Explore 109 historical events from 1540–1549.
Murad III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595.
Murad III, Ottoman sultan (died 1595)
Philipp von Hutten was a German adventurer and an early European explorer and conquistador of Venezuela. He is a significant figure in the history of Klein-Venedig, the concession …
Philipp von Hutten, German explorer (born 1511)
David Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation.
David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1494)
Hayreddin Barbarossa, also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis, was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's naval …
Hayreddin Barbarossa, Ottoman admiral (born 1478)
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell was a Scottish nobleman, politician and soldier who was a member of the Council of Regency (1536) of the Kingdom of Scotland and Regent of the Isl…
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell, Scottish statesman (born c. 1493)
Anne Askew, married name Anne Kyme, was an English writer, poet, and Protestant preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret …
Anne Askew, English author and poet (born 1520)
Peter Faber, SJ was a Savoyard Catholic priest, theologian and co-founder of the Society of Jesus, along with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Pope Francis announced his cano…
Peter Faber, French Jesuit theologian (born 1506)
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, also known as Antonio Cordiani, was an Italian architect active during the Renaissance, mainly in Rome and the Papal States. He worked on the desig…
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect, designed the Apostolic Palace (born 1484)
Étienne Dolet was a French scholar, translator and printer. He was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime, which was buffeted by the opposing forces of the Renaissance and …
Étienne Dolet, French scholar and translator (born 1509)
Francisco de Vitoria, also known as Francisco de Victoria, was a Spanish Catholic philosopher, theologian, and jurist of Renaissance Spain. He is the founder of the tradition in ph…
Francisco de Vitoria, Spanish theologian (born 1492)
Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, was an English peer.
Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (died 1581)
Yi Sun-sin was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해),…
Yi Sun-sin, Korean commander (died 1598)
In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era. The Tudor period coincides with the reign of the House of Tudor, which began w…
The Tudor warship Mary Rose sinks off Portsmouth; in 1982 the wreck is salvaged in one of the most complex and…
The Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England. It is a unitary authority and also a ceremonial county. It is separated from the mainland county of Hampshire by the …
The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
Franciscus Junius the Elder was a Reformed scholar, Protestant reformer and theologian. Born in Bourges in central France, he initially studied law, but later decided to study theo…
Franciscus Junius, French theologian (died 1602)
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 (died 1568)
Andrew Melville was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews.
Andrew Melville, Scottish theologian and scholar (died 1622)
Alexander Farnese was an Italian noble and military leader, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 t…
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (died 1592)
Abraomas Kulvietis was a Lithuanian jurist and a professor at Königsberg Albertina University, as well as a reformer of the church.
Abraomas Kulvietis, Lithuanian Lutheran lawyer and jurist (born 1509)
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk was an English military leader and courtier. Through his third wife, Mary Tudor, he was the brother-in-law of King Henry VIII.
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician and husband of Mary Tudor (born c. 1484)
Sher Shah Suri, also known by his title Sultan Adil, was the Sultan of Hindustan, as the first Sur Emperor, from 1540 until his death in 1545. Prior to his ascension, he also serve…
Sher Shah Suri, Indian ruler (born 1486)
Piotr Gamrat of Sulima arms was Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland.
Piotr Gamrat, Polish archbishop (born 1487)
The Mary Rose was a carrack in the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. A…
The English warship Mary Rose sank outside Portsmouth during the Battle of the Solent; it was raised from the seabed…
The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. The Provost of Edinburgh was compelled to allow the English to sack L…
The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing