Explore 151 historical events from 1540–1549.
Margaret Tudor was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 as the wife of James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to extend her regency…
Margaret Tudor, queen of James IV of Scotland (born 1489)
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…
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
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
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.
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.
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…
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.
The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits, is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church. Headquartered in Ro…
The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) receives its charter from Pope Paul III.
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)
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)
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)
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)
Katherine Seymour, Countess of Hertford was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey.
Lady Catherine Grey, English noblewoman (died 1568)
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)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador, who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's…
Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto's forces destroy the fortified town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, killing…
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)
Johann Jakob Grynaeus or Gryner was a Swiss Protestant divine.
Johann Jakob Grynaeus, Swiss pastor and theologian (died 1617)
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)
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)
Konrad von Thüngen was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1519 until his death in 1540.
Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (born c
John Zápolya or Szapolyai, was King of Hungary from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary. He was Voivode of Trans…
John Zápolya, Hungarian king (born 1487)
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, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1495)
Thomas Abel was an English priest who was martyred during the reign of Henry VIII. The place and date of his birth are unknown.
Thomas Abel, English priest and martyr (born 1497)