The 1540s

1541 485 years ago

Santiago, Chile, is attacked by indigenous warriors, led by Michimalonco, to free eight indigenous chiefs held captive…

Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the …

Santiago, Chile, is attacked by indigenous warriors, led by Michimalonco, to free eight indigenous chiefs held captive…

1541 485 years ago

Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, English nobleman (died 1576)

Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, was an English nobleman and general. From 1573 until his death he fought in Ireland in connection with the Plantations of Ireland, most notably …

Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, English nobleman (died 1576)

1541 485 years ago

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (born 1473)

Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, and his wife Isabel Neville. As a result of Margaret's marriag…

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (born 1473)

1541 485 years ago

Francisco Pizarro, Spanish explorer and politician, Governor of New Castile (born c

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Francisco Pizarro, Spanish explorer and politician, Governor of New Castile (born c

1541 485 years ago

Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish general and explorer (born 1495)

Pedro de Alvarado was a Spanish conquistador, adelantado, governor and captain general of Guatemala. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of t…

Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish general and explorer (born 1495)

1541 485 years ago

Simon Grynaeus, German theologian and scholar (born 1493)

Simon Grynaeus was a German scholar and theologian of the Protestant Reformation.

Simon Grynaeus, German theologian and scholar (born 1493)

1541 485 years ago

Vincenzo Cappello, Venetian admiral and statesman (born 1469)

Vincenzo Cappello was a Venetian nobleman and statesman, best known as the admiral of the Venetian navy in the Battle of Preveza.

Vincenzo Cappello, Venetian admiral and statesman (born 1469)

1541 485 years ago

After three years of exile, French theologian John Calvin (pictured) returned to Geneva to reform the church under a…

John Calvin was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was the principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theo…

After three years of exile, French theologian John Calvin (pictured) returned to Geneva to reform the church under a…

1540

Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California

Hernando de Alarcón was a Spanish explorer and navigator of the 16th century, noted for having led a 1540 expedition to the Colorado River Delta, during which he became one of the …

Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California

1540

English King Henry VIII commands his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court

Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 22 April 1509, and King of Ireland from 18 June 1542, until his death in 1547.

English King Henry VIII commands his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court

1540

King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 22 April 1509, and King of England and Ireland from the commencement of the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, creating the title of…

King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

1540

Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

Henry VIII was King of England and Ireland from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547.

Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

1540

Thomas Cromwell is executed after having been condemned untried, using a bill of attainder which Cromwell had used…

Thomas Cromwell was an English statesman and lawyer who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 until mid-1540, at which time he was beheaded on Henry's orders, a los…

Thomas Cromwell is executed after having been condemned untried, using a bill of attainder which Cromwell had used…

1540

Arequipa, Peru is founded.

Arequipa is a city in southern Peru and the capital of Arequipa Province and the Department of Arequipa. With a projected population of 1,195,700 in 2025, it is the country's secon…

Arequipa, Peru is founded.

1540

Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (died 1597)

Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap, was king of the Kingdom of Mewar, in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 159…

Maharana Pratap, Indian ruler (died 1597)

1540

Charles II, Archduke of Austria (died 1590)

Charles II Francis of Austria was an Archduke of Austria and a ruler of Inner Austria from 1564. He was a member of the House of Habsburg.

Charles II, Archduke of Austria (died 1590)

1540

Barnabe Googe, English poet and translator (died 1594)

Barnabe Googe, also spelt Barnabe Goche and Barnaby Goodge, was a poet and translator, one of the earliest English pastoral poets.

Barnabe Googe, English poet and translator (died 1594)

1540

Joseph Justus Scaliger, French philologist and historian (died 1609)

Joseph Justus Scaliger was a Franco-Italian Calvinist religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to incl…

Joseph Justus Scaliger, French philologist and historian (died 1609)

1540

Lady Catherine Grey, English noblewoman (died 1568)

Katherine Seymour, Countess of Hertford was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Catherine Grey, English noblewoman (died 1568)

1540

Magnus of Holstein, prince of Denmark (died 1583)

Magnus of Denmark or Magnus of Holstein was a Prince of Denmark, Duke of Holstein, and a member of the House of Oldenburg. As a vassal of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia, he was the titular…

Magnus of Holstein, prince of Denmark (died 1583)

1540

Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (born 1492)

Juan Luis Vives y March was a Spanish (Valencian) scholar and Renaissance humanist who spent most of his adult life in the southern Habsburg Netherlands. His beliefs on the soul, i…

Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (born 1492)

1540

Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (born 1483)

Francesco Guicciardini was an Italian historian and statesman. A friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli, he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renais…

Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (born 1483)

1540

John Sigismund Zápolya, King of Hungary (died 1571)

John Sigismund Zápolya or Szapolyai was King of Hungary as John II from 1540 to 1551 and from 1556 to 1570, and the first Prince of Transylvania, from 1570 to his death. He was the…

John Sigismund Zápolya, King of Hungary (died 1571)

1540

Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (born c

Konrad von Thüngen was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1519 until his death in 1540.

Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (born c