on The Congress of Arras opens during the 199 Year war between representatives of England, France and Burgundy. The Congress concluded on September 21,1435[
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What Happened in August?
Conquests, crusades, and victories. Explore pivotal historical events that took place in August. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The short-lived Peace of Szeged between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire is signed on August 15, 1444, temporarily ending the 1443-1444 Crusade of Varna but it was quickly broken by the Hungarians. This led to renewed conflict and the decisive Battle of Varna later that year.
King Afonso V of Portugal dies, and his son, John II, becomes king.
The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is consecrated and inaugurated by Pope Sixtus IV, on August 15, 1483. The completed ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo were revealed to the public during a solemn Mass celebrated by Pope Julius II on November 1, 1512
The Treaty of Bagnolo is signed on August 7, 1484, ending the War of Ferrara (1482-1484) between Duke Ercole I d'Este of Ferrara and the Republic of Venice (which was allied with Pope Sixtus IV).
The war was caused by salt tariffs and Venetian expansionism and the treaty forced Ferrara to cede territories north of the Po River, including the Palesine and Rovigo to Venice, securing peace for the Italian peninsula and giving Venice a major territorial gain, extending its mainland holdings.
The Battle of Bosworth Field. The last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England. The battle was won by an alliance of Lancastrians and disaffected Yorkists. Their leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty by his victory and subsequent marriage to a Yorkist princess. His opponent Richard III, the last king of the House of York, was killed during the battle. Historians consider the Bosworth Field battle one of the defining moments of English history. More
Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, with three ships, La Niña, La Pinta and Santa Maria, searching for a westerly route to the Far East. Seventy days later, on October 12th, 1492 he lands on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador.
The indigenous Taíno people of the island called it Guanahani. The island became known later as Watling Island but it was officially named San Salvador in 1925. While many scholars now believe this Island is the most likely location, modern historians are still divided on the exact island.
Explorer Christopher Columbus, during his third trip, lands on South America at the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela. Thinking it was an island, he claims it for Spain and christened it "Isla Santa".
Christopher Columbus discovers the island "Isla de Margarita" off the coast of Venezuela on August 15, 1498, during his third voyage to the Americas.
Spanish conquistador Hernándo Cortés captures Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztec Empire after over two months of fighting, winning the Aztec Empire for Spain. Cortes' conquests began with Cuba in 1511, Mexico’s Bay of Campeche in 1519, and then deeper into Mexico.
Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, defeats the Hungarian forces at the Battle of Mohács battle that resulted in the death of King Louis II and much of the Hungarian nobility. This catastrophic defeat led to the partition of Hungary and marked the end of the Hungarian Jagiellonian dynasty, ushering in a period of Ottoman control and influence in the region for over 150 years and sustained Ottoman–Habsburg wars. Sultan Suleiman I, inherited the throne of the Ottoman Empire at the age of 26. He was the only son of Selim I, who conquered Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and Alexandria. More
1537, c. August
The Matthew Bible, the first complete English-language Bible, is printed by John Rogers in 1537, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew".
It was a significant translation because it was based on the original Greek and Hebrew texts, unlike the earlier Coverdale Bible which relied on German and Latin sources. Rogers was eventually tried and executed as a heretic in 1555 under Mary I for having translated the Bible; a punishable offence on those days.
1539, Circa August
King Francis I of France issues the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, making French the official language of legal documents.
Pierre de Monte becomes the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of Malta) after the death of Jean Parisot de Valette on August 21, 1568
The Edict of Saint-Germain is signed on August 8, 1570, granting French Protestants (Huguenots) limited religious freedoms, ending France's Third War of Religion but ultimately failing to prevent further conflict, collapsing in 1572 with the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which saw thousands of Huguenots killed, reigniting the Wars of Religion.
The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurs in France, resulting in the killing of thousands of Huguenots (Protestants). following the assassination attempt on Admiral Coligny. Catholic mobs targeted thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants), leading to widespread killings in Paris and other parts of France. Estimates for the total number of deaths vary widely, from about 2,000 to as many as 70,000.
Thousands of Protestant Huguenots (French Protestants) are massacred in France by Catholics, in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre after the royal wedding of a Catholic princess and a Huguenot leader failed to bring peace and instead sparked widespread religious conflict. More
The Spanish army of King Philip II, led by the Duke of Alba, decisively defeats the Portuguese forces of António, Prior of Crato, at the battle of Alcantara, who had proclaimed himself king during the Portuguese succession crisis. On August 27, two days after their decisive victory, King Philip captures Lisbon, effectively uniting the crowns of Portugal and Spain.
The following year, on April 16, 1581,the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar, (Parliament), formally recognized King Philip II of Spain as King Philip I of Portugal, resulting in the beginning of the Iberian Union, a personal union of the Spanish and Portuguese crowns that would last for 60 years.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a British navigator and explorer takes possession of the area around St. John’s harbor, Newfoundland in the name of the Queen. He was later lost at sea in a storm off the Azores on his return trip to England.
The Treaty of Nonsuch is signed on August 10, 1585 between England and the Dutch rebels, formalizing England's military and financial support for the Dutch rebels against Spain. It led towards open Anglo-Spanish conflict, effectively drawing England into the Dutch Revolt against Philip II of Spain.