What Happened in September?

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sets sail from Sanlucar de Barrameda in southern Spain with five ships and a crew of 270 men, on what become the first circumnavigation of the world and the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic.  Expand +

Suleiman the Magnificent succeeds his father, Selim I, as Ottoman Sultan, the tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire. His realm extended from Hungary to Iran, and from Crimea to North Africa and the Indian Ocean. As he engaged in bitter rivalries with the Catholic Habsburgs and the Shiite Safavids, he presided over a multilingual and multireligious empire that promised peace and prosperity to its subjects. He died on the night of September 6/7, 1566, at the age of 71 of natural causes. More

The expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan becomes the first to complete a circumnavigation of the globe as Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano arrives back in Spain from the Philippines with a final crew of only 18 men from the original 270 in the Ship Victoria.  Expand +

Queen Elizabeth I is born. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was the last Tudor Monarch. She is considered one of the most influential English monarchs and her 45-year reign one of the most glorious in English history. More

King Christian III, of Denmark establishes a Lutheran state church in Norway.

Pope Paul III officially recognizes the Society of Jesus as a religious order by promulgating the bull Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae, which established the Jesuit Order. More

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (João Rodrigues Cabrilho) a Portuguese explorer sailing the Caravel "San Salvador" under the Spanish flag, enters San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, landing at what is now Point Loma. Cabrillo named the bay San Miguel, in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel. This was the first recorded European landing on the West Coast of the United States. Expand +

King Henry VIII personally joins the siege of Boulogne in France taking command of the English forces who had already begun the siege under the Duke of Suffolk, ultimately capturing the strategic port on September 18, 1544 and Henry triumphantly entering the city.  Expand +

The Peace of Augsburg between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance of Protestant princes is signed, The treaty officially recognized the division of Christianity and granted each prince in the Holy Roman Empire the right to choose either Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism as the official religion of their state. Calvinism was not allowed until the Peace of Westphalia, which took place in 1648.

The Great Siege of Malta ends, as the Ottoman Empire lifts its siege of the island after several months of intense fighting.

The Spanish Colonial Settlement of St. Augustine in Florida is inaugurated by the Spanish Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés with 600 voyagers cheering; Menéndez named the colonial settlement St. Augustine in honor of the saint whose feast day fell on the day he first sighted land.  Expand +

The Netherlands' Duke of Alva (Alba) establishes the Council of Troubles (popularly known as the Council of Blood) on September 9, 1567. This special tribunal was designed to punish those involved in the recent religious and political unrest.  Expand +

The Battle of Lepanto takes place, where a Holy League fleet defeats the Ottoman Empire in a major naval battle, halting Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean.

The Truce of Bergerac, also known as the Peace of Bergerac, is signed, temporarily halting the Sixth French War of Religion between the Catholic King Henry III and the Huguenot (Protestant) princes. The subsequent Edict of Poitiers, which confirmed the treaty, was issued just three days later, on September 17. 

Sir Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of the globe aboard the Golden Hind, bringing back an an enormous amount of treasure to the Crown and trip investors More

Philip III of Spain is crowned king of Spain and Portugal on September 13, 1598, following the death of his father, Philip II. His accession marked the continuation of the Iberian Union.   Expand +

The Edict of Nantes is issued by King Henry IV of France, granting religious freedom to French Protestants and ending the French Wars of Religion.

John Smith is elected president of the governing council of Jamestown, making him the leader of the colony. His leadership focused on imposing discipline, particularly the "he that will not work shall not eat" policy, and improving the fort and food supply, which helped the colony survive its early, difficult years including establishing trade with the Powhatan Indians.

Henry Hudson’s party aboard the ship Half Moon arrives at what would be called the Hudson River on a trip funded by the Dutch East India Company to discover a water passage to the east. He stopped to trade with the local natives, and proceeded as far as present-day Albany. Expand +

English explorer Henry Hudson discovers Manhattan Island and sails up the river that would later bear his name. More