1488
Bartolomeu Dias Rounds the Cape
A storm drove the Portuguese captain's caravel past a point he did not see, and when he turned north he found open ocean where no European had sailed.
Ivan III Defies the Horde
The Muscovite grand prince refused the final embassy of the Great Horde, reportedly stamping on the khan's portrait.
Battle of Sauchieburn
Scottish rebels under Prince James defeated and killed King James III outside Stirling.
Diogo Cao's Padrao at Cape Cross
Portuguese captain Diogo Cao erected a stone pillar at Cape Cross on the Namibian coast, the southernmost point any European had charted.
James IV Crowned at Scone
The fifteen-year-old son, wearing his penitential iron chain, was crowned King of Scots.
Peasant Revolt in Styria
Austrian peasants rose against Habsburg tax demands and landlord exactions in the mountains of Styria.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1488?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1488. The most significant is Bartolomeu Dias Rounds the Cape: A storm drove the Portuguese captain's caravel past a point he did not see, and when he turned north he found open ocean where no European had sailed.
What era was 1488 part of?
1488 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1488?
The events from 1488 span Africa and Europe.