Timeline May 1498

Events in May 1498 3

• 1452 – 1498 Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498) Died 23 May 1498, aged 46 Savonarola was a Dominican friar who rose to dominate Florentine politics after the fall of the Medici, preaching against corruption and luxury. Excommunicated by Pope Alexander VI and condemned for heresy and sedition, he was hanged and burned in the Piazza della Signoria.
• 1498 Louis XII becomes King of France Succeeded his cousin Charles VIII, who died without a surviving heir Louis, Duke of Orléans, ascended the French throne after the sudden death of Charles VIII, who left no surviving son. Louis XII was crowned at Reims and went on to pursue French claims in Italy, continuing the Italian Wars.
• 1498 Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut First direct European sea route to India Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and his fleet arrived at the port of Calicut on the Malabar Coast, completing the first sea voyage from Europe to India around Africa. The voyage opened a direct maritime spice trade route, bypassing Venetian and Arab middlemen, and reshaped global commerce for centuries.