16 November
The Battle of Cajamarca was the ambush and capture of the Inca ruler Atahualpa by Francisco Pizarro and a small Spanish force on this day in 1532. Continue reading “1532 – Pizarro and his men capture the Inca Emperor at the Battle of Cajamarca”
9 October – On this day
Mary Tudor (18 March 1496 – 25 June 1533), was the third daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and became Queen of France through her marriage to Louis. Continue reading “1514 – The marriage of Louis XII of France and Mary Tudor”
1 October – On this day
Mary Tudor (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558) was the Queen Mary I of England from July 1553 (coronation on this day) until her death. Her executions of Protestants caused her opponents to give her the sobriquet “Bloody Mary”. Continue reading “1553 – The Coronation of Mary Tudor”
27 September – On this day
Pope Urban VII (4 August 1521 – 27 September 1590), born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was Pope from 15 to 27 September 1590. His twelve-day papacy was the shortest in history. Continue reading “1590 – Pope Urban VII dies making this the shortest papacy in history.”
27 September – On this day
The Siege of Vienna in 1529 was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. Continue reading “1529 – The Siege of Vienna begins when the Ottomans attack the city.”
22 September – On this day
The Battle of Zutphen was fought on this day in 1586, near the town of Zutphen, the Netherlands, during the Eighty Years’ War. Continue reading “1586 – The Battle of Zutphen”
10 September – On this day
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, took place on this day in 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, it was part of the conflict known as the ‘Rough Wooing’, and is considered to be the first modern battle in the British Isles. It was a catastrophic defeat for Scotland, where it became known as Black Saturday. Continue reading “1547 – Battle of Pinkie Cleugh”
September – Tudor England
Thomas Wolsey was an important English political figure during the reign of King Henry VIII. In September of 1515 he was made a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and became the most senior church figure in England.
9 September – On this day
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was part of a conflict between the Kingdom of England (Henry VIII) and the Kingdom of Scotland (James IV). This conflict began when James declared war on England to honour the Auld Alliance with France by diverting Henry’s English troops from their campaign against the French king Louis XII. Continue reading “1513 – Battle of Flodden”
7 September – On this day
Elizabeth was born on this day at Greenwich Palace and was named after both her grandmothers, Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Howard. She was the second child of Henry VIII of England born in wedlock to survive infancy. Continue reading “1533 – Elizabeth I born”
6 September – On this day
The Battle of Nördlingen ( 1st Nördlingen ) was fought in 1634 during the Thirty Years’ War. The Roman Catholic Imperial army, bolstered by Spanish and Italian soldiers, won a crushing victory over the combined Protestant armies of Sweden and their German-Protestant allies. Continue reading “1634 – Battle of Nordlingen”
6 September – On this day
The Victoria, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition, returns to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the world. Continue reading “1522 – First Circumnavigation of the World”
Did you know?
Modern depictions of Catherine of Aragon seem obsessed with one aspect of her … she was ‘Spanish’. This means that she must have looked stereotypically ‘Spanish’, dark hair and eyes and olive complexion. It could not be further from the truth …. Continue reading “Catherine of Aragon”
23-24 August – Paris, France
One of the worst of the 16th century’s religious massacres began on the eve of the feast of Bartholomew the Apostle. Continue reading “1572 – Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre”
