Explore 57 historical events from 1560–1569.
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the …
Sigismund III Vasa, Polish and Swedish king (died 1632)
Louise Charlin Perrin Labé, also identified as La Belle Cordière after her father's job, was a French Renaissance poet from Lyon.
Louise Labé, French poet and author (born 1520)
Diane de Poitiers was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased he…
Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France (born 1499)
Luca Ghini was an Italian physician and botanist, notable as the creator of the first recorded herbarium, as well as the first botanical garden in Europe.
Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (born 1490)
Leonhart Fuchs, sometimes spelled Leonhard Fuchs and cited in Latin as Leonhartus Fuchsius, was a German physician and botanist. His chief notability is as the author of a large bo…
Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (born 1501)
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 965,332 pe…
Cebu is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines
The Great Siege of Malta occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four month…
The Great Siege of Malta begins, in which Ottoman forces attempt and fail to conquer Malta
Hendrick de Keyser was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism changing into Baroqu…
Hendrick de Keyser, Dutch sculptor and architect (died 1621)
Adrianus Turnebus was a French classical scholar.
Adrianus Turnebus, French philologist and scholar (born 1512)
Ashikaga Yoshiteru , also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was a Japanese samurai, daimyo and the 13th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the la…
Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shōgun (born 1536)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Margrave James III of Baden-Hachberg was margrave of Baden-Hachberg from 1584 to 1590 and resided at Emmendingen. He converted, in 1590, from Lutheranism to the Roman Catholic conf…
James III, margrave of Baden-Hachberg (died 1590)
Xu Guangqi or Hsü Kuang-ch'i, also known by his baptismal name Paul or Paul Siu, was a Chinese agronomist, astronomer, mathematician, politician, and writer during the late Ming dy…
Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (died 1633)
Lelio Francesco Maria Sozzini, often known in English by his Latinized name Laelius Socinus, was an Italian Renaissance humanist and theologian, and, alongside his nephew Fausto So…
Lelio Sozzini, Italian Protestant theologian (born 1525)
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