Explore 178 historical events from 1560–1569.
Jean Grolier de Servières, viscount d'Aguisy was Treasurer-General of France and a famous bibliophile. As a book collector, Grolier is known in particular for his patronage of the …
Jean Grolier de Servières, French book collector (born 1479)
St. Augustine or Saint Augustine is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is …
St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the contiguous United…
The samurai were members of the professional warrior class in pre-industrial Japan, who served as retainers to the lords. These men came from warrior families and trained from a y…
The first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese occurred when a flotilla of samurai attacked two…
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)
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)
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman. He was a grandee and one of the wealthiest peers of the court of Elizabeth I. Under James I, Northumberland was…
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (died 1632)
John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg was the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. He was a descendant of the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin. Under his rule, the town of Coburg prospered and many R…
John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg (died 1633)
William Adams, better known in Japan as Miura Anjin , was an English navigator who, in 1600, became the first Englishman to reach Japan. He was later granted samurai status, and wa…
William Adams, English sailor and navigator (died 1620)
Henry Julius, a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1589 until his death. He also served as administrator o…
Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1613)
Hans Leo Hassler was a German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, elder brother of lesser known composer Jakob Hassler. He was born in Nuremberg a…
Hans Leo Hassler, German organist and composer (died 1612)
Pierre de Manchicourt was a Renaissance composer of the Franco-Flemish School.
Pierre de Manchicourt, Flemish composer and educator (born 1510)
Johannes Acronius Frisius was a Dutch medical doctor and mathematician of the 16th century.
Johannes Acronius Frisius, Dutch physician and mathematician (born 1520)
Rodolfo Pio di Savoia, often referred to as Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, was an Italian cardinal, humanist and patron of the arts. The nephew of a diplomat, he himself became a diplomat b…
Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (born 1500)
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…
John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (born 1509)
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564. Before his accession as em…
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1503)
Andries van Wezel, Latinized as Andreas Vesalius, was an anatomist and physician who wrote De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, which is considered one of the most influential …
Andreas Vesalius, Belgian-Greek anatomist, physician, and author (born 1514)
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an English statesman and alleged spymaster noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave w…
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Secretary of State for England (died 1612)
George Heriot was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School, a large independent school in Edinburgh; his nam…
George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith (died 1624)
The Wanli Emperor, personal name Zhu Yijun, was the 14th emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1572 to 1620. He succeeded his father, the Longqing Emperor.
Wanli, Chinese emperor (died 1620)
Francis Caracciolo, born Ascanio dei Caracciolo Pisquizi, was an Italian Catholic priest who co-founded the Order of the Clerics Regular Minor with John Augustine Adorno and Fabriz…
Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest (died 1608)
Jodocus Hondius was a Flemish engraver and cartographer. He is sometimes called Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his son Jodocus Hondius II. Hondius is best known …
Jodocus Hondius, Flemish engraver and cartographer (died 1611)
Martynas Mažvydas was a Protestant author who edited the first printed book in the Lithuanian language.
Martynas Mažvydas, Lithuanian writer (born 1510)
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert, was an English statesman and accountant who held prominent positions in the service of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I. He was the pa…
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (born 1506)
Bartolomé de Escobedo was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance.
Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer and educator (born 1500)