Year by year · 16th century

1519

1519 in world history: 15 events, 11 births, 7 deaths and 1 work. 1,007 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 13 March

    Hernán Cortés lands on the Mexican coast

    Cortés's expedition of about 500 men reached the Tabasco coast. Within two and a half years, with Indigenous allies, he overthrew the Aztec Empire and captured Tenochtitlan.

    Aztec EmpireHernán CortésTenochtitlanAztec Empire

  2. 22 April

    Hernán Cortés lands at Veracruz

    Cortés landed on the Gulf coast of Mexico and soon founded Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. The settlement served as his base for the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

    Aztec EmpireHernán CortésAztec EmpireMexico

  3. 2 May

    Leonardo da Vinci dies at Amboise

    Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, the manor near Amboise given to him by Francis I. Painter of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, he also left thousands of pages of notes on anatomy, engineering and nature.

    Ottoman EmpireFrancis I

  4. 28 June

    Charles of Spain is elected Holy Roman Emperor

    The electors chose Charles I of Spain over Francis I of France. As Charles V he ruled Spain, the Low Countries, Austria and much of Italy and the Americas.

    Ottoman EmpireHoly Roman EmperorLow CountriesFrancis I

  5. 20 September

    Magellan sets sail to find a western route to the Spice Islands

    Ferdinand Magellan left Sanlúcar de Barrameda with five ships and about 270 men. He was killed in the Philippines, but one ship returned in 1522, completing the first voyage round the world.

    Philippines

  6. 8 November

    Cortés enters Tenochtitlan and meets Moctezuma

    Hernán Cortés and his Spanish and Tlaxcalan allies were received in the Aztec capital by Moctezuma II. Within days the Spaniards took the emperor hostage, and the city fell to siege in 1521.

    Aztec EmpireHernán CortésMoctezuma IITenochtitlan
ProfileState885 states with a known seat in 1519Open the atlas at 1519 →

In the profiles

  • Aztec EmpireHernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlan as Moctezuma II's guest
  • Spanish EmpireHernán Cortés begins the conquest of the Aztec Empire, completed in 1521
  • Canton of ZürichHuldrych Zwingli begins preaching at the Grossmünster
  • Habsburg SpainCharles is elected Holy Roman Emperor; Cortés begins the conquest of Mexico
  • NahuatlMalintzin, a Nahuatl-speaking woman, becomes the interpreter of Hernán Cortés

Wars and longer events

Born in 1519 11

Died in 1519 7

Works 1

Great speeches

Moctezuma Greets CortésMoctezuma II

All years → The 16th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1519. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1519
MLA
“1519.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1519. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1519.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1519.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1519’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1519 (Accessed: ).