Year 1505 (MDV)
Year 1505 (MDV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
January 14 – Pope Julius II issues the papal bull Cum tam divino, announcing reforms in the Roman Catholic Church to prohibit simony, the buying and selling of church offices.
January 23 – Lunkaran begins his reign as the Rao of the Indian kingdom of Bikaner in present-day Rajasthan.
January 24 – Under the Treaty of Tordesillas, Pope Julius II establishes the line of demarcation in the New World between Spanish and Portuguese territories.
February 7 – During a visit to Windsor Castle, Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy, plays tennis against Thomas Grey, marking the first recorded use of tennis rackets.
March 25 – Dom Francisco de Almeida departs from Portugal as the newly appointed Viceroy of Portuguese India with an armada of 22 ships and 1,500 men.
March 31 – King Alexander Jagiellon of Poland agrees to the Act of Nihil novi, which prohibits the king from enacting laws without the consent of the nobles represented by the Sejm.
April–June
April 3 – Italian explorer Sebastiano Caboto is granted a lifetime annuity by King Henry VII of England for his services in discovering new lands.
April 27 – David X becomes the new ruler of the Kingdom of Kartli in modern-day Georgia.
May 1 – Christ’s College in Cambridge, England, is re-founded with a charter from Lady Margaret Beaufort.
May 30 – Poland’s Act of Nihil novi is formally enacted, signaling a shift towards a Nobles’ Democracy.
June 6 – The M8.2–8.8 Lo Mustang earthquake strikes Nepal, causing significant damage in Kathmandu and surrounding areas.
June 19 – Zhu Houzhao is proclaimed as the Zhengde Emperor of the Ming Dynasty following his father’s death.
June 27 – Henry VIII of England breaks off his engagement to Catherine of Aragon under his father’s command.
July–September
July 2 – The Kalmar Bloodbath, a mass execution of Swedish Uprising participants, occurs in Kalmar.
July 17 – Martin Luther enters the monastic life following a moment of divine terror during a thunderstorm.
July 24 – In a journey to India, Portuguese explorers sack the city-state of Kilwa in East Africa, executing the Emir for failing to pay tribute.
August 15 – The Portuguese State of India is established in present-day Kerala.
August 16 – Almeida’s fleet destroys the East African city of Mombassa.
September 13 – Almeida arrives in the Anjediva Islands to begin the construction of fortifications as part of his duties.
October–December
October 11 – Lucien Grimaldi becomes the new Lord of Monaco after killing his brother.
October 23 – The King of Cannanore permits Almeida to build the Fortaleza de Santo Ângelo.
November 6 – Vasili III succeeds Ivan III as Grand Prince of Muscovy.
November 15 – Explorer Lourenço de Almeida is granted permission by the King of Kotte to establish a trade station in Sri Lanka.
November 24 – The Treaty of Salamanca is signed between Spain’s King Ferdinand II and Duke Philip of Burgundy.
December 30 – Érard de La Marck is elected as the prince-bishop of Liège.
Date Unknown
The Pomander Watch, the earliest known pocket watch, is crafted by Peter Henlein in Nuremberg. It will later be rediscovered after 480 years.
Portuguese merchants establish a presence along the East African coast.
Bermuda is discovered by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez.
Judah Abravanel takes on the role of personal physician to the viceroy of Naples.
Battle of Achnashellach sees the Clan Cameron triumph over Clan Munro and Clan MacKay.
Gonçalo Álvares is the first to sight what would become known as Gough Island.
The St Catherine’s Monastery on the Sinai is raided and sacked by Bedouins.
Old St. Peter’s Basilica is demolished on orders from Pope Julius II, paving the way for the construction of a new basilica.
Births
January 12 – Louis, Count of Stolberg (d. 1574)
January 13 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
February 4 – Mikołaj Rej, Polish poet (d. 1569)
February 5 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian (d. 1572)
March 16 – Francisco Balbi di Correggio (d. 1589)
March 25 – Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle (d. 1519)
May 20 – Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer (d. 1568)
September 15 – Mary of Hungary, Dutch ruler (d. 1558)
September 23 – Anne de Laval, Viscountess of Thouars (d. 1554)
November 3 – Achilles Gasser, physician and astrologer (d. 1577)
November 23 – Ercole Gonzaga, cardinal (d. 1563)
December 18 – Philipp von Hutten, explorer (d. 1546)
December 21 – Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (d. 1550)
December 25 – Christine of Saxony, noble (d. 1549)
Deaths
January 25 – Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1431)
February 4 – Jeanne de Valois, princess and saint (b. 1464)
February 19 – Matilda of Hesse (b. 1473)
February 20 – Arvid Trolle, politician (b. 1440)
March 5 – Philip of Cleves, Bishop (b. 1467)
March 29 – Sidonie of Bavaria (b. 1488)
April 23 – Muhammad Jaunpuri, religious leader (b. 1443)
May 28 – Ascanio Sforza, cardinal (b. 1455)
June 8 – Hongzhi Emperor of China (b. 1470)
June 18 – Osanna of Mantua, Dominican tertiary (b. 1449)
July – Jacob Obrecht, composer (plague) (b. 1457)
October 27 – Emperor Ivan III of Russia (b. 1440)
Date unknown:
- Adam of Fulda, music writer (b. c. 1445)
- Heinrich Kramer, churchman and inquisitor (b. 1430)