Explore 131 historical events from 1560–1569.
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is oft…
Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of birth is unknown)
The Ottoman Navy or the Imperial Navy, also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea…
The Ottoman naval forces inflict a defeat on a Spanish fleet in the battle of Djerba
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is oft…
William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (died 1616)
Mehmed III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turk…
Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (died 1603)
Louis of Nassau was a Dutch nobleman, the third son of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen and Juliana of Stolberg, and the younger brother of Prince William of Orange Nassau.
Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau defeat Jean de Ligne and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening t
Philip Melanchthon was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the Lut…
Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (born 1497)
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches an…
The steeple of St Paul's, the medieval cathedral of London, is destroyed in a fire caused by lightning, and is never reb
Sir John Davies was an English poet, lawyer, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1621. He became Attorney General for Ireland and formu…
John Davies, English poet and lawyer (died 1626)
Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadersh…
Angered by the brutal onslaught of Spanish troops at Fort Caroline, a French force burns the San Mateo fort and massacre
Sebald or Sebald de Weert was a Flemish captain and vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company. He is most widely remembered for accurately plotting the Falkland Islands in 1600.
Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (died 1603)
The Union of Lublin was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time.…
Union of Lublin: The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania confirm a real union; the united country is…
Sir John Davies was an English poet, lawyer, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1621. He became Attorney General for Ireland and formu…
John Davies, English poet and lawyer (died 1626)
Sir Thomas Richardson of Honingham in Norfolk, was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622. He was Speaker of the House of Commons for thi…
Thomas Richardson, English politician and judge (died 1635)
Nur ud-din Muhammad Salim, known by his royal name Jahangir, was the fourth Mughal emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from 1605 until his death in 1627.
Jahangir, Mughal emperor (died 1627)
John of Ávila was a Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic, who has been declared a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church. He is called t…
John of Ávila, Spanish mystic and saint (born 1500)
Edmund Bonner was Bishop of London from 1539 to 1549 and again from 1553 to 1559. Initially an instrumental figure in the schism of Henry VIII from Rome, he was antagonised by the …
Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London (born c. 1500)
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was among the most significant artists of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes ; h…
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Dutch painter (born 1525)
Conrad Vorstius was a German-Dutch controversial Remonstrant theologian, successor to Jacobus Arminius in the theology chair at Leiden University, and—as a theologian—second to Joh…
Conrad Vorstius, Dutch theologian (died 1622)
Vincenza Armani, was an Italian actress, singer, poet, musician, lace maker and sculptor. She was one of the most famous Italian actresses of the period and known as the 'Divine Vi…
Vincenza Armani, Italian actress (born 1530)
Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication on 24 July 1567.
Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Lochleven Castle
Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadersh…
Angered by the brutal onslaught of Spanish troops at Fort Caroline, a French force burns the San Mateo fort and massacre
Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication on 24 July 1567.
Mary, Queen of Scots, is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters
Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication on 24 July 1567.
Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England
Louis of Nassau was a Dutch nobleman, the third son of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen and Juliana of Stolberg, and the younger brother of Prince William of Orange Nassau.
Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau defeat Jean de Ligne and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening t
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war include…
Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
Anna Vasa of Sweden was a Swedish princess heavily involved in the politics of that country and of Poland. She was starosta of Brodnica and Golub. The youngest child of King John I…
Anna Vasa of Sweden, Swedish princess (died 1625)
Virginia de' Medici was an Italian princess, a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess of Modena and Reggio.
Virginia de' Medici, Italian princess (died 1615)
Gunilla Bielke; Swedish: Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke af Åkerö was Queen of Sweden as the second wife of King John III. Queen Gunilla is acknowledged to have acted as the political …
Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden (died 1597)
Adriano Banchieri was an Italian composer, music theorist, organist and poet of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He founded the Accademia dei Floridi in Bologna.
Adriano Banchieri, Italian organist and composer (died 1634)
Tommaso Campanella, baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, theologian, astrologer, and poet.
Tommaso Campanella, Italian poet, philosopher, and theologian (died 1639)
Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the n…
Lamoral, Count of Egmont (born 1522)
William Turner was an English divine and reformer, a physician and a natural historian. He has been called "the father of English botany". He studied medicine in Italy, and was a f…
William Turner, British ornithologist and botanist (born 1508)
Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Philip II of Spain. His mother was Maria Manuela of Portugal, daughter of John III of Portugal. Carlos …
Carlos, Prince of Asturias (born 1545)
Fra' Jean "Parisot" de (la) Valette was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining th…
Jean Parisot de Valette, 49th Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller (born 1495)