Ahmad Gragn invades Ethiopia
Christian Ethiopia nearly falls; Portuguese muskets save it
In 1529 Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim of the Adal Sultanate, nicknamed Gragn, 'the Left-handed', crushed Emperor Lebna Dengel at Shimbra Kure. Within a decade his forces overran most of Ethiopia and burned many churches and monasteries. Help came from 400 Portuguese musketeers under Cristóvão da Gama, son of Vasco; in 1543 Ahmad was killed at the Battle of Wayna Daga.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 16th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 1508–1512 Sistine Chapel ceiling — 21 years earlier
- 1517 Luther's Ninety-five Theses — 12 years earlier
- 1534 Henry VIII breaks with Rome — 5 years later
- 1543 Copernicus publishes heliocentrism — 14 years later
Eastern Europe & Russia
- 1526 Battle of Mohács — 3 years earlier
- 1547 Ivan IV crowned Tsar — 18 years later
Middle East
- 1520–1566 Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent — 9 years earlier
Asia
- 1511 Portuguese capture of Malacca — 18 years earlier
- 1526 First Battle of Panipat — 3 years earlier
Americas
- 1519–1522 Magellan's circumnavigation — 10 years earlier
- 1521 Fall of Tenochtitlan — 8 years earlier
- 1532 Capture of Atahualpa at Cajamarca — 3 years later
- 1542 Orellana sails down the Amazon — 13 years later
- 1545–1548 Cocoliztli epidemic — 16 years later
Alive at the time
- Nicolaus Copernicus (aged 56)
- Michelangelo (aged 54)
- Martin Luther (aged 46)
- Guru Nanak (aged 60)
- Vasily III (aged 50)
- Babur (aged 46)
- Bartolomé de las Casas (aged 45)
- Hernán Cortés (aged 44)
- Henry VIII (aged 38)
- Suleiman the Magnificent (aged 35)