The world: 1520s
1520–1529
View on the mapEvents in this period 4
1521 · North America · War
Fall of Tenochtitlan
The fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Mexica, was an important event in the Spanish conquest of the Mexica. It occurred in 1521 following extensive negotiations between local factions and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He was aided by La Malinche, his interpreter and companion, and by thousands of indigenous allies, especially Tlaxcaltec warriors.
1526 · India · Politics
Founding of the Mughal Empire
The First Battle of Panipat, on 21 April 1526 was fought between the invading forces of Babur against Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, in North India. Babur's forces, employing gunpowder firearms and cannons, defeated Ibrahim. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder arms on the Indian subcontinent. The victory marked the beginning of Mughal rule in India.
1521 · Southeast Asia · Exploration
Battle of Mactan
The Battle of Mactan was fought on a beach in Mactan Island between Spanish forces led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, along with local allies, and Lapulapu, a chieftain of the island, on the early morning of April 27, 1521. Magellan, a Portuguese-born commander serving the Spanish Empire who led an expedition that ultimately circumnavigated the world for the first time, commanded a small Spanish contingent in an effort to subdue Mactan under the Spanish crown. The sheer number of Lapulapu's forces, compounded with issues associated with the location and the armor, ultimately resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Europeans and the death of Magellan. Surviving members of Magellan's crew continued the expedition under the command of Juan Sebastian de Elcano, who completed the journey in September 1522.
1526 · Europe · War
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleiman the Magnificent and his grand vizier, Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha. The Ottomans achieved a decisive victory through superior planning, firepower, and a well-executed encirclement that overwhelmed the Hungarian forces.
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Still under way
Around the same time
- Ninety-five Theses1517
- Pedro Álvares Cabral1500
- Battle of Cajamarca1532
- De revolutionibus orbium coelestium1543
- Cerro Rico1545
- Safavid Iran1501
- Capture of Malacca (1511)1511
- Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517)1516 – 1517
- Nanban trade1543
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