Year 1513 ( MDXIII) was a

common year starting on Saturday A common year starting on Saturday is any non-leap year (i.e. a year with 365 days) that begins on Saturday, 1 January, and ends on Saturday, 31 December. Its dominical letter hence is B. The most recent year of such kind was 2022, and the next ...

of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

Events

January–March

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. *1156 – Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry (bishop of Finland), Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Köyliönjärvi, Lake Köyli� ...

– Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa writes a letter to King Ferdinand II of Aragon advocating genocide against the native peoples of on the Caribbean islands, and begins the killing of hundreds of residents of Caribbean villages. *

February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 3102 BC – Kali Yuga, the fourth and final yuga of Hinduism, starts with the death of Krishna. * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining J ...

– In a papal bull three days before his death, Pope Julius II declares Queen Catherine of Navarre and King John II of Aragon to be heretics for their refusal to participate with other Roman Catholic nations in the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

. *

February 20 Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. *1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawn (law), pawned by Norway to S ...

– King Hans of Denmark dies at the age of 58 from injuries sustained in being thrown from a horse. He is succeeded by his 32-year-old son Christian II as ruler of Denmark and Norway. *

February 21 Events Pre-1600 * 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine. * 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. * 1440 – The ...

–

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

dies three days after issuing his final

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

. *

March 4 Events Pre-1600 * AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth). * 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. * 581 – Yang Jian declares himself Emperor ...

– The

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

of the Roman Catholic Cardinals begins at the Niccoline Chapel in the

Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the build ...

in Rome, with 25 of the 31 Cardinals participating. In the first round of balloting, none of the Cardinals receives the required 17 votes necessary for a three-fourth's majority, though Cardinal Jaime Serra I Cau of Spain, Bishop of Albano, receives 13. *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, Posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the Annals of Quedlinburg, annals of the mo ...

– Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, the Apostolic Administrator of Amalfi but not ordained as a priest, is selected to succeed the late

, as the 217th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. After two days, the selection is announced to the public and Medici, takes the name of Pope Leo X , despite a strong challenge by Italian cardinal Raffaele Riario and his group of seniors, or cardinals that were elected by Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII, who were opposed to the relatively newer juniors that included Medici. *

March 15 Events Pre-1600 * 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years truce. * 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman R ...

– In the Taino Rebellion on the island of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Spanish conquistador Diego Guilarte de Salazar attacks the Taino towns of Yauco and Coxiguex. *

March 26 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 624 – First Eid al-Fitr celebration. * 1021 – The death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret ...

– On Easter Sunday, Afonso de Albuquerque, Governor of Portuguese India, makes an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port city of

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

, on the Arabian Peninsula, from the Mamluk Sultanate, using 20 ships and 2,500 soldiers. The 1,700 Portuguese, along with 800 mercenaries from Malabar, lose at least 100 killed during the attack and retreat.Vogel, Theodore (1877).
A Century of Discovery: Biographical Sketches of the Portuguese and Spanish Navigators from Prince Henry to Pizarro
'. London: Seeley, Jackson, & Halliday. p. 125. * March 27 – Juan Ponce de León becomes the first European definitely known to sight

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, mistaking it for another island.

April–June

April 2 Events Pre-1600 * 1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St ...

** Juan Ponce de León and his expedition become the first Europeans known to visit

, landing somewhere on the east coast. ** Juan Garrido (as part of Juan Ponce de León's expedition) becomes the first African known to visit

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, landing somewhere on the east coast of

. *

May 25 Events Pre-1600 * 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. * 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...

– Giano II di Campofregoso resigns as Doge of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

as plots by two opposing families restore the influence of France. Campogregoso leaves the city on a ship to serve the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

in its war against the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

. * May – Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares and his crew land on Lintin Island, in the Pearl River estuary, near

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, becoming the first Europeans to arrive in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. *

June 6 Events Pre-1600 * 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointe ...

– Italian Wars – Battle of Novara: Swiss mercenaries defeat the French under Louis II de la Trémoille, forcing the French to abandon

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and Italy. *

June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. * 1180 – First Battle of Uji, startin ...

–

Ottaviano Fregoso Ottaviano Fregoso (born in Genoa, 1470 - died in Ischia, 1524) was the Doge of the Republic of Genoa. Biography Ottaviano Fregoso, was the son of Agostino Fregoso and Gentile di Montefeltro, daughter of the renowned ''condottiero'', patron of R ...

becomes the new Doge of the

, replacing Giano II di Campofregoso. * June 28 – Pope Leo X sends a letter to Scotland's King James IV, threatening him with ecclesiastical censure or excommunication for breaking his peace treaties with England.

July–September

* July 22 – Christian II becomes King of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. * July 25 – Scotland's Earl of Arran departs from the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

with 22 ships on a plan to join France in cutting off England's communications with the rest of Europe. * August 16 ** Battle of Dubica (part of the Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War): Croatian troops under Petar Berislavić, Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia, defeat an Ottoman army under Sanjak-bey Junuz-aga ** Battle of the Spurs (or Battle of Guinegate, part of the

): English and allied troops under

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

defeat French cavalry under Marshal La Palice. * August 5 – A force of 7,000 Scottish border troops, commanded by Lord Home, invades England and begins the destruction and pillaging of villages in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. *

August 23 Events Pre-1600 * 30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Ca ...

– Thérouanne is given to

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

after a treaty is concluded in the aftermath of the Battle of the Spurs. * September 9 ** Battle of Flodden: King James IV of Scotland is defeated and killed by an English army under

Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

. James's son, the Duke of Rothesay, becomes James V, King of Scots. At least 5,000 Scots and 1,500 English troops are killed. ** Johann Reuchlin is summoned for an

inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

trial, which was initiated by Jacob van Hoogstraaten. The verdict of the trial was never revealed, as when it was going to be announced on October 12, the archbishop of Mainz ordered the court to go into recess on threat of resigning the court, and the trial never went on. Eventually, in March 1514, an

ecclesiastical court In organized Christianity, an ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain non-adversarial courts conducted by church-approved officials having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. Histo ...

presided over by George, Bishop of Speyer cleared Reuchlin of any charges and ordered Hoogstraten to pay the cost of 111 guldens, although this was overturned by Leo X in a papal decision in 1520. * September 19 – Upon confirming that King James IV of Scotland was killed in battle, the 35 Lords of Council of the Realm meet at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

and agree to rule Scotland in the name of James's widow, Margaret Tudor, and his son, the infant James V. * September 25 – Vasco Núñez de Balboa, first sees what will become known as the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

from the Isthimus of Darién. This moment is later referenced in a poem by John Keats called " On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" with the line "silent upon a peak in Darién" although he mistakenly references

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

as the one who saw the Pacific from Darién. *

September 30 Events Pre-1600 * 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time. * 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture thei ...

– A major rock avalanche occurs in the Southern side of the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

at Monte Crenone, which destroys the village of Biasca, floods Bellinzona, and formed a lake of 390 m.a.s.l. *

September September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. September in the Northern Hemisphere and March in the Southern Hemisphere are seasonally equivalent. In the Northern hemisphere, the b ...

– The dispute between Johann Reuchlin and Johannes Pfefferkorn concerning the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

and other Jewish books, is referred to Pope Leo X.

October–December

* October 7 – Battle of La Motta (

): Spanish troops under Ramón de Cardona decisively defeat those of the

under Bartolomeo d'Alviano in Schio. * October 21 – The coronation of James V, 17 months old, as King of Scotland takes place in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle. * November 5 – Pope Leo X issues the decree ''Dum suavissimos'', reviving Sapienza University of Rome. * November – Gazapati, becomes the new King of Burma at as his father, King Raza I, abdicates the throne at the capital of Arakan,

Mrauk U Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District. Mrauk U is culturally significant for the local Rakhine people, Rakhine (Arakanese) people and is the location ...

. * December 17 – **The Canton of Appenzell becomes a member of the Swiss Confederacy. ** Louis XII of France makes peace with the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

by having is decree disavowing the Council of Pisa and his future adherence to the Lateran Council. *

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

– He attempts to make peace with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

by offering King Ferdinand his daughter Renée to one of his grandsons along with renouncing his claims on

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. The proposal is never accepted.

Undated

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise '' The Prince'' (), writte ...

is suspected of trying to overthrow the House of Medici and is arrested and tortured. He is soon after released and he moves to his farm in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, San Casciano, and he writes ''The Prince''. * Leo Africanus visits Timbuktu, second city of the Songhai Empire. * Paracelsus begins studying at Ferrara University.

Births

* February 14 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (d. 1573) *

– Hedwig Jagiellon, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1573) * April 22 – Tachibana Dōsetsu, Japanese Daimyō (d. 1585) * June 10 – Louis, Duke of Montpensier (1561–1582) (d. 1582) * August 3 – John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin (d. 1571) * September 23 – Hans Buser, Swiss noble (d. 1544) * September 24 – Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg, queen of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1535) * October 30 – Jacques Amyot, French writer (d. 1593) * December 3 – Lorenzo Strozzi, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1571) * December 23 – Thomas Smith (diplomat), Thomas Smith, English scholar and diplomat (d. 1577) * ''date unknown'' ** Abe Motozane, Japanese general (d. 1587) ** Anna Hogenskild, Swedish lady-in-waiting (d. 1590) ** Michael Baius, Belgian theologian (d. 1589) ** George Cassander, Flemish theologian (d. 1566) ** Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare (d. 1537) ** Elisabeth Plainacher, Austrian alleged witch (d. 1583)

Deaths

* January – Hans Folz, German author (b. c. 1437) *

– Helena of Moscow, Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania and queen consort of Poland (b. 1476) *

– John, King of Denmark, King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1455) *

–

(b. 1443) * March 10 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English general (b. 1443) * April 24 – Şehzade Ahmet, oldest son of Sultan Bayezid II (executed) (b. 1465) * April 30 – Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, Duke of Suffolk (b. 1471) * August 3 – Ernst II of Saxony, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1476–1513) and Administrator of Halberstadt (b. 1464) * September 9 (killed at the Battle of Flodden) ** James IV of Scotland (b. 1473) ** George Douglas, Master of Angus (b. 1469) ** William Douglas of Glenbervie (b. 1473) ** William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose, Scottish politician (b. 1464) ** George Hepburn (bishop), George Hepburn, Scottish bishop ** Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell, Scottish politician, Lord High Admiral of Scotland ** Adam Hepburn of Craggis ** David Kennedy, 1st Earl of Cassilis, Scottish soldier (b. 1478) ** Alexander Lauder of Blyth, Scottish politician ** Alexander Stewart (archbishop of St Andrews), Alexander Stewart, Scottish archbishop (b. 1493) ** Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox, Scottish politician (b. 1488) * October 27 – George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros, England, English nobleman * ''date unknown'' ** Claudine de Brosse, duchess Consort of Savoy (b. 1450) ** Hua Sui, Chinese inventor and printer (b. 1439)

References

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