1533

England and the Reformation

In England, King Henry VIII moved decisively to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and secure a union with Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cranmer was elevated to the office of Archbishop of Canterbury and issued a declaration that Henry's marriage to Catherine was void. Henry and Anne married early in the year; Anne was crowned queen in mid-1533. The break with Rome intensified, setting the stage for legal and religious changes that would follow in the next few years.

Spanish conquest in the Americas

Spanish forces under Francisco Pizarro consolidated control over the Inca heartland. The Inca ruler captured the previous year, Atahualpa, was executed in 1533, after which Spanish influence extended into the former Inca capital and surrounding territories. These events accelerated the dismantling of indigenous political structures and the imposition of colonial rule in western South America.

Culture, religion and global context

The year unfolded amid broader movements: Protestant ideas continued to spread on the Continent, the printing press amplified new religious and political arguments, and maritime exploration linked distant regions ever more closely. Monarchs and clergy negotiated new balances of power between state authority and ecclesiastical institutions.

Notable births and deaths

• Birth: Elizabeth I of England (born September 1533), who would later reign as one of England's most influential monarchs.
• Death: Atahualpa, the last independent Inca emperor, executed in 1533 after his capture during the Spanish conquest.

1533 is often remembered for these turning points: the acceleration of the English Reformation and the decisive Spanish advances in South America. Both developments had long-term consequences for empire, religion, and national identity in the centuries that followed.