August 24 - Alfonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca. The Sultanate then establishes rule from Johor, starting decades of skirmishes against the Portuguese to regain the fallen city. While taking the city, the Portuguese slaughter a large community of Chinese merchants living there (mentioned by Zhang Xie writing a century later). Malacca is the first city in Southeast Asia to be taken by a Western nation, only gaining home rule in 1957 when it becomes part of Malaysia.