Questions tagged [16th-century]
The 16th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1501 to December 31, 1600 in the Gregorian calendar.
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How much leisure time was enjoyed by English peasants in the 16th century?
It seems like technological advances like seed drills, the cotton gin, reapers (grain harvesters), John Deere tractors, nitrogen fixation, steam engines, the internal combustion engine, cars, aircraft,...
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What is the origin of the name Fallopian tubes?
I read that the Fallopian tubes were described by the Italian anatomist Gabrielle Fallopio, somewhere in the 16th century.
The Wikipedia describes that the structure reminded the musical instrument, ...
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Did Spanish priests fight in South America?
I have been reading up (vi Wikipedia) on El Dorado and the Spanish and English expeditions through South America. It seems pretty clear that there were Priests and Scholars who would accompany ...
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Do we have any authentic Native American flute music from the 18th century or earlier?
Just wondering if any actual music from Native Americans was recorded (written record, transcribed to some kind of sheet music) by Europeans, in the 18th century or earlier. I'm especially interested ...
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Did German Princes during the Protestant Reformation often live in castles?
I'm writing a short story based on Snow White. My research tells me the story took place during the late 16th century. The timeline of my story coincides with the Protestant Reformation. I am ...
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Why would graphite have been confused with lead?
I was reading the wikipedia page for pencil, and came across an interesting fact:
Prior to 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500), a large deposit of graphite was discovered on the approach to ...
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159 views
Inter-ethnic conflicts in Switzerland in the 16th century
I have come across this description in Paddy Ashdown's (excellent) autobiography A Fortunate Life:
I have often been struck by the similarities between those countries
whose fortune (or ...
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89 views
What is this griffin-like creature labelling a lunar mansion in the Zubdat al-Tawarikh?
While looking for astronomy-related things I found out about this Turkish history manuscript from 1583 called the Zubdat al-Tawarikh or "History of the World". One of the first things in it is an ...
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149 views
What was the heaviest example of horse armor (barding) from 16th and 17th centuries?
I would like to ask what the heaviest known example of armor for war horses is. Specifically, I'm asking about horse-armor in the 16th and 17th centuries (European, primarily, but I will accept other ...
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Is More's 'Utopia' intended to depict an ideal city?
On the surface 'Utopia' (1516) describes an ideal community : natural law, religion, and reason are its guiding principles. But I come across frequent references to its satirical nature. Does it ...
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268 views
Was Transylvania autonomous within Hungary before 1526?
Transylvania is presented in Romanian historiography in parallel with the other two "Principalities" with which it ended up united in the 20th century - Wallachia and Moldavia. These two had been ...
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443 views
Why was the War of the League of Cambrai such a hot mess?
The War of the League of Cambrai was fought from 1508-1516 by...basically everyone who had any interest in Italy at the time (which was most of Europe). It was a mess:
It's been described by one ...
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Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever called “Wolfi” or “Wolfie” by his wife?
In the 1984 film Amadeus based on Wolfgang Mozart's life, Wolfgang is commonly referred to as "Wolfi", especially by his wife (as spelled in the scripts I could find online).
Amadeus also takes ...
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1answer
126 views
Did Taíno natives ever work Spanish galleons?
Did Taíno natives work as slaves or sailors on 16th-century Spanish ships in early to mid-sixteenth century?
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What was a “Qua” in a “Subsidy of Armour” in 1590?
The Archbishop of Canterbury decreed in 1590 that clergy should provide men and armour for the defence of the realm against the King of Spain. Clergy in the diocese of Lincoln had a "Subsidy of Armour"...
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How much authority did a traveling lord have in England in the late 16th century?
How much authority did a Lord, traveling, like from a hunting trip (as in the beginning of The Taming of the Shrew), have over the surrounding peasants while outside his domains in Elizabethan England?...
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How was silver/gold mining done in colonial Americas?
I've heard a lot about the vast amounts of silver and gold that Spain brought back from the Americas. I imagine that they looted the Aztecs and other peoples at first, but silver/gold exports ...
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Were people happy under Ivan the terrible?
I do know that the Russian nobility faced great terror under Ivan IV. The movie by Sergei Eisenstein, "Ivan the terrible" shows him as a benevolent ruler as far as people are concerned. I wish to know ...
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365 views
What was the fate of Gülbahar, the chief consort of Sultan Suleyman of 16th century?
Could someone outline the basic timeline of Gulbahar's history with respect to her exile from the old palace harem and death in line with her son's execution?
I'm writing a tragic-comedy stageplay ...
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4answers
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How was the Spanish Armada coordinated?
We know that the Spanish Armada was composed of over 200 ships. How did the Duke of Medina exercise any sort of control over a fleet this big with only 16th century technology? Do we know how the ...
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1answer
585 views
What are the various theories behind why Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered Sen no Rikyu to commit suicide?
From wikipedia:
Although Rikyū had been one of Hideyoshi's closest confidants, because of crucial differences of opinion and other reasons which remain uncertain, Hideyoshi ordered him to commit ...
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3answers
671 views
What was the name of the Ottoman-Spanish truce in 1580?
As I'm reading the history of the Western Mediterranean about this period, I found many references to a truce between the Ottomans and Habsburg Spain in 1580.
For example, Wikipedia - Habsburg Spain:
...
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1answer
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What does this symbol in the title page illustration of the “Margarita Philosophica” mean?
The Margarita Philosophica appeared around the year 1500 CE, written by Gregor Reisch of Freiburg.
The title page of the manuscript contains the fascinating image below, in which the seven primary ...
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Why was the capital of Poland moved from Krakow to Warsaw in 1595?
This question is a follow-up to the question Why did Poland keep Warsaw as its capital instead of returning it to Krakow in the 20th century?
In particular:
Now as for Warsaw becoming the capital. ...
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Why did the French nobility adopt Calvinism?
The Wikipedia article on the French Wars of Religion says that the Calvinist form of Protestantism, in particular, spread into the nobility. Now, I'd like to know why is that, and not Lutheranism for ...
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When and where was the first naval gunnery school/college established?
While I have found that the first naval battle including ship mounted cannon occurred in 1338. It would seem that the use of such weapons did not turn the tide of the battle. Further reading brought ...
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339 views
Westernmost and easternmost locations that Charles V visited in his empire?
Charles V (1500 – 1558) famously was ruler over an "empire on which the sun never set". It included large parts of Europe and also colonies in the new world. Charles V was born in the Low Countries ...
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6answers
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Why did Hideyoshi invade Korea?
Hideyoshi launched the invasion of Korea in 1592, with the aim of conquering Korea first and using it as a base for eventual conquest of China. As things turned out, although the superior Japanese ...
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2answers
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Inflation Rate in Spain and Portugal during 16th century
What was the yearly/monthly inflation rate in Spain and Portugal during 16th century?
Is there data for the amount of silver or gold possessed by the crowns during that period? How much did it ...
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1answer
191 views
Duchy and Electorate of Saxony during the Schmalkaldic War
The Wikipedia page for the Schmalkaldic War list the Duchy of Saxony and the Electorate of Saxony as opposing sides of the war, each with their own monarch (Maurice is the Duke of Saxony, John ...
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3answers
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How did an input of resources in 16th century Spain contribute to inflation?
My history book claims that the flow of Silver from the New World to Spain in the 16th century contributed to an inflation. However, that seems very unintuitive. How could gaining resources lead to a ...
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690 views
How did Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor come to control part of Spain? [closed]
My history book is cited below. My book says that when Charles V abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor, he gave control of his territories in Spain to his son, Philip II. However, what territories did ...
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Why did Charles V divide his holdings as he did?
Even as monarchs go, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor was one lucky individual. He inherited Austria and the job of Holy Roman Emperor, as well as the Netherlands (including Belgium) through his father, ...
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4answers
818 views
Why was the Battle of Noryang fought?
In the Battle of Noryang, the combined navy of Chosun (Korean kingdom) and Ming (China) tried to prevent the Japanese from making a safe retreat. But considering the fact that the Koreans or the ...
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1answer
82 views
Did Søren Norby ever visit Iceland?
Søren Norby was the Seignor of Iceland 1515-1517. However, I can't find any information on whether he actually ever visited Iceland, had any actual powers in this role or if the position was a ...
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1answer
752 views
Why didn't the Ottomans besiege Malta after 1565?
The Great Siege didn't work out but one would think that given the crucial strategic position of Malta, the Ottomans would have made another attempt at a later date.
Why didn't that happen?
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What was El Greco's relationship with the Spanish Inquisition?
2007's biopic El Greco claims the painter was put on trial by the Spanish Inquisition, more specifically Grand Inquisitor Fernando Niño de Guevara, for blasphemy. The film is a heavily fictionalized ...
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Was there a Spanish plan to retake Malta, had the siege of 1565 been succesful?
H. J. A. Sire argues in The Knights of Malta that the Spanish fleet would quickly move and retake the island, had the siege been succesful. The same claim is made - in passing - in Tim Willocks' ...
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What is “Mary's Part”?
The poem on this gravestone in RI refers to "Mary's part." What does this phrase mean?
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Why didn't China try to explore or colonize the Americas? [closed]
The Ming Dynasty had, reportedly, one of the largest navies in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, which is when the "New World" was being "discovered" by Europeans. They also had made ...
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4answers
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Why were there no religious wars in Poland?
During the 16th and 17th centuries, there were many religious wars in Europe. In countries, were it was very close to Rome (like Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italian states), they did not occur. In ...
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1answer
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Was there any new military innovation during the Siege of Malta?
In the Siege of Malta, the Knights Hospitaller defended the island despite being heavily outnumbered by the invading Ottoman troops. Malta was such a small island, the Turks were the masters of the ...
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4answers
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How many Russian people did Tsar Ivan IV (“the Terrible”) kill?
Ivan's rule was full of contradiction, success and failure.
Was his rule bloody? How many Russian people were killed by him?
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3answers
768 views
What was the name of Delhi during the period of Akbar ruling in parts of India?
Jallaudin Akbar ruled some parts of India. During his empire he had Delhi (Modern day state) as his capital, but it was known by some other name.
What was the name that was used for the capital ...
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3answers
914 views
Why did Ieyasu Tokugawa oppose Hideyoshi's plan for expansion?
When Hideyoshi wanted to invade Korea, the Tokugawa clan noticeably stayed out of the conflict. What were the reasons for them doing so?
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901 views
What household servants would a Tudor gentleman have had?
There's a lot of easily-accessible information about the staffing of a Tudor nobleman's household, but very little about that of a Tudor gentleman's.
Was it basically the same as a nobleman's? Or ...
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Which country ruled Flanders in the 16th century? [closed]
I am reading a novel, The Forty-Five Guardsmen written by Alexandre Dumas; it described a story happening after 1572 in which the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre took place.
It mentioned a region ...
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4answers
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Why did Martin Luther hate the Jews?
Some suggested that Martin Luther hated the Jews because the Jews didn't believe him. Yet, some Christians think that Martin Luther is a libertarian and state that he didn't think beliefs should be ...
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652 views
What led Extremadurans to take a leading role in the conquest of Spain's territories in the Americas?
According to Wikipedia, other sources, and politically-incorrect stereotypes the majority of the famous conquistadors were from the present-day Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura:
Hernán ...
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1answer
582 views
What historical evidence do we have regarding the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
In grade school, Americans are told a very basic story of Roanoke colony. A group of colonists arrive in the New World and establish the colony. The first American of English descent is born there: ...
