Year by year · 16th century

1502

1502 in world history: 9 events, 6 births, 5 deaths and 1 state that came to an end. 997 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 January

    Portuguese navigators enter Guanabara Bay and name it Rio de Janeiro

    Sailing along the Brazilian coast, a Portuguese expedition entered Guanabara Bay and, taking it for a river mouth, called it the 'River of January'. The city founded there in 1565 would become colonial Brazil's capital.

    Rio de JaneiroBrazil

  2. 12 February

    Castile orders its Muslims to convert or leave

    A decree of Isabella I gave the Muslims of Castile a choice between baptism and exile. Most converted, becoming Moriscos, whose descendants were expelled from Spain in 1609-14.

    Moriscos

  3. 11 May

    Columbus sails from Cádiz on his fourth voyage

    Christopher Columbus set out on his last voyage, exploring the coast of Central America from Honduras to Panama. Shipwrecked on Jamaica for a year, he returned to Spain in 1504.

    Spanish EmpireChristopher ColumbusJamaica

  4. 21 May

    Portuguese navigator João da Nova sights St Helena

    Returning from India, João da Nova's fleet found an uninhabited island in the South Atlantic, traditionally on St Helena's feast day. It became a vital supply stop and later Napoleon's place of exile.

    Napoleon

  5. Battle

    Battle of Lake Smolino

    The Battle of Lake Smolino was fought on 13 September 1502 near Pskov, when the Livonian Order under Master Wolter von Plettenberg defeated a much larger Muscovite army.

ProfileState876 states with a known seat in 1502Open the atlas at 1502 →

In the profiles

  • Aztec EmpireMoctezuma II comes to power and centralises tribute and appointments
  • Golden HordeMeñli I Giray of Crimea defeats the last khan and sacks Sarai
  • Crimean KhanateMengli Giray destroys the Great Horde

Wars and longer events

Born in 1502 6

Died in 1502 5

States that came to an end 1

All years → The 16th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1502. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1502
MLA
“1502.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1502. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1502.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1502.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1502’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1502 (Accessed: ).