Year 1523: A Snapshot of Major Events
The year 1523 (MDXXIII) was a common year beginning on Thursday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
January 20 – Christian II is compelled to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway after nobles in the herredag at Viborg renounce their allegiance in favor of his uncle, Frederick, Duke of Holstein. Christian is exiled to the Netherlands in April.
February 15 – Construction of Fort Kastela by Portuguese invaders on what is now the island of Ternate in Indonesia is completed as Portugal claims the Spice Islands (now the Maluku Islands).
February 25 – In the Battle of al-Shihr in present-day Yemen, Portuguese troops clash with the Kathiri Sultanate, leading to the sacking of the capital, Al-Shihr, and establishment of a port on the Indian Ocean.
February 27 – Captain Antón Mayor formally claims present-day Nicaragua for Spain after arriving with troops at El Realejo.
March 8 – A rebellion by the Brotherhoods of Mallorca in the Kingdom of Valencia is suppressed after two years, leading to the surrender of Palma de Mallorca.
March 26 – Danish nobles provisionally declare Frederick I as King of Denmark at Viborg, though loyalists in Copenhagen refuse to recognize his claim to the throne. Christian II remains regent until 1523.
April–June
April 4 – Under a plan orchestrated by Sister Katharina von Bora and Protestant reformer Martin Luther, fish merchant Leonhard Köppe rescues von Bora and other Cistercian nuns from the Nimbschen Abbey in Germany.
April 12 – Spanish conquest of Nicaragua continues as Gil González Dávila claims Lake Nicaragua for the Spanish crown.
April 14 – Mirza Shah Hossein, Grand Vizier of Persia, is assassinated by Shia nobles and replaced by Jalal al-Din Mohammad Tabrizi.
April 15 – Sir Thomas More is appointed as the Speaker of the English House of Commons by King Henry VIII.
April 17 – In Nicaragua, ruler Diriangén stages an attack on Spanish invaders, but the Spanish defenders rout the attackers.
April 23 – Holy Roman Emperor Charles V introduces the Spanish Inquisition to the Netherlands.
June 3 – The Santhome Church is established over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle at Madras (now Chennai).
July–September
July 1 – Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos become the first Lutheran martyrs, executed in Brussels.
July 25 – In present-day Mexico, conquistador Gonzalo de Sandoval founds the city of Colima.
September 14 – Pope Adrian VI dies, marking a significant moment in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
October–December
October 1 – A conclave begins in Rome to elect a new pope following Adrian VI’s death.
November 19 – Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici is elected as Pope Clement VII.
December 6 – Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras embarks on the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
Notable Births
- January 29 – Enea Vico, Italian engraver.
- February 1 – Francesco Abbondio Castiglioni, Italian Catholic cardinal.
- March 14 – Helena Magenbuch, German pharmacist.
- April 5 – Blaise de Vigenère, French diplomat and cryptographer.
Notable Deaths
- January 17 – Elisabeth of Hesse-Marburg, German landgravine.
- April 6 – Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire.
- May 7 – Antonio Grimani, Doge of Venice.
- September 14 – Pope Adrian VI.
References
The events and figures of 1523 have had a lasting impact on the course of history, with significant political, cultural, and socio-economic implications that can still be felt today.