Year by year · 16th century

1531

1531 in world history: 9 events, 3 births, 8 deaths, 1 work and 2 states founded. 994 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 11 February

    English clergy recognise Henry VIII as head of the Church

    Under threat of prosecution, the Convocation of Canterbury acknowledged Henry as Supreme Head of the Church in England 'as far as the law of Christ allows'. The full break with Rome followed by 1534.

    England

  2. 9 December

    Juan Diego reports a vision of the Virgin at Tepeyac

    According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to the Indigenous convert Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe became Mexico's most revered religious symbol.

    Mexico City

  3. Battle

    Battle of Kappel

    The Battle of Kappel was fought on 11 October 1531 near Kappel am Albis, between the Catholic cantons of central Switzerland and Protestant Zürich.

  4. Battle

    Battle of Amba Sel

    The Battle of Amba Sel was fought in 1531 in the Ethiopian highlands between the forces of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi of Adal and the army of the Ethiopian emperor Lebna Dengel.

  5. Treaty · Peace

    Second Peace of Kappel

    The Second Peace of Kappel, concluded in November 1531 after Zürich's defeat at the Battle of Kappel, ended the second religious war of the Old Swiss Confederacy.

ProfileState871 states with a known seat in 1531Open the atlas at 1531 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1531 3

Died in 1531 8

Works 1

States founded 2

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1531. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1531
MLA
“1531.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1531. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1531.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1531.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1531’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1531 (Accessed: ).