Browse Historical Events by Month: What Happened in May?

The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is laid by Pope Julius II.

The Sack of Rome takes place, as troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, led by Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, pillage and destroy the city.

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, is executed at the Tower of London after being found guilty of adultery and treason against the King. More

Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto reaches the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.

Nicolaus Copernicus publishes his book "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres" which formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. In all likelihood, Copernicus developed his model independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who had formulated such a model some eighteen centuries earlier.

The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis is signed, ending the Italian Wars and establishing peace between France and Spain.

A legal process by which the Protestant Church of England was restored becomes official as Queen Elizabeth gives the Royal assent to the Revised Act of Supremacy of 1558, which re-established the Church of England’s independence from Rome. and the the Act of Uniformity of 1559 which outlined what form the English Church should take.

The Eighty Years' War begins as the Dutch rebels, led by Louis of Nassau, defeat a Spanish force at the Battle of Heiligerlee.

The Siege of Famagusta begins during the Ottoman-Venetian War, with the city of Famagusta in Cyprus being besieged by the Ottoman Empire.

The Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, with the aim of invading England during the Anglo-Spanish War.

Playwright Christopher Marlowe is killed in a dispute, possibly over a bill, at a tavern in Deptford, London.

The first permanent English settlement in America was established at Jamestown, Virginia. More

French King Henry IV is assassinated by François Ravaillac in Paris.

The Authorized Version of the Bible (King James Version) was first published, and became the standard English language Bible.

Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present-day Manhattan) and establishes the colony of New Amsterdam.

The Fundamental Orders, often considered the first written constitution in North America, are adopted by the Connecticut Colony.

The city of Montreal is founded by French colonists under the direction of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve.

The Battle of Dover takes place during the First Anglo-Dutch War, with the Dutch Republic gaining a decisive victory over England.

King Charles II of England is restored to the throne after the period of Commonwealth following the English Civil War.