Major Events
- Jan 3 Martin Luther is excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church for failing to recant parts of his Ninety-five Theses which started the Protestant Reformation
- Jan 28 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V opens the Diet of Worms in Worms, Germany which lasts until May 25. Produced the "Edict of Worms" which denounced Martin Luther.
- Mar 16 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines, landing at Homonhon Island after crossing the Pacific Ocean
- Aug 13 Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés capture Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc in Tenochtitlan marking the end of the Aztec Empire
- More 1521 Events
Born in 1521
- Mar 21 Maurice, Duke and later Elector of Saxony (1547-53), (d. 1553)
- Apr 18 François de Coligny d'Andelot, French general (Jarnac) and Ruler of van Andelot, born in Châtillon-sur-Loing, France (d. 1569)
- May 8 Saint Peter Canisius, Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest, born in Nijmegen, Netherlands (d. 1597)
- Aug 4 Pope Urban VII (d. 1590)
- Aug 19 Lodovico Guicciardini, Italian historian (Descrittione di Tutti), born in Florence (d. 1589)
More People Born in 1521
Ferdinand Magellan
Juan Ponce de León
Leo XMore 1521 Deaths
Articles About 1521
Martin Luther Excommunicated
The 1521 papal bull of Pope Leo X announcing the excommunication of Martin LutherJanuary 3
Defender of the Faith Henry Rejects Rome
A Pope awarded the title Defender of the Faith to King Henry VIII on this day for staunchly defending the Pontiff’s values. But there was to be an ironic twist.October 11
Martin Luther
Michelangelo
Charles V
Francis I of France
Henry VIII
Suleiman the Magnificent