Events of 1491

• February 20 — The "Comet of 1491" comes 873,784 miles away from earth, the closest ever recorded.
• May 3 — Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
• November 16 — An auto de fe, held in Brasero de la Dehesa outside of Ávila, concludes the case of the Holy Child of La Guardia with the execution of several Jewish and converso suspects.
• November 25 — The siege of Granada, last stronghold of the Moors in Spain, begins.
• December 6 — King Charles VIII of France marries Anne of Brittany, forcing her to break her marriage with Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, thus incorporating Brittany into the kingdom of France.

Undated

• Nicolaus Copernicus enters Kraków University.
• A major fire breaks out in Dresden.
• In the Russian territory of Komi (now the Komi Republic), annexed by Russia in 1478, copper and silver ores are discovered, and the territory gains importance as a mining and metallurgical center.
• Isabella d'Este, duchess of Mantua, instructs her agent to secure a black girl between 4 and 8 years old, "shapely and as black as possible." "We shall make her very happy and shall have great fun with her."

Births

• June 28 — King Henry VIII of England (d. 1547)
• November 11 — Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer (d. 1551)
• October 26 — Zhengde Emperor of China (d. 1536)
• November 8 — Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet (d. 1544)
• December 24 — Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Society of Jesus (d. 1556)
• December 26 — Friedrich Myconius, German Lutheran theologian (d. 1546)
• December 31 — Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)
• date unknown
• Lapu-Lapu, Filipino warrior (d. 1542)
• Azai Sukemasa, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1546)
• probable
• George Blaurock, Swiss founder of Anabaptism (d. 1529)
• Antonio Pigafetta, Italian explorer (d. 1534)

Deaths

• March 6 — Richard Woodville, 3rd Earl Rivers
• July 13 — Afonso, Crown Prince of Portugal (b. 1475)
• October 5 — Jean Balue, French cardinal and statesman (b. c. 1421)
• October 12 — Fritz Herlen, German artist (b. 1449)
• December 28 — Bertoldo di Giovanni, sculptor (b. c. 1435)
• date unknown
• John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (b. 1442)