What Happened in May?

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

Emperor Charles V issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther a heretic and an outlaw, making him subject to capture.  Expand +

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. Expand +

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

French explorer Jacques Cartier lands in Newfoundland, marking the beginning of French exploration in North America. He sailed from Saint-Malo, France with two ships and 61 men on April 20. His primary mission for King Francis I was to find a passage to Asia and bring back riches.  Expand +

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.  Expand +

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.

Mary, Queen of Scots, arrives in England on May 16, 1568, seeking refuge but she is taken to Carlisle Castle where she remained under guard. She was imprisoned on orders from her cousin Elizabeth I of England. Mary remained in captivity in England for 19 years until her execution on February 8, 1587 at age 44 at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England, ordered by Elizabeth I.

The Eighty Years' War, also known as the Dutch Revolt, officially begins with the Battle of Heiligerlee where Dutch rebels, led by Louis of Nassau, defeat the Spanish forces .It was the first Dutch victory in the conflict. The Dutch rebellion against Spanish rule ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Münster ending the war and formalizing the independence of the Dutch Republic. More

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 London based "Virginia Company," holder of a royal charter granted in 1606 by King James for the colonial pursuit; establishes the first permanent English settlement in America as "James Fort" at now Jamestown, Virginia on May 14, 1607 (Gregorian Calendar) With 104 men arriving aboard the ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery.  Expand +

 Henry IV King of France and King of Navarre is assassinated. He was also known as Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand),  He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. He pragmatically balanced the interests of the Catholic and Protestant parties in France, as well as among the European states. He was assassinated in Paris by François Ravaillac, a Catholic zealot, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII. More

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