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Year '1491' was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Contents

Events of 1491

Undated

Births

Deaths

Sciences

Events of 1491

★ February 20 — The "Comet of 1491" comes 873,784 miles away from earth, the closest ever recorded.

★ May 3 — Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.

★ November 16 — An auto de fe, held in Brasero de la Dehesa outside of Ávila, concludes the case of the Holy Child of La Guardia with the execution of several Jewish and converso suspects.

★ November 25 — The siege of Granada, last stronghold of the Moors in Spain, begins.

★ December 6 — King Charles VIII of France marries Anne of Brittany forcing her to break her marriage with Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, thus incorporating Brittany into the kingdom of France.

Undated

★ A major fire breaks out in Dresden.

★ In the Russian territory of Komi (now the Komi Republic), annexed by Russia in 1478, copper and silver ores are discovered, and the territory gains importance as a mining and metallurgical center.

Births

★ June 28 — King Henry VIII of England (died 1547)

★ November 11 — Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer (died 1551)

★ October 26 — Zhengde Emperor of China (died 1536)

★ November 8 — Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet (d. 1544)

★ December 24 — Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Society of Jesus (died 1556)

★ December 26 — Friedrich Myconius, German Lutheran theologian (died 1546)

★ December 31 — Jacques Cartier, French explorer (died 1557)

★ ''date unknown''

★
★ Lapu-Lapu, Filipino warrior (died 1542)

★
★ Azai Sukemasa, Japanese samurai and warlord (died 1546)

★ ''probable''

★
★ George Blaurock, Swiss founder of Anabaptism (died 1529)

★
★ Antonio Pigafetta, Italian explorer (died 1534)

Deaths

★ March 6 — Richard Woodville, 3rd Earl Rivers

★ July 13 — Afonso, Crown Prince of Portugal (born 1475)

★ October 5 — Jean Balue, French cardinal and statesman (born c1421)

★ October 12 — Fritz Herlen, German artist (born 1449)

★ December 28 — Bertoldo di Giovanni, sculptor (born c 1435)

★ ''date unknown''

★ John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (born 1442)

Sciences

★ Nicolaus Copernicus enters Kraków University.