Tag Archives: Safavid-empire

1578: Portugal, Ottomans, Safavids, English…

Here’s 1578 CE, the headlines then the stories: Portugal’s king dies in battle; succession chaos unfolds Ottomans start lengthy war against Safavids Explorers Humphrey Gilbert, Walter Raleigh set out from Plymouth Portugal’s king dies in battle; succession chaos unfolds Portugal’s King Sebastian had assumed the throne in 1557, aged three; and obviously the country had … Continue reading 1578: Portugal, Ottomans, Safavids, English…

Key developments of 1555

A big year, 1555 CE! Let’s dive right in: On a world-historical scale, maybe the biggest thing happening in 1555 was that Spain’s King/Emperor Charles was at the height of a two-year process he’d started in 1554, of undertaking abdications from his many offices, titles, and kingdoms. Abdications in the plural, you might ask? Indeed … Continue reading Key developments of 1555

Key developments of 1547

1547 CE saw the deaths of three key actors– or anyway, two key actors and a leading second-string player– in the drama of European proto-imperialism that we’ve been following in Project 500 Years thus far. They were: England’s King Henry VIII, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, and France’s King Francis I. We’ll come down to more … Continue reading Key developments of 1547

Key developments of 1524

Here’s a list of key events of 1524 CE that I culled from Wikipedia– and from the online Encyclopedia Britannica: In January, the French king Francis I entered the transatlantic exploration game by sending Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verazzano on an expedition to “the New World”, apparently seeking a western sea route to the Pacific … Continue reading Key developments of 1524