1512
Sistine Ceiling Unveiled
After four years on the scaffold, Michelangelo let Pope Julius II see the Sistine ceiling.
Selim I Seizes the Ottoman Throne
Selim the Grim, a brooding general who had plotted against his gentler father, forced the aged Bayezid II to abdicate and rode into Istanbul backed…
Forbidden City Restored
After lightning strikes and fires over decades, the Ming imperial palace complex in Beijing underwent a major renovation under the Zhengde Emperor's overseers.
Copernicus Circulates the Commentariolus
A Polish canon and astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus quietly distributed a handwritten pamphlet among trusted correspondents, suggesting that the Earth…
Bloodbath at Ravenna
French and Spanish armies collided outside Ravenna in one of the bloodiest battles Europe had yet seen.
Want 1512 in context? Print the whole 16th century as a one-sheet timeline chart.
Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1512?
Saeculum lists 5 events from 1512. The most significant is Sistine Ceiling Unveiled: After four years on the scaffold, Michelangelo let Pope Julius II see the Sistine ceiling.
What era was 1512 part of?
1512 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1512?
The events from 1512 span Europe, Middle East and East Asia.