1492
Fall of Granada
After a ten-year siege, the last Muslim ruler of al-Andalus, Muhammad XII Boabdil, handed the keys of the Alhambra to Ferdinand and Isabella and rode weeping…
Columbus Makes Landfall
A lookout named Rodrigo de Triana spotted moonlit surf on a Bahamian island just after two in the morning.
Columbus Sails from Palos
Three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina, dropped down the Tinto river on a morning tide with ninety men and Isabella's signed commission.
Alhambra Decree
Ferdinand and Isabella signed an edict giving Spain's Jews four months to convert or leave.
Lorenzo de Medici Dies
The Magnificent died at forty-three at the villa of Careggi, attended, some claimed, by the fanatical friar Savonarola, who refused him absolution.
Rodrigo Borgia Elected Alexander VI
The Valencian cardinal, nephew of Callixtus III, bought the papal throne with cartloads of silver distributed to his fellow cardinals.
Nebrija's Castilian Grammar Published
Antonio de Nebrija presented the first grammar of a European vernacular language to Queen Isabella.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1492?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1492. The most significant is Fall of Granada.
What era was 1492 part of?
1492 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1492?
The events from 1492 span Europe and North America.