Recent History - 1588

Assembled by Hector "Alejandro" Cornejo

 Politics also refers to religious impact to your life and your families' lives.

 Politics In your lifetime, 1558 -1588:

1588 – English victory over the Spanish Armada.  Loss of ships at sea due to horrible weather, no reliable means of communication, and lack of proper preparations (not to mention an inept admiral) practically ensures the victory for the English.

1587 – Sir Francis Drake attacks the coastal town of Cadiz and raided the coast of Portugal, delaying the Spanish invasion fleet.  Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.  Pope Sixtus V could no longer withhold support for a Spanish invasion of England.

1585 – Elizabeth signs the Treaty of Nonsuch, which provided English soldiers and cavalry to the Netherlands.  Funds that had been  previously funneled covertly to support Henry of Navarre’s army in France now flowed openly.

1580 – Philip II Declares William of Orange an outlaw and places a bounty on his head.  The Netherlands publicly denounce Philip as a heathen tyrant whom they need no longer obey.  Spain annexes Portugal.

1577 – Don John faces defeat for the first time at the hands of unified Netherlanders, forcing him to sign the Perpetual Edict providing for the removal of all Spanish Troops.

1576 – Spanish mercenaries, leaderless and unpaid, run amok in Antwerp killing 7,000.  Pacification of Ghent is made, declaring internal regional sovereignty in matters of religion. Don John takes command of Spanish land forces in the Netherlands.

1572 – Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre authorized by Queen Mother of France, Catherine de Medici.  Protestants are ambushed and murdered (approx. 7000) in Paris in the night.  William the Silent becomes Protestant, and with the help of English, German, and French Protestant funds is able to seize the northern region of the Netherlands even though it was predominantly Catholic at the time.

1570 – 1580 – Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe in his Golden Hinde.

1572 – The Huguenot War ends in France.

1571 – Don John demonstrates Spain’s naval power at the battle of Lepanto against the Turks.  England signs a mutual defense pact with France.

1570 – John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake begin to prey regularly on Spanish shipping in the Americas.  Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth of England for “Heresy”.

1569 – The Sea Beggars occupied the port city of Brill in the Netherlands, arousing the Netherlanders against the Spanish.

1567 – Spanish duke of Alba marches his army into the Netherlands.

1566 – William the Silent attempts to get Calvinist toleration in the Netherlands from Phillip II and almost succeeds.  However, protestant mobs begin burning, pillaging and ransacking Catholic churches which causes Phillip to send the Duke of Alva with 10,000 men to wipe out Protestantism there forever.  Council of Blood instituted by the Duke, which convicted 10,000 of heresy and executed 1,000 of those convicted.

1564 – The Council of Trent prohibits books of Radical Outer Thought and empowers the Inquisition even further.

1562 – Protestant worshipers massacred at Vassy in Champagne by the Duke of Guise.

1560 – The Huguenot War in France causes discord.  Catholic and Huguenots clash. The Treaty of Edinburgh.

1559 – Act of Supremacy in England repeals all anti-Protestant legislation of Mary Tudor.

1558 – Spain (through Prince Phillip, who was married to Mary Tudor) influences England to join them at war against France. England loses Calais as a result, the last foothold on the European continent.

 

Politics In your Father's Lifetime, 1528 – 1558:

 

1556 – Charles V of the Netherlands joins a monastery, turning all his holdings of Spain, Spanish America, The Netherlands, and close to half of Italy to his son, Phillip II of Spain.

1555 – Reaffirmation of the political principle of the Peace of Augsburg.  “Cuius Regio, Eius Religio” or As the Ruler, so the Religion.

1554 – Mary Tudor enters political marriage with Prince Phillip (later Philip II) of Spain.

1546 - A new palace in the Louvre in Paris has begun construction.

1545 – Council of Trent – Reaffirmed catholic doctrine all the tenets challenged by the Protestant reformers.  Catholic assembly clamped down on abuses and the obsessive use of indulgences.  The Index of Prohibited Books is commissioned.

1542 – The Second Inquisition is lead by the Roman Senatus Catholicus of the Holy Roman Empire.

1541 – Geneva’s government becomes Theocratic with help from Calvin. 

1540 – Pope Paul III constitutes the Jesuits as an order of the church for their good works in helping the homeless.  Holy Roman Emperor Charles V launches a campaign of open warfare against German princes who instituted Lutheran worship in their borders.

1536 – John Calvin publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion, the one pamphlet that becomes the mainstay of the Protestant religion.  The religion gains wide acceptance in Scotland as Presbyterian, in England as Puritan, in France as Huguenot, and in Holland as the Dutch Reformed Church.

1535 – Catholic forces capture Munster by siege.  The governing Anabaptist were put to the stake, ending Anabaptism by discredit and persecution.  The few who do survive become Mennonite.  Loyola writes the Spiritual Exercise on meditation of sin in Spain.

1534 – Sir Thomas Moore thrown in Tower of London for not acknowledging Henry VIII right to control the Church of England after his Divorce.  Later he is beheaded.  Parliamentary act of Supremacy gives the King of England absolute church powers.  Anabaptists seize control of Munster in Germany.

1531 – Henry VIII of England, having lost patience with the Church when requesting an annulment, obliged an assembly of English clergy to recognize him as The Supreme Head of the English Church.  Zwingli is felled in battle vs. the Catholic forces sent to suppress his ideas.

1530 – Most of Germany turns Lutheran.

1529 – Spain gains supremacy in Italy by protecting it from French Invasion

 

Politics - Notable events before 1528

 

1527 – Sack of Rome by imperial soldiers.

1525 – Martin Luther marries, stating that no sacramental distinction exist between clergy and Laity.  He also writes Against the Thieving, Murderous horde of Peasants, on the German economic revolt against their landlords. He vehemently writes that their revolt is an act against God himself.  Anabaptist separate from Zwingliasm in Switzerland. 

1523 – Martin Luther strengthens ties with the Princes with his pamphlet, On Temporal Authority, insinuating that the tyranny of authority is to be suffered by the peasantry.

1521 – Martin Luther addresses the Diet of Worms (a court hearing regarding his heresy).  The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) is founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in Paris.

1520 – Luther writes the three seminal pamphlets formulating the outlines for the new Lutheran religion.

1519 – Martin Luther states that the Pope and clerics are fallible men. Pope Leo X charges Luther with Heresy; Luther breaks away from the church.

1517 – Martin Luther ignites the powder keg that is the Protestant Reformation.  He embarks on his indulgence campaign, giving a list of 95 theses objecting to Catholic indulgence to the council of the University of Wittengard.  Erasmus writes anonymously Julius Excluded about the Pope Julius II, locked out of Heaven for his exploits (satire).

1516 – Concordat of Bologna between France and the Papacy.  Leo X grants the choice of Bishops and abbots to Francis I of France by the Concordat of Bologna.  Ulrich Zwingli begins a Protestant movement in northern Switzerland and Zurich.  Unfortunately, Zwingliasm is absorbed into Calvinism.

1513 – Martin Luther experiences an epiphany regarding God’s justice as Mercy, not discipline. (Justification of Faith).

1511 – Erasmus writes Praise of Folly, lampooning the religious abuses of his day with no mercy for Rome.

1505 – Russia fully formed, pre world war acquisitions.

1500 – The Borgias conquer Romagna.

1499 – 1529 France Invades Italy again under Louis XII.

1494 – France invades Italy under Charles VIII.  Both times Spain comes to the aid of Italy.

1492 – Spain annexes Granada after conquering it from the Muslims.

1487 – Innocent VIII concedes to the establishment of a Spanish Inquisition controlled by the Spanish crown (Pg. 487).

1484 – Pope Innocent VIII orders papal inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft with all the means at their disposal.

1482 – Sixtus IV concedes to Ferdinand and Isabella the right to name candidates for all major church offices.

1481 – Sultan Mohammed II dies in battle.

1480 – Sultan Mohammed II captures the Italian city of Otranto, slaughtering half the inhabitants.

1473 – Sir Thomas Moore becomes Lord High Counselor of England.

1470 – Sultan Mohammed II captures Albania.

1469 – Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille marry, uniting the countries.  Soon the countries will become one.

1459 – Sultan Mohammed II Captures Serbia.

1455 – 1485 – War of the Roses, Dynasty of England between the Tudors and the Stuarts in question.

1453 – Constantinople is captured by Sultan Mohammed II “The Conqueror” of the Ottoman Turks, putting the last nails in the Byzantine Empire’s coffin.  This closes the Eastern Mediterranean to Christian traffic.  The Hundred Years War of France vs. England comes to an end, expelling England from French soil.

1429 – 1431 – Joan of Arc appears in France, uniting and inspiring the country before being captured at Bastille by the Burgundians. She is turned over to the English where she is burned as a witch for heresy.  The Dauphine, placed in power under her toil, does nothing to save her.

1420 – 1433 – Bohemian Hussites are defeated by the imperial crusades.

1425 – Thomas A Kempis writes the Limitation of Christ.

1421 – Peking becomes the Capital of China.

1415 - The Great Schism. The conflict in the Catholic Church regarding true popes in Italy vs. France.

1409 – The Council of Pisa attempted to resolve the Great Schism in the papacy. Neither false pope would acknowledge the council, or its result in having both popes step down and having John XXII take the title.

1405 – Venice seizes Vicenza, Padua, and Verona to become the dominant power in Northern Italy.  Florence won access to the sea by buying Pisa.

1404 – Burgundian ambitions led to a French civil war with the Armagnacs.

1378 – The Great Schism begins, see 1415 ad.

1337 – The Hundred Years War begins, really small battles and atrocities of war between France and England.

 Exploration, Medicine and Science

 Technology In your lifetime, 1558 -1588:

 16th century – Neoplatonism (intellectual trend) that pushed the science outlook over the universe in a new light (more mystical than scientific reflection). Mechanistics believe that the universe is one big “machine” all meant to work together in perfect harmony. People found themselves either one or the other, but not of both ideals of thought.

1571 – 1630 – Kepler reinvents Copernicus’ ideas by changing two laws about the planets, their evolution, and their mode of travel around the sun.  His ideas are rejected by the Mechanistic scientist.  Leonardo Da Vinci touches on gravity, invents the diving board, the steam engine, an armored tank, and a helicopter.

1560 – New technique of extracting silver is highly practical and silver enters the European economy in a flood, causing inflation and the first “market crash”.

 Technology In your Father's Lifetime, 1528 – 1558:

 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.  The publications of the works on Mechanism by Archemides reflects another view of the universe. Theolphrastus Von Hohenheim (or Parcelsus) of Germany instituted and directly influenced modern achievements in pharmacology and healing.  Michael Servetus of Spain Discovers the Pulmonary system.  Andreas Vesalus of Belgium writes On the Structure of the Human Body, a map of the human body with plates showing graphics of all the structures.

1533 – Francisco Pizarro conquers the Incas of Peru.

 Technology - Notable events before 1528

 1519 – 1522 – Magellan circumnavigates the globe, dies in the Philippines approx. 1521. His last ship (of 7 ships) arrives in Portugal with only eight survivors.

1519 – 1521 - Hernando Cortez conquers the Aztecas of Mexico, builds three fortresses in Cuba. He also destroys his ships as a sign that he means to establish missions in all of Central Mexico.

1513 – Vasco Nunez de Balboa of Spain first views the Pacific Ocean from the Isthmus of Panama.

1511 – Portuguese ships seize Malacca, the center of the Spice Trade in Malay.

1510 – Portuguese arms establish control of Western Indian Coastline by force.

1501 – Amerigo Vespucci discovers the Brazilian coast.

1500 - Muskets introduced to great effect.  Portuguese establish their first trading base on the West Coast of India by Vasco DA Gamma.

Late 15th Century – Theory and Practice pushes science towards empirical thought, such as dissecting a corpse to see how it worked.

1498 – India reached by sea.

1492 – West Indies discovered by Christopher Columbus. He believes he landed in Japan.

1487 – African Cape of Good Hope rounded.

1482 – Portuguese build fortress at Elmina (now Ghana).  Vasco DA Gamma dominates trade on West African Gold Coast.

1453 - Cannons greatly improved, misfire less often, integrated into modern warfare.

1450 – Movable type and Printing introduced with paper makes books inexpensive.

1443 – Prince Henry the Navigator institutes navigation and builds the first School of Mariners in Portugal.

1403 – Chinese naval expeditions to India and Africa for commercial and military prestige begin.

14th Century - Eyeglasses perfected, so inexpensive even the middle lower classes have them.

1350 – Ships in Europe ready to cross the Atlantic.

1300 - Magnetic compass invented though still have yet to be circulated in large numbers due to sailor’s suspicious nature.

1280 - 1300 – Mechanical Clocks are perfected, though so expensive that they are mainly made in towers as a way of symbolizing ‘town pride’ as town after town tries to outdo each other.

1200 – 1400 – Paper replaces Parchment made out of old rags.

983 – 1000 – Leif Erikkson discovers Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Coast.

 Innovations of art and literature.

 Art and Literature In your lifetime, 1558 -1588:

 1576 – Jean Bodin writes The Six Books on the Commonwealth, the earliest fully developed statement of governmental absolutism in western political thought.

1560 – Jacob Sprenger and H. Kramer write The Malleus Maleficarum, a frightful and frequently used handbook of early modern witchcraft prosecutors.

 Art and Literature In your Father's Lifetime, 1528 – 1558:

1547 – 1616 – Miguel De Cervantes writes Don Quixote, a slightly unbalanced Spanish gentleman, affected by constant reading of chivalric epics.  As a result, he goes about the countryside in search of romance, chivalry and adventure.

1541 – 1614 – El Greco, Tintoretto’s protégé’, paints the elongated work, St. Andrew and St. Francis.

1533 – 1592 – Michel De Montaigne writes his Essays regarding social theory, realized foreign culture, and other rational thoughts.  His letters are counter balanced with fatalistic views as well.

 Art and Literature - Notable events before 1528

1525 – 1569 – Peter Brueghel paints Peasant Wedding, focusing his brilliance on the common man’s toil.

1518 – 1594 – Tintoretto, master of Mannerism, paints the Crucifixion a painting of religious propaganda with motion and light as no one has shown before.

1513 – Machiavelli writes The Prince, pushing the political movement to new levels of socialistic and absolutism brilliance.

1497 – 1543 – Hans Holbein the Younger paints the portrait of the famous contemporary of Martin Luther, Erasmus.

1471 – 1528 – Albrecht Durer paints his Self Portrait, the first by a major artist to paint different phases in his life.

1424 – Alain Chartier writes a set of poems La Belle Dame Sans Merci, an attack and spoof on courtly love.

1422 – Alain Chartier writes Le Quarilogue invectif – a French pamphlet on solidarity to combat the turmoil of the hundred years wars using prose form to convey his plea.

1403 - Chinese emperor Ch’eng Tsu sponsors the publication of an 11,095 volume encyclopedia.

c.1375 – 1425 – The Mabinogion collection of Celtic tales and heroic legends was preserved in the Welsh Red Book of Hergest.

 

Rulers of Principal European States

Russia:

1598 – 1605 – Boris Godunov
1505 – 1533 – Vasily III
1584 – 1598 – Theodore I
1462 - 1505 - Ivan III
1533 - 1584 – Ivan IV (the Terrible)

Scotland:

1568 – 1603 – James VI (Becomes Elizabeth’s successor as James I)
1542 – 1587 – Mary Stuart

England:

1558 – 1603 Elizabeth I Tudor
1553 – 1558 Mary Tudor
1553 - Jane Grey
1547 - 1553 – Edward VI Tudor
1509 – 1547 - Henry VIII Tudor
1483 - 1485 – Richard III York
1483 – Edward V York
1461 – 1483 – Edward IV York
1422 – 1461 – Henry VI Lancaster

France – Valois Dynasty:

1574 – 1589 - Henry III
1560 – 1574 - Charles IX
1559 – 1560 - Francis II
1547 – 1559 - Henry II
1515 – 1547 - Francis I
1498 – 1515 - Louis XII
1483 – 1498 - Charles VIII
1461 – 1483 - Louis XI

Spain (Formerly Castille, Aragon, and Granada):

1556 – 1598 – Phillip II
1516 – 1556 – Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor)
1506 – 1516 – Ferdinand and Charles I
1504 – 1506 – Ferdinand and Philip I
1479 - 1504 – Ferdinand and Isabella

Portugal:

1495 – 1521 – Manuel I
1481 – 1495 – John II
1414 – 1460 – Prince Henry the Navigator

The Holy Roman Empire:

1564 – 1576 – Maximilan II
1556 – 1564 – Ferdinand I
1519 – 1546 – Charles V
1493 – 1519 – Maximilan I
1440 – 1493 – Frederick III
1438 – 1439 – Albert II
1410 – 1437 – Sigismund (Luxembourg)
1400 – 1410 – Rupert (Wittelsbach)

The Popes:

1585 – 1590 – Sixtus V
1572 – 1585 – Gregory XIII
1566 – 1572 – Pius V
1555 – 1559 – Paul IV
1534 – 1549 – Paul III
1523 – 1534 – Clement VII
1522 – 1523 – Adrian VI
1513 – 1521 – Leo X
1503 – 1513 – Julius II
1492 – 1503 – Alexander VI
1458 – 1464 – Pius II
1447 – 1455 – Nicholas V 

The Netherlands (Holland, Belgium):

1567 – 1625 – Maurice (Northern Netherlands)
1580 – 1584 - William of Orange (Northern Netherlands)
1556 – 1598 – Phillip II (of Spain)
1506 – 1556 – Charles V (Holy Roman Empire).

Austria and Austria/Hungary:

1576 – 1612 – Rudolph II
1519 – 1556 - Charles I (Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire)
1564 – 1576 – Maximilan II
493 – 1519 – Archduke Maximilan I
1556 – 1564 - Ferdinand I

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