1491

This article is about the year 1491. For other uses, see 1491 (disambiguation).

Year 1491 (MCDXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

1491 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	1491 MCDXCI
Ab urbe condita	2244
Armenian calendar	940 ԹՎ ՋԽ
Assyrian calendar	6241
Balinese saka calendar	1412–1413
Bengali calendar	897–898
Berber calendar	2441
English Regnal year	6 Hen. 7 – 7 Hen. 7
Buddhist calendar	2035
Burmese calendar	853
Byzantine calendar	6999–7000
Chinese calendar	庚戌年 (Metal Dog) 4188 or 3981     — to — 辛亥年 (Metal Pig) 4189 or 3982
Coptic calendar	1207–1208
Discordian calendar	2657
Ethiopian calendar	1483–1484
Hebrew calendar	5251–5252
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	1547–1548
- Shaka Samvat	1412–1413
- Kali Yuga	4591–4592
Holocene calendar	11491
Igbo calendar	491–492
Iranian calendar	869–870
Islamic calendar	896–897
Japanese calendar	Entoku 3 (延徳３年)
Javanese calendar	1408–1409
Julian calendar	1491 MCDXCI
Korean calendar	3824
Minguo calendar	421 before ROC 民前421年
Nanakshahi calendar	23
Thai solar calendar	2033–2034
Tibetan calendar	阳金狗年 (male Iron-Dog) 1617 or 1236 or 464     — to — 阴金猪年 (female Iron-Pig) 1618 or 1237 or 465

Events

January–December

• January 2 – Alain I of Albret signs the Treaty of Moulins with Charles VIII of France.
• March – The French–Breton War resumes.
• March 19−20 – Alain I of Albret captures the Château des ducs de Bretagne for the French.
• April 23
  • Granada is besieged by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.
  • Santa Fe, Granada is founded.
• May – The Ottoman–Mamluk War (1485–1491) between the Ottoman Empire and the Egyptian Mamluks ends.
• May 3 – The ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo, Nkuwu Nzinga, is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
• May 8 – A solar eclipse takes place over Metz.^[1]
• June 27 – Louis of Orléans is released by Charles VIII of France after three years of imprisonment.
• September – Battle of Vrpile Gulch in southern Croatia: Forces of the Ottoman Empire are defeated by those of the Kingdom of Croatia.
• November – The pretender Perkin Warbeck begins a campaign to take the English throne, with a landing in Ireland.^[2]
• November 7 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary sign the Peace of Pressburg, formally ending the Austrian–Hungarian War (1477–88).
• November 16 – An auto-da-fé held in Brasero de la Dehesa (outside Ávila) concludes the case of the Holy Child of La Guardia, with the execution of several Jewish and converso suspects.
• November 25 – Reconquista: The Granada War is effectively brought to an end (and the Siege of Granada extended for two months) with the signing of the Treaty of Granada between the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Moorish Emirate of Granada.
• December 6 – King Charles VIII of France marries Anne of Brittany, forcing her to break her marriage contract with Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, thus incorporating Brittany into the kingdom of France.^[3]
• December 21 – The Truce of Coldstream secures a five-year peace between Scotland and England.^[2]

Date unknown

• In the Ayutthaya Kingdom the reign of Ramathibodi II begins.
• The population of China reaches 56.238 million.^[4]
• The Bread and Cheese Revolt breaks out in West Frisia, North Holland, caused by a famine among the peasants due to bad weather conditions.
• A major fire breaks out in Dresden.
• In the Russian territory of Komi (the modern-day Komi Republic), annexed by Russia in 1478, copper and silver ores are discovered, and the territory gains importance as a mining and metallurgical center.
• Nicolaus Copernicus enters the University of Kraków

Births

• January 30 – Francesco Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1512)
• March 25 – Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel, French nobility (d. 1549)
• May 10 – Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon (d. 1521)
• June 28 – Henry VIII of England (d. 1547)^[5]
• August 3 – Maria of Jülich-Berg, spouse of John III, Duke of Cleves (d. 1543)
• August 10 – Queen Janggyeong, Korean royal consort (d. 1515)
• August 25 – Innocenzo Cybo, Catholic cardinal (d. 1550)
• October 6 – Francis de Bourbon, Count of St. Pol, French noble (d. 1545)
• c. October 23 – Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order (d. 1556)
• October 26 – Zhengde Emperor of China (d. 1521)
• November 8 – Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet (d. 1544)
• November 11 – Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer (d. 1551)
• December 13 – Martín de Azpilcueta, Spanish theologian and economist (d. 1586)
• December 31 – Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)^[6]
• date unknown
  • Lapulapu, Filipino king (d. 1542)
  • Azai Sukemasa, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1546)
  • Isabella Losa, Spanish scholar (d. 1564)
• probable
  • George Blaurock, Swiss founder of Anabaptism (d. 1529)
  • Antonio Pigafetta, Italian explorer (d. 1534)

Deaths

• January 19 – Dorothea of Brandenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg (b. 1420)
• February 15 – Ashikaga Yoshimi, brother of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (b. 1439)
• February 19 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia (1466–1491) (b. 1460)
• March 6 – Richard Woodville, 3rd Earl Rivers
• March 31 – Bonaventura Tornielli, Italian Roman Catholic priest (b. 1411)
• May 14 – Filippo Strozzi the Elder, Italian banker (b. 1428)
• July 13 – Afonso, Prince of Portugal (b. 1475)
• July 16 – William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English earl (b. 1451)
• October 5 – Jean Balue, French cardinal and statesman (b. c. 1421)
• October 12 – Fritz Herlen, German artist (b. 1449)
• November 16 – Holy Child of La Guardia, Spanish folk saint (b. n/a)
• December 28 – Bertoldo di Giovanni, Italian sculptor (b. c. 1435)
• date unknown – Anne of Orléans, Abbess of Fontevraud (b. 1464)
• date unknown – Musa ibn Abi al-Ghassan, knight of Granada
• probable
  • February 9 (according to the Libro dei Morti) – Antonia di Paolo di Dono, Italian artist and daughter of Paolo di Dono