Cardinal Wolsey becomes Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII.
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What Happened in January?
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I dies on Jan 12, 1519 and his grandson Charles V becomes the new Holy Roman Emperor on June 28, 1519.
Charles had to secure the support of the seven electors and defeated rivals like Francis I of France through extensive bribery, funded by the Fugger banking family. Charles's election united his inherited Spanish, Burgundian, and Austrian territories and marked a new era of Habsburg dominance in Europe.
Pope Leo X, excommunicated Martin Luther from the Catholic Church, after Luther refused to recant his teachings, which challenged church practices like selling indulgences, marking a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation.
The Diet of Worms, called by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to address Luther's religious views, begins in Germany on January 23, 1521.
Martin Luther arrived on April 16, making his famous defense of his beliefs on April 17 and 18, 1521 and refusing to recant his writing unless they can be proven wrong by the Bible or reason. On May 25, 1521: The Edict of Worms is issued, declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic.
The Anabaptist movement starts in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 21, 1525, when Conrad Grebel and others performed the first modern adult baptism (rebaptism) in defiance of the city council.
The radical wing of the Reformation focused on believer's baptism and church-state separation, leading to persecution and the spread of the movement.
Pope Clement VII sends a letter to Henry VIII on January 5, 1531, forbidding him from remarrying until his first marriage is resolved; threatening excommunication if he did so.
Henry, who was seeking to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, ignored the Pope's warning and went on to secretly marry Anne Boleyn in 1532. This defiance ultimately led to Henry VIII's excommunication and the English Reformation, as England broke away from the authority of the Catholic Church. More
King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn in a formal wedding. It is believed that he had previously married her secretly on November 14,1532, shortly after their return from Calais, possibly to legitimize their relationship as Anne was already pregnant.
The wedding lead to the English Reformation and the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Catherine of Aragon was stripped of her titles, exiled, and confined to Kimbolton Castle, where she died on January 7, 1536, at the age of 50 potentially from cancer. Her grave in Peterborough Cathedral was initially marked with her lesser title of Princess Dowager of Wales, but was later changed to "Queen of England" in the 20th century.
The city of Lima, Peru, is founded on January 18, 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on the central coast of Peru. The city was known as "Ciudad de Los Reyes" or "City of the Kings" because in the Julian calendar. in use at that time, the date corresponded to the holiday of Epiphany, when the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus,
Cathedral of Lima, Peru. (1854) - The Cathedral Foundation Stone was laid by Francisco Pizarro (1535)
Source: Exploration of the Valley of Amazon vol.1 by Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon, U.S.N. Author William Lewis Herndon (1813–1857)
Spain annexes Cuba.
King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife on January 6, 1540,. The marriage was declared unconsummated and was annulled after a few months. Anne was not crowned queen consort.
It is believed that the marriage took place because Henry VIII thought he needed to form a political alliance with her brother, William, a leader of the Protestants of Western Germany, to strengthen his position against potential attacks from Catholic France and the Holy Roman Empire. Following the annulment, Henry gave her a generous settlement and Anne was thereafter known as the King's Beloved Sister. Remaining in England, she lived to see the reigns of Henry's children, Edward VI and Mary I, and attended Mary's coronation in 1553. Anne outlived the rest of Henry's wives.
The Council of Trent reconvenes in Trento, Italy. It was the Catholic Church's definitive response to the Protestant Reformation, meeting in three sessions across nearly 20 years (1545–47, 1551–52, 1562–63) and provided a strong doctrinal and disciplinary framework, strengthening the Church against Protestantism, guiding its direction for centuries.
The major outcomes of the Council of Trent were:
- Affirmed the Vulgate Bible as authoritative.
- Reaffirmed the seven sacraments, the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and Purgatory.
- Established rules for religious art (decorum, education, pious reflection).
- Mandated creation of seminaries for better-educated clergy.
Challenged by wars and political issues, with limited Protestant participation despite invitations.
In essence, Trent served to both defend traditional Catholic teaching and initiate necessary internal renewal, solidifying the Church's identity for the modern era.
Ivan IV. known as Ivan the Terrible is crowned "Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia" on January 16, 1547, at the age of 16, marking the beginning of a new era for Russia, with a more centralized and powerful ruler at its head.
King Henry VIII of England dies on January 28, 1547 and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Edward VI who was crowned on February 20, 1547.
The German cities of Würzburg and Bamberg surrender to the forces of Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
The City of São Paulo is founded in Brazil. The city’s name derives from its having been founded by Jesuit missionaries on the anniversary of the conversion of St. Paul.
The Shaanxi earthquake, believed to be the deadliest earthquake ever recorded, strikes China's Shaanxi and neighboring Shanxi province on January 23, 1556, killing or injuring and estimated 830,000 people. Although the quake lasted only seconds, it leveled mountains, altered the path of rivers, ignited fires that burned for days and caused massive flooding.
Calais, the last English possession on mainland France, falls to the French on January 7, 1558, ending English territorial claims in France.
Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey on January 15, 1559. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn and succeeded to the throne on the death of her half-sister Mary I in1558.
Elizabeth's 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it, a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. More
The Council of Trent concludes its meetings, marking the end of the Council's discussions on church reform.
The Battle of Talikota in India is fought on January 23, 1565, near the town of Talikota in present-day Karnataka. The battle resulted in the defeat of the Vijayanagara Empire by a coalition of Deccan Sultanates.