1491

Events

• December 6 - King Charles VIII marries Anne de Bretagne, thus incorporating Brittany into the kingdom of France.
• A major fire breaks out in Dresden.

Births

• June 28 - Henry VIII, king of England (d. 1547)
• December 24(?) - Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (d. 1556)
• December 31 - Jacques Cartier, French explorer of Canada (d. 1557)
• Azai Sukemasa - Japanese samurai and warlord
• Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer

Deaths

• Jean Balue, French cardinal, statesman
• William Caxton, first English printer
• John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (b. 1442)

Sciences

• Nicolaus Copernicus enters Krakow university, and meets astronomy for the first time