1501 - Political Events

Political Events

The German king Maximilian I recognizes French conquests in northern Italy in the Peace of Trent.

Ferdinand II of Aragon declares Granada a Christian kingdom but encounters resistance from the Moors. He helps France's Louis XII conquer the kingdom of Naples from Federigo, king of Sicily. French forces enter Rome, and Pope Alexander VI declares Louis king of Naples (but see 1503).

Ferdinand II's youngest daughter Catherine of Aragon reaches England after a 3-month voyage in which her ships have weathered several storms. She lands at Plymouth October 2, and on November 14 is married at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, to Henry VIII's 14-year-old son Arthur, Prince of Wales, to whom she has been engaged since age 3. The couple moves to Ludlow Castle on the Welsh border, but within 6 months young Arthur will be dead of tuberculosis or the "sweating sickness," leaving Catherine a 16-year-old widow (see 1504).

England's Henry VII declines a papal request to lead a crusade against the Ottoman Turks, who take Durazzo from Venice.

Poland's Jagellon king Jan I Olbracht (John I Albert) dies fighting Ottoman forces at Torun June 17 at age 41 after Moldavian forces defeat his noblemen in the forests of Bukovina. Parliamentary power has grown during his 10-year reign, and he has been preparing to invade the Prussian territories of his vassal Frederick of Saxony, grand master of the Teutonic Order. Jan's 39-year-old brother will reign until 1506 as Aleksander I.

The grand duke of Muscovy Ivan the Great invades Lithuania, which in earlier years was his ally (see 1494; 1505).

Persia's Alwand of the White Sheep is defeated at the Battle of Shurur by the young Safavid leader Ismail, who takes Tabriz (see 1500; 1502).

Lucrezia Borgia is married at Christmas for the third and last time at age 21 to Alfonso d'Este, duke of Ferrara. The proxy wedding at Rome follows several rounds of debauched partying in which her father and her brother Cesare have been involved. Isabella d'Este and her two younger brothers escort the bride back to Ferrara, where the city sees a procession of 75 liveried archers, 80 trumpeters, 24 pipers, and numerous noblemen, squires, gentlemen, bishops, and ladies in carriages. Isabella's father puts on six comedies in a new theater large enough to seat 5,000.