Suleiman I rules the Ottoman Empire at the height of its territorial, legal and cultural power.
Martin Luther publishes his Ninety-five Theses against indulgences, sparking the Protestant Reformation.
Selim I defeats the Mamluks, annexing Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz and making the Ottomans the leading power of the Muslim world.
Selim I's Ottoman army defeats the Safavids, opening a long rivalry between the two empires.
Michelangelo paints the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Vatican, including The Creation of Adam.
The English Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy, declaring Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England and breaking with papal authority.
Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa in Florence, which later becomes the world's most famous painting.