1538
Preveza: Ottoman Mastery of the Mediterranean
The Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa crushed a combined Christian fleet commanded by Andrea Doria off the Greek coast at Preveza. For the next thirty years, the central Mediterranean belonged to Istanbul. Spanish and Venetian galleys would not rally until Lepanto a generation later. Barbarossa's victory forced Christian powers into coastal fortification rather than open-sea engagement for the next thirty years.
Bogota Founded
The Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada founded the city of Santa Fe de Bogota in the high grasslands of the Muisca kingdom, in what would become Colombia. He had marched up the Magdalena River searching for El Dorado and settled instead for a capital built on looted gold and conquered maize fields.
Pilgrimage Shrines Destroyed
Commissioners dispatched by Thomas Cromwell smashed the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury, the greatest pilgrimage site in England. Gold, jewels, and the saint's bones were hauled away. Throughout England, images were defaced and relics burned. The medieval landscape of English piety was being methodically unmade. Becket's shrine, which had drawn pilgrims for three and a half centuries, symbolized the Reformation's assault on the medieval economy of sacred relics.
Holbein Paints Christina of Denmark
Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Brussels to paint a portrait of the widowed Christina of Denmark as a possible bride for Henry VIII. He captured her in mourning with a slight knowing smile. Christina reportedly said she would marry Henry if she had two heads. The marriage did not happen.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1538?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1538. The most significant is Preveza: Ottoman Mastery of the Mediterranean: The Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa crushed a combined Christian fleet commanded by Andrea Doria off the Greek coast at Preveza.
What era was 1538 part of?
1538 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1538?
The curated events from 1538 span Europe and South America.