1522

1522 was a year marked by dramatic changes in the Mediterranean and a milestone in global exploration. In the Mediterranean, the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent captured the island of Rhodes after a prolonged siege in 1522, ending the Knights Hospitaller’s rule there. The knights evacuated Rhodes and eventually established themselves on Malta in 1530, influencing Mediterranean power dynamics for years to come.

In the realm of exploration, the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition reached its historic conclusion. Magellan had been killed in the Philippines in 1521, but the remaining crew aboard the ship Victoria, led by Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth by returning to Seville on 6 September 1522. This achievement demonstrated the feasibility of global maritime routes and opened new possibilities for trade with Asia and other continents through the Indian Ocean and beyond.

The events of 1522 contributed to shifts in European geopolitical and commercial strategies, intensifying competition for control of sea lanes and overseas territories. They helped shape the early stages of global maritime empires and altered European understanding of geography and world trade that would unfold in the following decades.