1569
Union of Lublin
The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania formally merged into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at Lublin. It became, overnight, one of the largest states in Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea and governed by an elective monarchy and a famously fractious noble Sejm. The Commonwealth's elective monarchy and fractious noble Sejm created one of early modern Europe's most unusual polities.
Akbar Begins Building Fatehpur Sikri
To honor the Sufi saint Salim Chishti, who had predicted the birth of his son Prince Salim, Akbar began constructing a new red sandstone capital at Fatehpur Sikri. The city would rise rapidly and be abandoned within fifteen years for lack of water, becoming one of history's most elegant ghost towns.
Portuguese Reach Angola
Portuguese adventurers under Paulo Dias de Novais began establishing forts on the coast of Angola, south of the old Kongo kingdom. They came for slaves, not gold, and within decades Luanda was funneling thousands of enslaved Central Africans each year toward the sugar plantations of Brazil. The Angolan slave trade eventually transported millions to Brazil, becoming the largest forced migration in human history.
Mercator Publishes His Projection
The Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator unveiled a new world map using a cylindrical projection that turned lines of constant compass bearing into straight lines. Navigators loved it. Greenland looked enormous, Africa small, but ships could plot a course on paper without complicated calculation. Trade followed. The projection's influence on Western geographical perception, distorting northern countries' relative size, has been criticized as unconscious cultural bias.
Rising of the Northern Earls
The Catholic earls of Northumberland and Westmorland rose in rebellion in northern England, hoping to free Mary Queen of Scots and restore the old faith. They captured Durham Cathedral and celebrated Mass there before government troops put the rebellion down. The earls fled into Scottish exile. The failure ended feudal Catholic resistance in northern England and accelerated Tudor consolidation of control over formerly autonomous regions.