Browse Historical Events by Month:
Battles, revolts, and explorations. Learn about the noteworthy events in May that have taken place throughout the ages. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Empire forces led by Sultan Mehmed II after a being under siege for 55 days. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire which had lasted for over 1000 years. Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine emperor, was killed fighting against the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans capture Constantinople's strategically important region of Morea on May 29, 1460, exactly seven years after the fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453, completing their conquest of the Byzantine Empire.
The Battle of Tewkesbury, a major battle in the Wars of the Roses takes place om May 4, 1471, resulting in a decisive victory for the Yorkists led by King Edward IV. against the Lancastrian army under the command of the Duke of Somerset.
The battle took place south of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and was a turning point in the Wars of the Roses.The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, who was a prisoner in the Tower of London, died shortly after the battle, perhaps murdered. Tewkesbury restored political stability to England until the death of Edward IV in 1483. More
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches India, opening the sea route to the East. Da Gama departed from Lisbon, Portugal, in July 1497, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and up the east coast of Africa where he hired a pilot in Malindi to help him cross the Indian Ocean, arriving at the port of Calicut on May 20 1498.
His voyage proved the sea route to India was viable and profitable, paving the way for Portuguese dominance in Asian trade and for a new era of European colonization in the East.
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad during his third voyage to the Americas.
Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving in Calicut, where he erected a padrão (stone pillar) to prove he had reached India. More
The Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus leaves on his fourth and final voyage from Cádiz, Spain, hoping to find a passage to Asia. Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451 and died on May 20, 1506 at age 54 in in Valladolid, Spain
This portrait was executed in the first half of the sixteenth century, after the death of Columbus. It is displayed in a showcase of the Museum of the sea and navigation of Genoa, "It Padiglione del Mare e della Navigazione." The artist, Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, was the son of Domenico Ghirlandaio. He is also known as Ridolfo Bigordi. Ghirlandaio never lived in Spain and it is unlikely that he ever met with the Admiral.
The Island of Saint Helena, a remote volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean is discovered by Portuguese navigator João da Nova on May 21, 1502 who names it after Saint Helena of Constantinople. (mother of Emperor Constantine I). The island was uninhabited.
The date of discovery coincided with the feast day of Saint Helena of Constantinople (mother of Emperor Constantine I) in the Eastern Orthodox calendar. The English East India Company (EIC) took possession in 1659 and founded its capital, Jamestown, in honor of the Duke of York. The island was passed from the EIC to the British Crown in 1834.
King Henry VIII of England orders the burning of all Lutheran books in London on May 12, 1521. Cardinal Wolsey led the condemnation, symbolizing England's opposition to Lutheranism.
Emperor Charles V issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther a heretic and an outlaw, making him subject to capture.
During his trial at the assembly of Worms, Martin Luther's defense argument was: "My conscience is captive to the word of God! To go against conscience is neither right nor safe, I therefore cannot, and I will not recant! Here I stand. I can do no other." More
King Charles V's troops, army of German and Spanish mercenaries, sack Rome, on May 6, 1527 capturing Pope Clement VII and then ransoming him.
The event occurred during the Italian Wars as a result of a power struggle between the Pope and the Emperor. It caused widespread destruction, effectively ending the High Renaissance in Rome and marking a shift in European power dynamics.
The Sack of Rome - Spanish and German Imperial troops, led by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, sacked Rome, marking the end of the Italian High Renaissance. This event, involved a mutinous army, including Landsknecht soldiers (German mercenaries) and other foreign troops, who looted and plundered the city, forcing the Pope to flee and causing widespread destruction. More
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French explorer Jacques Cartier lands in Newfoundland on May 10, 1534, marking the beginning of French exploration in North America. He sailed from Saint-Malo, France with two ships and 61 men. His primary mission for King Francis I was to find a passage to Asia and bring back riches.
On July 24, 1534, he erected a 10-meter cross in Gaspé Bay, claiming the land for France. He returned to France in September 1534, having failed to find a, passage but having identified a new, vast land for his king. During his first voyage, Cartier explored the coasts of Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, including the Strait of Belle Isle. Cartier is credited with naming Canada, applying the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement", to the region around present-day Quebec City in 1535. He initially used "Canada" to refer to Stadacona and the territory controlled by its chief, Donnacona, but the name was soon extended to a much larger area. Jacques Cartier made three major trips to North America all commissioned by King Francis I of France. His voyages were crucial for France's claim to Canada, allowing the nation to explore the St. Lawrence Gulf and River and later colonization efforts.
Henry VIII has his second wife, Anne Boleyn, arrested and sent to the Tower of London. She was charged with adultery, incest, and treason. After a sham trial filled with Anne’s enemies, she was found guilty, on charges of adultery, incest, conspiracy and high treason against the king. She was convicted on May 15 and beheaded four days later on May 19, 1536. More
Anne Boleyn, the infamous second wife of King Henry VIII, is beheaded in the Tower of London and buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower ,after a sham trial filled with Anne’s enemies found her guilty, on charges of adultery, incest, conspiracy and high treason against the king.
Henry married Jane Seymour just 11 days after Anne's execution. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation. More
Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour his third wife, just 11 days after his second wife, Anne Boleyn's execution. She died at Hampton Court Palace,12 days after giving birth to Edward VI, her only son and only surviving legitimate son of Henry VIII. The cause of her death was likely an infection or pulmonary embolism.
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. From there, they traveled through Arkansas and Louisiana, still with few material gains to show for their efforts. Turning back to the Mississippi, de Soto died of a fever on its banks on May 21, 1542.
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.
