – 1605)

• Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician and Grand Pensionary, played pivotal role in organizing Dutch revolt against Spain (1542 – 1619).

• Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korean admiral, respected as one of the greatest admirals in world history. (1545 – 1598).

• Matteo Ricci (1552 – 1610). Italian Jesuit. Traveled to Macau in 1582. Died in Beijing.

• Henry IV of France and Navarre. Ended French Wars of Religion. Reunited kingdom (1553 – 1610).

• Michael the Brave. Ruler of Walachia. Romanian national symbol. United three provinces in 1600 (1558 – 1601).

• Wanli Emperor, Emperor of China during Ming Dynasty, aided Korea in Imjin War (1563 – 1620)

• Sigismund III Vasa, first and only monarch of Polish–Swedish union. Long reign in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth coincided with Commonwealth's prestige, power and economic influence (1566 – 1632).

Exploration

• Juan Ponce de León (c. 1460–1521). Spanish explorer. Tried to find Fountain of Youth in Florida.

• Pedro Álvares Cabral, Portuguese navigator. First European to land in Brazil 22 Apr 1500 (c. 1467 – 1520).

• Vasco da Gama, Portuguese navigator. First to sail around Cape of Good Hope (c. 1469 – 1524).

• Francisco Pizarro (c. 1475–1541). Spanish explorer and conquistador. Conquered Inca Empire.

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c. 1475–1519). Spanish explorer. First European to cross Isthmus of Panama and see Pacific ocean from American shores.

• Juan Sebastián Elcano (1476–1526). Spanish explorer. Completed first circumnavigation of the globe in a single expedition after Magellan was killed.

• Ferdinand Magellan (abt.1480-1521), Portuguese navigator. Organized the Spanish expedition that sailed around world in 1519-1522.

• Giovanni da Verrazzano (c. 1485–1528) – Italian explorer for France. Explored northeast coast of America, from about present day South Carolina to Newfoundland.

• Hernán Cortés (1485 – 1547), Spanish Conquistador.

• Jacques Cartier (1491–1557) – French explorer. Discovered Canada.

• Hernando de Soto (c. 1496–1542) – Spanish explorer. Explored mainly northwest Florida, and found the Mississippi River.

• Andrés de Urdaneta (c.1498-1568). Spanish navigator, friar and circumnavigator. Discovered maritime path from Asia to Americas across Pacific in 1565 .

• Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (c. 1510–1554) – Spanish explorer. Searched for Seven Cities of Gold but found the Grand Canyon instead.

• Francisco de Orellana (1511–1546). Spanish explorer. Sailed length of Amazon River in 1541–42.

• Yermak Timofeyevich (c. 1532–1585). Russian cossack ataman. Conquered Khanate of Siberia

• Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596). First English captain to sail around world and survive.

• Luis Váez de Torres (c. 1565–1607). Spanish or Portuguese navigator. Explored Pacific for Spanish crown and crossed strait that bears his name in northern Australia.

This page was last modified 03:42, 24 March 2023. This page has been accessed 1,513 times.