1513
Balboa Sights the Pacific
Hacking across the Isthmus of Panama with sixty-seven Spaniards and a force of Cueva allies, Vasco Nunez de Balboa climbed a ridge and saw, to the south…
Machiavelli Drafts The Prince
Exiled from Florence and tortured on suspicion of conspiracy, Niccolo Machiavelli retired to his farmhouse at Sant' Andrea and, at night, changed into courtly…
Flodden Field Kills a Scottish King
James IV of Scotland invaded northern England to honor an old alliance with France.
Ponce de Leon Lands in Florida
Searching, perhaps, for a spring of eternal youth and certainly for gold and slaves, Juan Ponce de Leon stepped ashore on a coast of Spanish moss…
Leo X Becomes Pope
Giovanni de Medici, forty-year-old second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was elected Pope Leo X and is supposed to have told his brother, Since God has given…
Swiss Pikemen Crush the French at Novara
A Swiss mercenary army surprised the French at dawn near Novara and butchered them with eighteen-foot pikes before a single cannon could be aimed.
Urbino Humanist Court
The small but brilliant court of the dukes of Urbino under Francesco Maria I della Rovere continued to attract painters, poets, and philosophers.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1513?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1513. The most significant is Balboa Sights the Pacific.
What era was 1513 part of?
1513 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1513?
The events from 1513 span North America and Europe.