https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/tags/the-16th-century/ Recent content in The 16th Century on Life In Good Measure Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Thu, 18 Sep 2025 02:05:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/vips-of-the-16th-century/ Thu, 18 Sep 2025 02:05:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/vips-of-the-16th-century/ xxxx 1580-xxxx William White* Mayflower passenger/father of the first English child born in America (onboard the Mayflower) – England (1621/c.40) 1580-xxxx Edward Wightman* the last person to be burned at the stake in England for heresy – Hinckley, Leicestershire, England (1612/c.31) 1580-0112 Jan Baptist van Helmont* chemist/ physiologist/physician – Brussels, Spanish Netherlands (1644/64) 1583 Individual post 1585-0909 Cardinal Richelieu* (b Armand Jean du Plessis) clergyman/ statesman – Paris, Kingdom of France (1642/57) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/year-1514/ Tue, 31 Dec 2024 04:31:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/year-1514/ In the year 1514, a huge exotic embassy sent by King Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X arrives in Rome, including Hanno, an Indian elephant (Mar 12), Louis XII of France makes peace with Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (Mar 13), Henry Grace à Dieu, the largest warship in the world at the time, is dedicated (Jun 13), Christian II is crowned King of Norway - this coronation will be the last in Norway for 304 years until the crowning of King Karl XIV Johan in 1818 (July 20), King Louis XII of France marries Mary Tudor (sister of King Henry VIII of England), as part of the Kingdom of England’s peace with France (Oct 9), Mary Tudor is formally crowned as the Queen consort of France (Nov 5) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1520/ Mon, 04 Sep 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1520/ [caption id=“attachment_3160” align=“alignright” width=“373”]Stortorget in Stockholm’s Old Town - scene of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520[/caption] In the year 1520, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway defeats the Swedes at Lake Åsunden in Sweden (Jan 19), Pope Leo X threatens Martin Luther with excommunication (Jun 15), the Spaniards defeat the Aztecs at Otumba (Jul 20), Christian II makes his triumphant entry into Stockholm (Sep 7) and is crowned king of Sweden (Nov 4), whereupon the Stockholm Bloodbath takes place (Nov 8-10), Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan with crew become the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific through the South American strait (Nov 28) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1522/ Sun, 27 Aug 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1522/ Costa Rica in Central America In the year 1522, the Spanish conquistador Gil González Dávila sets out from the gulf of Panama to explore the Pacific coast of Central America, later naming Costa Rica as he finds copious quantities of gold on that beach (Jan 26), Martin Luther’s translation of the New Testament into Early New High German is published in Germany, selling thousands in the first few weeks (Sep 21), the Ottomans break into Rhodes (Dec 18), with Suleiman the Magnificent accepting the surrender of the surviving Knights there - these eventually re-settle on Malta, and become known as the Knights of Malta (Dec 20) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1502/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1502/ Guanabara Bay in Brazil In the year 1502, Portuguese explorers sail into Guanabara Bay, mistaking it for the mouth of a river, which they name Rio de Janeiro (Jan 1), Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his fourth and final trip to the “New World” (May 11), the first encounter between Europeans and the Maya people of Central America takes place when the Columbus brothers anchor at Guanaja (Jul 30), Ismail I founds the Safavid dynasty (Nov 7), Moctezuma II is elected emperor of the Aztecs - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1518/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 07:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1518/ Battle of Brännkyrka, a painting by Johan Gustaf Sandberg (1830) In the year 1518, Swedish forces defeat the Danes in the Battle of Brännkyrka in southern Stockholm (Jul 27), a case of dancing mania breaks out in Strasbourg in Alsace, in which many people die from constant dancing (Jul-Sep), Kristian II of Denmark and his navy attempts to take Stockholm, and failing, leave Stockholm with hostages (Oct), the Tomb of Sikandar Lodi in Delhi, India, is completed - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1532/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1532/ In the year 1532, São Vicente is established as the first permanent Portuguese settlement in Brazil (Jan 22), Atahualpa wins the civil war in the Inca Empire, defeating his brother, shortly before (Apr) the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro lands on the northern coast of Peru (May 13) and captures him in Cajamarca (Nov 16), Niccolò Machiavellis The Prince is published posthumously, and the Paris Parlement arrests the city’s beggars and force them to work in the sewers, chained together in pairs - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1511/ Sun, 02 Jul 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1511/ The Strait of Malacca (in red, in today’s Malaysia), the vital sea passage between China and India In the year 1511, Portugal conquers Malacca - the first city in Southeast Asia to be taken by a Western nation - and gains control over the Strait of Malacca through which all sea-going trade between China and India is concentrated (Aug 15), the Treaty of Westminster creates an alliance between Henry VIII of England and Ferdinand II of Aragon against France (Nov), Diego Velázquez and Hernán Cortés conquer Cuba, the first black slaves arrive in Colombia, the Spanish conquest of Yucatán begins - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1534/ Sun, 18 Jun 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1534/ In the year 1534, Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland, while searching for the Northwest Passage (May 10), Copenhagen opens its gates to the army of Lübeck and the Hanseatic League (Jun 23), leading the Danish nobility to recognize Christian III as King (Jul 4), over 200 Spanish settlers found what becomes Quito, Ecuador (Dec 4), Martin Luther’s translation of the complete Christian Bible into German is printed in Wittenberg, the first book in Yiddish is printed, translating difficult phrases in biblical Hebrew, the Ottoman army captures the city of Baghdad from the Safavids – and all these fine people were born: 1534-xxxx Lodovico Agostini* Italian priest/ singer/composer - Ferrara (1590/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1533/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1533/ Atahualpa (c.1502-1533), the last effective Inca emperor In the year 1533, King Henry VIII of England formally but secretly marries Anne Boleyn who becomes his second queen consort (Jan 25), and his marriage with Catherine of Aragon is declared annulled, not by the Pope though (May 23), Henry VIII is excommunicated by Pope Clement VII (Jul 11), the last effective Inca Emperor Atahualpa is executed at the orders of the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro (Jul 26), Pizarro arrives in Cusco, Peru (Nov 15) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1523/ Tue, 06 Jun 2023 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1523/ June 6th is the Swedish National Day In the year 1523, Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway (Jan 20), Gustav Eriksson is crowned King Gustav Vasa of Sweden, whereby Kalmar Union is no more - and the modern Swedish nation is thus established, exactly 500 years ago today (Jun 6), Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos, burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in Brussels, become the first Flemish Lutheran martyrs (Jul 1), Chinese navy captures two Western ships whose cannons are later copied by them - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1524/ Mon, 15 May 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1524/ The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn, opened for traffic in 1964, was named in honor of the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano In the year 1524, the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazano’s expedition makes landfall in Cape Fear (March) and sights later as the first Europeans the island of Manhattan (April), the Swiss physician Paracelsus visits Salzburg (summer), Protestant theologians Martin Luther and Andreas Karlstadt dispute at Jena (Aug), the Spanish conquistador Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba founds the city of Granada, Nicaragua, the oldest Hispanic city in the mainland of the Western Hemisphere (Dec 8) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1541/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1541/ World Globe by Gerardus Mercator. Made in 1541 in Leuven, Belgium. Picture credit [Paul Hermans](http://Paul Hermans) In the year 1541, Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, the future capital of Chile, is founded (Feb 12), after three years of exile, John Calvin returns to Geneva to reform the church under a body of doctrine that comes to be known as Calvinism (Sep 13), Iceland adopts the Lutheran faith, the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator makes his first globe - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1544/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1544/ In the year 1544, the estates of Sweden swear loyalty to King Gustav Vasa and to his heirs, ending the traditional electoral monarchy in Sweden (Jan 13), French forces defeat forces of the Holy Roman Empire near Turin (Apr 11), Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, again invades eastern France (May), Mongols burn the suburbs of Peking, Portuguese explorers encounter the island of Taiwan, and call it Ilha Formosa (“Beautiful Island”), rats make their first appearance in North America - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1546/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1546/ In the year 1546, Trinity College in Cambridge is founded by Henry VIII of England (Dec 19), Michelangelo is made chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Spanish conquest of Yucatán is completed , Antonio Musa Brassavola of Ferrara publishes the first definitely recorded successful tracheostomy - and all these fine people were born: 1546-xxxx Sancho Dávila Toledo* bishop – Ávila, Old Castile (1625/79) 1546-0127 Joachim Frederick* (House of Hohenzollern) Elector of Brandenburg - Cölln, Margraviate of Brandenburg (1608/62) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1543/ Mon, 06 Mar 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1543/ The Lighthouse of Genoa In the year 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, offering mathematical arguments for the existence of the heliocentric universe, and dies shorty after (May), King Henry VIII of England gets married for the sixth and last time (Catherine Parr), with princess Elizabeth attending the wedding (Jul 12), Mary Stuart is crowned the Queen of Scots at nine months old (Sep 9), the Lighthouse of Genoa is completed in present form, Mikael Agricola publishes his first book, Abckiria - the first book that was published in the Finnish language - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1550/ Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1550/ In the year 1550, Helsinki, the future capital of Finland, is founded by Gustav Vasa (Jun 12), chocolate is introduced to Europe (Jul 7), the first grammatical description of the French language is published by Louis Maigret, Nostradamus' first almanac is written (1550) - and all these fine people were born: 1550-xxxx William Barentsz* Dutch navigator/ cartogapher/Arctic explorer (Barents Sea) - Terscheling, Seventeen Provinces (1597/c.47) 1550-xxxx Matti Heikinpoika Seppälä** Finnish farmer/father of Jooseppi Matinpoika Seppälä - Sweden-Finland (after 1598) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1551/ Sun, 19 Feb 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1551/ In the year 1551, the first officially established university in the Americas, the National University of San Marcos, is founded in Lima (May 12), Ottoman Turks and Barbary pirates invade the island of Gozo (Malta), enslave all inhabitants and transport them to the modern-day Libya (Jul), the Siege of Tripoli ends as the Knights of Malta surrender the town to the Ottoman Empire (Aug 15), Portugal founds a sugar colony at Bahia - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1554/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1554/ Saint Basil’s Cathedral, built on orders from Ivan the Terrible, commemorating the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan In the year 1554, São Paulo in Brazil is founded (Jan 25), after claiming the throne of England the previous year, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason (Feb 12 ), the future queen, Princess Elizabeth, is imprisoned in the Tower of London (Mar 18), Queen Mary I of England marries King Philip of Naples (Jul 23), Mikael Agricola becomes the bishop of Turku, work begins on Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1556/ Mon, 06 Feb 2023 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1556/ In the year 1556, Swedish forces are victorious in the Russian attack on Viborg (Jan), the deadliest earthquake on record occurs in Ming dynasty (Jan 23), the Archbishop of Canterbury is burned at the stake for treason (Mar 21) Queen Mary I of England (Bloody Mary) starts the Plantations of Ireland, the earliest attempt at systematic ethnic cleansing in Ireland, Ivan the Terrible conquers Astrakhan, thus opening the Volga River to Russian traffic and trade - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1561/ Sun, 15 Jan 2023 23:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1561/ The celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg, as printed in an illustrated news notice in April 1561 In the year 1561, the citizens of Nuremberg see what appears to be an aerial battle, followed by the appearance of a large black triangular object and a large crash outside the city (Apr 14), the English astrologer Francis Coxe is pilloried in London for his involvement in “sinistral and divelysh artes” (Jun 25), Madrid is declared the capital of Spain (May 8), Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is finished (Jul 12) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1563/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1563/ Council of Trent, painting in the Museo del Palazzo del Buonconsiglio in Trento In the year 1563, Sarsa Dengel succeeds his father Menas as Emperor of Ethiopia (Feb 1), bubonic plague breaks out in London, killing thousands (Jun), the Northern Seven Years' War begins as Denmark–Norway and the Free City of Lübeck declare war against Kingdom of Sweden (Aug 13), the Council of Trent (opened in 1545) officially closes, reaffirming all major Roman Catholic doctrines (Dec 4) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1508/ Thu, 22 Dec 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1508/ In the year 1508, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, attacks the Republic of Venice (Feb), Lebna Dengel succeeds his father Na’od as Emperor of Ethiopia (Aug), Michelangelo begins painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Holy See of Rome (Dec), the Church of San Rocco in Venice is completed - and all these fine people were born: 1508-0217 Bernardo Salviati* Italian condottiero/Roman Catholic Cardinal - Florence, Republic of Florence (1568/60) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1509/ Sun, 18 Dec 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1509/ An example of the golden ratio. Picture credit Tom Blackwell In the year 1509, the Kingdom of France declares war on the Republic of Venice (Apr 7), Henry VIII becomes King of England (Apr 21), and marries Catherine of Aragon, Luca Pacioli’s De divina proportione, concerning the golden ratio, is published in Venice, with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci (Jun 11), Maximillian I orders all Jews within the Holy Roman Empire to destroy all books opposing Christianity (Aug 19), Erasmus writes his most famous work, In Praise of Folly - and all of these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1568/ Wed, 14 Dec 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1568/ William of Orange (1533-1584), leader of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs In the year 1568, the Habsburgs agree to pay tribute to the Ottomans (Feb 17), Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England (May 16), where she is arrested by Queen Elizabeth I (May 19), William I of Orange invades the southeastern Netherlands (Oct 5), the Palace of Charles V in Granada is completed - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1526/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1526/ A product from the Beretta Gun Company: Beretta-92FS In the year 1526, the new Mughal emperor Babur begins the richest dynasty in the world, the Mughal Empire, which lasts until 1857 (Apr 21), the first complete printed translation of the New Testament into the English language by William Tyndale arrives in England from Germany (spring), Emperor Go-Nara ascends to the throne of Japan (Jun 9), gunsmith Bartolomeo Beretta establishes the Beretta Gun Company, one of the world’s oldest corporations, Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro and his brothers first reach Inca territory in South America - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1505/ Wed, 23 Nov 2022 11:22:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1505/ Martin Luther by his friend who was struck by lightning. A painting by Ferdinand Pauwels (1830-1904) In the year 1505, Martin Luther, then 22, vows to become a monk in a moment of terror, due to a near lightning strike during a thunderstorm, near the village of Stotternheim (Jul 2), the Kalmar Bloodbath takes place in Kalmar, Sweden (Jul), Portuguese reach Colombo, Sri Lanka (1505), the construction of Archangel Cathedral in Moscow begins, Bermuda is discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1562/ Thu, 17 Nov 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1562/ Jean Ribault (1520-1565), painting by Calvin Bryant In the year 1562, the Huguenot wars begin in France (Mar 1), the French navigator Jean Ribault lands in Florida, in search of colony locations for French Huguenot Christians fleeing persecution in France (May 1), Bishop of Yucatan burns the sacred books of the Maya (Jul 12), John Hawkins initiates the English trans-Atlantic slave trade, shipping slaves from Sierra Leone to Hispaniola in the Caribbean (Oct) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1570/ Mon, 14 Nov 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1570/ Abraham Ortelius World Map Typvs Orbis Terrarvm In the year 1570, Ivan the Terrible begins the Massacre of Novgorod (Jan 9), the assassination of Scottish regent James Stewart plunges Scotland into civil war (Jan 23), Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, in Antwerp (May 20), the Kingdom of Livonia is established (Jun 10), the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus begins (Jul 3), the oldest law firm in operation, Thomson Snell & Passmore, is founded in Kent, England (Jul 22) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1573/ Tue, 01 Nov 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1573/ SONY DSC In the year 1573, Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Mikatagahara (Jan 25), the Ottoman–Venetian War ends by a peace treaty (Mar 25), Spanish forces under the Duke of Alva capture Haarlem (Jul 12), Oda Nobunaga drives Ashikaga Yoshiaki out of Kyoto, effectively destroying the Ashikaga shogunate, and ending the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (Aug 27), Spanish forces take Tunis (Oct), the Spanish silver trade to China begins, most of the silver confiscated in the New World in Southern America - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1536/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1536/ Monument of Pedro de Mendoza in Buenos Aires. Photo courtesy: Barcex, CC BY-SA 3.0, In the year 1536, Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires (Feb 2), the Inquisition is implemented in Portugal (Apr 30), Anne Boleyn, second queen of Henry VIII of England, is arrested on the grounds of incest, adultery and treason (May 2), later executed, and Henry marries Jane Seymour (May 30), English Bible translator William Tyndale is burned at the stake in Vilvoorde, Flanders (Oct 6) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1538/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1538/ Portrait of Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541) by Amable-Paul Coutan, 1835 In the year 1538, the Kingdom of Hungary is divided between the future Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and the Voivode of Transylvania, John Zápolya (Feb 24), the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro seizes Cusco in Peru (Apr 26), the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England goes on with the dissolution of the newly founded Bisham Abbey (Jun 19), Bogotá in Colombia is founded (Aug 6), Henry VIII of England is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church (Dec 17) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1574/ Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1574/ La Alameda in Seville, Spain. Atop the two columns: Hercules, the mythological founder of Seville, and Julius Caesar, referred to as the restorer of Seville during Roman rule. In the year 1574, the fifth War of Religion against the Huguenots begins in France (Feb 23), King Henry of Poland becomes King Henry III of France (May 30), Manila is made the capital of the Spanish East Indies and of the Philippines, which the Spanish Empire would control for the next three centuries (Jun 10), a plot to assassinate John III of Sweden is discovered (Sep), Chinese and Japanese forces attack Manila (Nov 29), but lose there to the Spanish colonial forces, La Alameda in Seville is laid out as Europe’s first public garden - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1572/ Wed, 14 Sep 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1572/ Summer (1572) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (at Denver Art Museum) In the year 1572, the Sea Beggars, Netherlandish Calvinist rebels, capture the port city of Brielle, leading to a wave of uprisings in Holland and Zeeland against Spanish Habsburg rule (Apr 1), the Spanish commander in the Netherlands begins the victorious Siege of Haarlem, with the resistance nonetheless taken as an heroic example by the Orangists (Dec), the Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba, the last independent remnant of the Inca Empire, is conquered by Spain, Giuseppe Arcimboldo paints Summer - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1576/ Fri, 26 Aug 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1576/ The Pagoda of Cishou Temple In the year 1576, Hungarian Transylvanian Prince Stephen Báthory is crowned king of Poland (May 1), English navigator Martin Frobisher sights Greenland (Jul 11), Mughal Empire annexes Bengal (Jul 12), Spanish soldiers sack Antwerp, nearly destroying it (Nov 4), James Burbage opens London’s first permanent public playhouse, The Theatre (Dec), the city of Laihia in Finland is founded, the Pagoda of Cishou Temple in Beijing is completed - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1528/ Fri, 12 Aug 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1528/ In the year 1528, Gustav I of Sweden is crowned king of Sweden (Jan 12), the French fleet crushes the Spanish squadron trying to run the blockade of Naples (Apr 28), Genoese admiral Andrea Doria defeats his former allies, the French, and establishes the independence of Genoa (Sep 12), Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his crew become the first known Europeans to set foot on the shores of today’s Texas (Nov 6), Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo attempts an invasion of the Yucatán, but is driven out by the Maya peoples, Montenegro gains autonomy under Ottoman power - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1578/ Sun, 31 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1578/ Letters patent (still in use, this one from 1888) is a legal instrument issued by a monarch, president or other head of state granting an office, right, monopoly, title or status to a person or corporation. In the year 1578, Humphrey Gilbert is granted letters patent from the English crown to establish a colony in North America (Jun 11), Swedish forces defeat the Russians in Wenden (in today’s Latvia) and proceed to take Polotsk (in today’s Belarus) (Oct 21), Sonam Gyrso becomes the third Dalai Lama of Tibet, fur trade begins in Newfoundland in North America - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1580/ Wed, 27 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1580/ In the year 1580, King Philip II of Spain becomes King of Portugal in a personal union of the two crowns, maintaining Portuguese independence (Mar 25), England signs a commercial treaty with the Ottoman Empire (Jun), Buenos Aires is founded (Jun 11), Francis Drake returns to England after circumnavigating the globe (Sep 26) - and all these fine people were born: 1580-xxxx Casper Caspersson Reiher Jr.* rich landowner/Mayor of Helsinki - Reval, Swedish Estonia (1621/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1582/ Tue, 26 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1582/ In the year 1582, Russia cedes its conquered areas in Livonia (Northern Latvia and Southern Estonia) to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Jan 15), Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar , and Thursday October 4 of Julian calendar becomes in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain Friday, October 15 of the Gregorian, skipping over 10 days (Oct 4-15), future English playwright William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway (Nov 29) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1584/ Sat, 16 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1584/ Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584), Grand Prince of Moscow and the first Tsar of all Russia In the year 1584, Archangelsk in northern Russia is founded (Jan-Mar), Ivan the Terrible of Russia dies, and is succeeded by his son Feodor (Mar 28), the conflict between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu culminates in the Battle of Nagakute (May 17), Roanoke Island is located by the British (Jun 4), the Siege of Antwerp by the Spanish begins (Jul), William I of Orange is assassinated (Jul 10) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1557/ Mon, 04 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1557/ In the year 1557, Spanish forces launch a surprise attack against the indigenous Mapuche in present-day Chile (Apr 30), Mary I of England joins her husband Philip II of Spain in his war against France (Jun 7), Spain becomes bankrupt, throwing the German banking houses into chaos, the Portuguese settle permanently in Macau with the permission of the Ming dynasty government, the Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde publishes The Whetstone of Witte, containing the first recorded use of the equals sign and also the first use in English of plus and minus signs - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1581/ Fri, 01 Jul 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1581/ In the year 1581, the English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism (Jan 16), Francis Drake is knighted by Elizabeth I (Apr 4), the Northern Netherlands (Union of Utrecht) proclaim their independence from Spain (Jul 26), Russia begins the conquest of Siberia (summer), Sweden captures Narva from Russia (Sep), Finland, part of Sweden since 1154, becomes a Grand Duchy - and all these fine people were born: 1581-xxxx Robert Shirley* traveler/adventurer/helped to modernize the Persian army - Wye, Kent, England (1628/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1586/ Wed, 15 Jun 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1586/ Mary, Queen of Scots, at Madame Tussauds in London In the year 1586, the deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir (Jun 16), English explorer Thomas Cavendish begins the first deliberately planned circumnavigation of the globe (Jul 21), Mary, Queen of Scots, is placed on treason trial, and then sentenced to death (Oct 15-25), Flemish mathematician Simon Stevin publishes a study showing that two objects of different weight fall with the same speed – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1565/ Wed, 08 Jun 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1565/ Christ the Redeemer (1931) overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro In the year 1565, Ivan the Terrible starts the repression of the aristocrats (Jan 3), the city of Rio de Janeiro is founded (Mar 1), St. Augustine in Florida is established, becoming the oldest surviving European settlement in the modern-day United States (Sep 8), the first recorded naval battle between Japan and the West is fought in Fukuda Bay (Oct 18), the pencil is first documented, and becomes common in England - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1537/ Mon, 30 May 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1537/ In the year 1537, Pope Paul III declares in his Sublimis Deus that the natives of the New World are rational beings with souls who mustn’t be enslaved or robbed (Jun 2), the Catholic rebellion in Norway ends with the Siege of Hamar (Jun 23), the Spanish conquistador Rodrigo Orgóñez occupies and sacks the Inca center of Vitcos, but Manco Inca Yupanqui escapes and establishes the independent Neo-Inca State (Jul), and the Spaniards bring the potato to Europe - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1590/ Fri, 27 May 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1590/ In the year 1590, Henry IV of France unsuccessfully attempts to besiege Paris (May), Anne of Denmark is crowned queen consort of Scotland (May 17), two women are burned as witches after witch trials in Kronberg, Denmark (Sep) which prompts the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland, confessions extracted by torture in Old Tolbooth in Edinburgh (Dec 7), compound microscope is invented, Japan is united by Toyotomi Hideyoshi - and and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1504/ Thu, 26 May 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1504/ In the year 1504, Svante Nilsson is elected Regent of Sweden (Jan 21), Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse this night, to convince the indigenous Jamaican people to provide him with supplies (Feb 29), Michelangelo’s sculpture of David is erected in Florence (Sep 8), Isabella of Castille dies, ending her patronage for Columbus (Nov 26), Venetian ambassadors suggest to Turkey the construction of a Suez Canal, Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli become involved in a scheme to divert the Arno River, cutting the water supply to Pisa to force its surrender – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1506/ Tue, 26 Apr 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1506/ In the year 1506, the classical statue of Laocoön and His Sons is unearthed in Rome, and placed on public display in the Vatican a month later (Jan 14), the Swiss Guard arrives at the Vatican, to serve as permanent ceremonial and palace guards (Jan 22), Pope Julius II lays the foundation stone of the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Apr 18), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tatars of the Crimean Khanate (Aug 6), Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa (according to Louvre) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1517/ Sat, 16 Apr 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1517/ In the year 1517, Cairo is captured by the Ottoman Empire, and the Mamluk Sultanate falls (Feb 3), xenophobic riots break out in London (May 1), Egypt becomes a province of the Ottoman Empire (Aug 25), Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, and thus begins the Reformation (Oct 31) - and all these fine people were born: 1517-0117 Antonio Scandello* Italian composer – Bergamo, Republic of Venice (1580/63) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1510/ Sat, 09 Apr 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1510/ In the year 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Goa (Feb 27), the Holy League defending the Italian states attacks the French-occupied Genoa (Jul), Goa becomes a Portuguese colony (Nov 23), the first pocket watch is built, sunflowers are brought to Europe - and all these fine people were born: 1510 -xxxxx Mikael Agricola* Finnish Lutheran clergyman/founder of literary Finnish/prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation - Pernå, Finland, Sweden-Finland (1557/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1552/ Sun, 03 Apr 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1552/ Metz Cathedral in Metz, Lorraine, France In the year 1552, the privileges of the Hanseatic League are abolished in England (Feb 24), Metz Cathedral is consecrated (Apr 11), Ivan the Terrible conquers Khanate of Kazan (Oct 15), King Edward VI of England founds 35 grammar schools by royal charter, Bartolomeo Eustachi presents his discoveries in Tabulae anatomicae on the structure of the inner ear and heart (but the fear of the Inquisition delays its publication until 1714) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1591/ Thu, 31 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1591/ The Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy In the year 1591, Japanese tea-master Sen no Rikyū commits seppuku on the order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Apr 21), Ivan the Terrible’s son Tsarevich Dimitriis is found dead, perhaps murdered by his rival Boris Godunov who becomes tsar (May 15), the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna Kingdom in Sri Lanka begins (Oct 26), the Rialto Bridge in Venice is completed – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1569/ Fri, 25 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1569/ Old lottery tickets In the year 1569, the first recorded lottery in England is performed nonstop until May, with the proceeds going to public works (Jan 11), the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania become the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Jul 1), Siam becomes a vassal of Burma (Aug 2), three northern earls lead a unsuccessful rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I in an attempt to place Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne (Nov-Dec) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1594/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1594/ Equestrian portrait of Henry IV of France in Paris. Photo credit Jastrow In the year 1594, the Polish king Sigismund is crowned King of Sweden (Feb 19), Henry IV is crowned King of France after converting to Catholicism (Feb 27), Willem Barents makes his first voyage to the Arctic Ocean, in search of the Northeast Passage (Jun 5), the city of Groningen submits to Dutch troops, bringing the whole northern Netherlands under the Dutch Republic (Jul 22), Jesuits found St. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1558/ Thu, 17 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1558/ In the year 1558, French troops take Calais, the last continental possession of the Kingdom of England (Jan 7), the Livonian War begins as the Russian tsar Ivan IV attacks Livonia (Jan 22), the city of Pori is founded on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia (Mar 8), King Sigismund II Augustus appoints an Italian merchant to organise a consolidated postal service in Poland, the origin of Poczta Polska (Oct 17), the Elizabethan era begins in England as Catholic Queen Mary dies and is succeeded by her younger Protestant half-sister Elizabeth, who will rule for 44 years (Nov 17) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1596/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1596/ A traffic sign in Spitsbergen: “Applies to the whole of Svalbard” In the year 1596, the Dutch navigator Willem Barents begins his third and final Arctic voyage (May 18), Willem Barents discovers Spitsbergen (Jun 17), the German lay astronomer David Fabricius discovers Mira (Aug), Diego de Montemayor founds the city of Monterrey, Mexico (Sep 20), the Cudgel War begins in Finland, when poor peasants rise up against the Swedish troops, nobles and cavalry who taxed them (Nov 25), Elizabeth I of England decrees that all Africans should be removed from the British realm, in reaction to the food crisis - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1597/ Sun, 13 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1597/ Monument for Jaakko Ilkka, the Finnish leader in the Cudgel War (Nuijasota in Finnish, 1596-1597) in Ilmajoki, Finland. Photo credit to Antti Helin In the year 1597, Bali is discovered by the Dutch explorer Cornelis Houtman (Feb), the last battle of the Cudgel War is fought on the Santavuori Hill in Ilmajoki, Ostrobothnia (Feb 24), a Dutch expedition returns to Amsterdam after having successfully reached Java, breaking the Portuguese monopoly on Spice trade (Aug 14), Alchemia, a pioneering chemistry textbook, is published by the German polymath Andreas Libavius, Jacopo Peri writes Dafne, now recognised as the first opera - and all these fine people were born: 1597-0112 François Duquesnoy* Flemish Baroque sculptor/active in Rome - Brussels (1643/46) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1527/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1527/ The Persian polymath Avicenna (980-1037) In the year 1527, Ferdinand I of Austria becomes King of Croatia (Jan 1), Spanish and German troops led by the Duke of Bourbon sack Rome (May 6), the Narváez expedition to conquer Florida sets sail from Spain , and the Protestant Reformation begins in Sweden whereby Lutheranism is adopted as the state religion, in place of Roman Catholicism (Jun 17), Jakarta is founded (Jun 22), in a display of his contempt for conventional medicine, Paracelsus burns Canon of Medicine by the Persian polymath Avicenna (Jun 23), the first known letter in English is sent from North America (Aug 3) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1575/ Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1575/ Old Swedish medicin bottles In the year 1575, William I of Orange founds Leiden University in the Netherlands (Feb 8), Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsuyori in Japan’s first modern battle in Nagashino (Jun 28), captains of vessels flying the Spanish flag are legally required to maintain a logbook, the Dutch pharmacist Anthonius Busenius is authorized to sell some of the medicin at the Royal Castle to the people of Stockholm (the first time such happens), the bubonic plague decimates Venice - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1542-2/ Wed, 02 Mar 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1542-2/ Flag of San Diego In the year 1542, Guadalajara in Mexico is finally founded by the Spaniards after aggressive opposition from local tribes (Feb 14), Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo mistakes California for an island and claims it for Spain (Jun 27), Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo lands in what is now San Diego Bay, and names it “San Miguel”; it will later become the city of San Diego (Sep 28), the earliest written example of the Romani language appears - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1548/ Sun, 06 Feb 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1548/ Hôtel de Bourgogne (1548-1783) was built for the first authorized theater troupe in Paris, the Confrérie de la Passion (Brotherhood of the Passion) In the year 1548, firearms are used for the first time on a battlefield in Japan (Feb 14), a marriage treaty is signed between Scotland and France as five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, is betrothed to the future King Francis II of France (Jul 7), La Paz in Bolivia is founded (Oct 20), the Burmese–Siamese War goes on, the first Finnish New Testament is printed in Stockholm, the first theater in Paris, Hôtel de Bourgogne, is built - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1598/ Wed, 26 Jan 2022 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1598/ Ruins of the penitentiary on Sarah Island, part of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station in Tasmania, Australia. Picture credit: Scott Davis In the year 1598, Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia (Feb 21), Tycho Brahe publishes his star catalogue, listing the positions of 1004 stars (May), an allied Korean and Chinese fleet defeats the Japanese navy, ending the Japanese invasions of Korea (Dec 19), the Parliament of England passes the Vagabonds Act, that allows transportation of convicts to colonies, the Kingdom of Nuevo México is founded – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1583/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1583/ The Spring of Kirsten Piil. His discovery of a natural spring drew large crowds in the area. This attracted entertainers and hawkers, whose presence led to the creation of Dyrehavsbakken. In the year 1583, as of the start of the year, the Gregorian calendar - the calendar used in most of the world - is 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeats Shibata Katsuie at Shizugatake, and goes on to commence construction of Osaka Castle (May), Sir Humphrey Gilbert claims the island of Newfoundland on behalf of England, marking the beginning of the British Empire (Aug 5), the world’s oldest operating amusement park, Dyrehavsbakken, is founded - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1571/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1571/ The Eyalet of Kibris is today the Republic of Cyprus, comprising the Greek (southern ) and the Turkish (northern) side of the island In the year 1571, the Royal Exchange opens in London, England (Jan 23), Moscow is burnt by the Crimean army (May 24), Cyprus is established as an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire, and the first Turkish colony moves into the island (Aug 1), Taipalsaari in Southern Karelia, Finland is founded, the great silver flow that links the New and Old Worlds begins as mercury starts being used in the silver extraction process in the Potosí mine - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1579/ Sun, 14 Nov 2021 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1579/ In the year 1579, the Union of Utrecht unites the northern Netherlands in a confederation called the United Provinces (Jan 23), Francis Drake lands in what is now California, and claims it for Queen Elizabeth I - that and the claim in Newfoundland becomes the basis for English colonial charters which will claim all land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from “sea to sea” (Jun 17) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1585/ Mon, 04 Oct 2021 22:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1585/ In the year 1585, the Spanish seize Brussels (Feb), Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces whereby its role as an important trade city is overtaken by Amsterdam (Aug 17), **a first group of colonists lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony **on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina (Aug 17), Toyotomi Hideyoshi invades the island of Shikoku, the first recorded commercial importation of chocolate to Europe occurs with shipment from Veracruz in Mexico to Seville, Spain - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1531/ Sat, 25 Sep 2021 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1531/ In the year 1531, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro defeats the native inhabitants in the island of Puná, not long before the fall of the Inca Empire (Apr), Christian II’s failed invasion of Oslo begins (Nov), an enormous drought and locusts in Henan province in China results in some farmers turning to cannibalism, a witch-hunt is conducted in the German town of Schiltach, Kõpu Lighthouse in the Estonian island Hiiumaa is completed – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1515/ Fri, 03 Sep 2021 04:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1515/ In the year 1515, Manchester Grammar School becomes the first free grammar school in England (Jul 2), the Spanish Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds Havana, Cuba (Aug 25), France restores its control of Milan (Sep 13), Thomas Wolsey is named Lord Chancellor of England (Dec 24), Albrecht Dürer finishes his woodcut Rhinoceros - and all these fine people were born: 1515-xxxx Roger Ascham* scholar/ didactic writer/tutor to Elizabeth I in Greek and Latin - Kirby Wiske, Yorkshire, England (1568/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1521/ Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1521/ Today, Aug 13th 2021, it is exactly 500 years since the end of the Aztec Empire (1428-1521) In the year 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther (Jan 3), the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines (Mar 16), the Diet of Worms ends, and Martin Luther is declared an outlaw (May 25), Suleiman the Magnificent, leader of the Ottoman Empire, begins the siege of Belgrade (Jun 25), Gustaf Eriksson, the future King Gustaf Vasa, rebels against Kalmar Union (Aug),** Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor, surrenders to Cortés whereby the Aztec Empire is incorporated into the Spanish Empire** (Aug 13) – and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1513/ Sun, 23 May 2021 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1513/ Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León meets with the Tequestas in southern Florida in April 1513 In the year 1513, the Spanish invasion of what is now Florida begins as Juan Ponce de León sights land, mistaking it for another island (Apr 2) before landing there (Apr 3), Christian II becomes King of Denmark and Norway (Jul 22), work on New Cathedral in Salamanca begins, Niccolò Machiavelli is banished from Florence by the House of Medici, and writes The Prince - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1540/ Mon, 03 May 2021 18:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1540/ Charles V Wall in Gibraltar In the year 1540, Thomas Cromwell is executed on order from Henry VIII who that same day marries his fifth wife (Jul 28), Gibraltar is sacked by the fleet of Barbary pirate Ali Hamet, leading to the building of the Charles V Wall (Sep), an expedition led by Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto destroys the village of Mabila (in modern-day Alabama), killing chief Tuskaloosa of the Mississippian chiefdom (Oct 18), Europe is hit by a heat wave and drought lasting for months, drying up Seine and Rhine and killing many - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1567/ Tue, 16 Mar 2021 02:05:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1567/ Uppsala Castle, the site of the Sture Murders In the year 1567, Portuguese forces drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro (Jan 20), a Spanish mercenary army surprises and kills a band of rebels in Oosterweel in the Habsburg Netherlands, beginning the Eighty Years' War (Mar 13), the infamous Sture Murders take place at Uppsala Castle in Sweden (May 24), Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate and is replaced by her one-year-old son (Jul 24) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1539/ Sun, 07 Feb 2021 20:01:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1539/ In the year 1539, Spain annexes Cuba (Jan 14), the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay, Florida with the goal to find gold (May 30), the first printing press in North America is set up in Mexico City, the Protestant Reformation i.e. the movement against papal authority goes on - and all these fine people were born: 1539-xxxx Humphrey Gilbert* adventurer/explorer/pioneer of the English colonial empire in North America - Greenway, Brixham, England (1583/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1559/ Sun, 17 Jan 2021 12:15:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1559/ Pensacola in northwestern Florida. Photo credit to TheCustomOfLife In the year 1559, Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey (Jan 15), John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation (May 2), a Spanish missionary colony arrives from Vera Cruz (Mexico) at Pensacola Bay, founding the oldest European settlement in the mainland U.S. (Aug 15), the University of Geneva is founded by John Calvin - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1525/ Sun, 03 Jan 2021 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1525/ Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor In the year 1525, the last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc, is killed by the Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés (Feb 28), the first human rights related document written in Europe, the pamphlet The Twelve Articles, is published in the German town of Memmingen (Mar 20), Martin Luther marries ex-nun Katharina von Bora (Jun 13), European-brought diseases sweep through the Andes, killing thousands, including the Inca, the Navarre witch trials begin - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1553/ Fri, 11 Dec 2020 16:29:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1553/ Richard Chancellor’s voyage from England to Arkhangelsk in 1553. Picture courtesy Timewisetraveller In the year 1553, Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England (Jul 10), but abdicates when Mary I is proclaimed the rightful Queen (Jul 19), English explorer Richard Chancellor reaches Arkhangelsk, whereby trade between England and Russia is opened (Aug), Anglican bishops in England are arrested, and Roman Catholic bishops restored (Sep) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1549/ Wed, 18 Nov 2020 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1549/ St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia In the year 1549, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s first capital, is founded (Mar 29), Francis Xavier arrives in Japan (Jul 27), the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England is blown down,** leaving St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn as the world’s tallest structure** - and all these fine people were born: 1549-0126 Francesco Bassano the Younger* painter - Bassano del Grappa, Venetian Republic (1592/43) 1549-0204 Eustache Du Caurroy* (B) composer - Gerberoy, France (1609/60) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1503/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:33:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1503/ Cayman Islands, orginally called Las Tortugas (The Turtle Islands) due to the abundance of turtles there In the year 1503, Christopher Columbus discovers the Cayman Islands, which he names Las Tortugas (May 10), Naples is captured by the Spanish (May 13), King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor (Aug 8), Queen Isabella I of Spain prohibits violence against native tribes (Oct 30), Leonardo da Vinci probably starts work on painting the Mona Lisa in Florence, Vasco da Gama establishes India’s first Portuguese fortress at Kochi on the southwest coast of India - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1516/ Wed, 07 Oct 2020 10:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1516/ Enjoying some beer in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife In the year 1516, the Reinheitsgebot is instituted in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, regulating the purity of beer permissible for sale (Apr 23), peace is declared between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire (Dec 4), Thomas More publishes his most famous work Utopia, the Venetian Ghetto is instituted, the first ghetto anywhere in the world - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1592/ Tue, 15 Sep 2020 11:59:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1592/ Inside the Trinity College, Dublin In the year 1592, Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university, is founded (Mar 3), the Japanese invasions of Korea begin (Apr 13), the 1592–1593 London plague breaks out in England (Aug), English explorer John Davis probably discovers the Falkland Islands (Aug 9), Sigismund becomes the King of Sweden (Nov 17) - and all these fine people were born: 1592-xxxx Jooseppi Matinpoika Seppälä** father of Mikki Joosepinpoika Kokko (b Seppälä) - Sweden-Finland (after 1654) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1595/ Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:43:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1595/ Nuva Hiva of the Marquesas Islands, Polynesia In the year 1595, the first printed catalog of an institutional library appears in Leiden University Library (May 24), a Spanish expedition makes the first European landing in Polynesia, on the Marquesas Islands (Jul 21), the Spanish raid Cornwall, England (Jul 23), William Shakespeare’s Richard II is performed in London, probably for the first time (Dec 9), Sir Walter Raleigh travels up the Orinoco River in South America, in search of the fabled city of El Dorado - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1588/ Fri, 04 Sep 2020 06:49:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1588/ Duncannon Fort in Ireland, built in 1588 in expectation of an attack by the Spanish Armada. Picture courtesy by Paul O’Farrell In the year 1588, the Spanish Armada consisting of 130 ships begins to set sail towards the English Channel in order to invade England (May 28), much of the fleet is destroyed by storms (Aug 12), and the armada is finally defeated upon the coast of Ireland (Sep), the first biography of Nicolaus Copernicus is completed (Oct 7), three golden crowns, the national symbol of Sweden, are added to the 13th century Stockholm Castle, after which it is known by the name Tre Kronor - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1535/ Thu, 27 Aug 2020 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1535/ Due to the numerous tortoises presiding there, the Galápagos Islands were initially called Insulae de los Galopegos - Islands of the Tortoises In the year 1535, Ciudad de los Reyes, i.e.future Lima & the future capital of Peru, is founded (Jan 18), the Galápagos Islands are accidentally discovered (Mar 10), Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia and one time Lord Chancellor of England, is executed for treason (Jul 6), the first complete English-language Bible is printed in Antwerp (Oct 4) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1599/ Mon, 22 Jun 2020 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1599/ In the year 1599, the Kalmar Bloodbath takes place in Kalmar, Sweden (May 16), the Earl of Essex takes Cahir Castle in Ireland (May 29), a Dutch fleet returns to Amsterdam from the Second Dutch Expedition to Indonesia, carrying large amounts of pepper, cloves and nutmeg (Jul 19), the Swedish King Sigismund is dethroned by his uncle Duke Charles (Jul 24), the Åbo Bloodbath takes place in Swedish Finland (Nov 10) and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1564/ Mon, 23 Mar 2020 18:58:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1564/ Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida In the year 1564, French settlers abandon Charlesfort, the first French attempt at colonizing what is now the United States, and establish Fort Caroline in Florida (Jun 22), the Ronneby Bloodbath takes place in Denmark (now in Sweden) (Sep 4), Spanish Conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi sails from Mexico, later to conquer the Philippine Islands (Nov 21) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1529/ Thu, 13 Feb 2020 08:11:00 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1529/ In the year 1529, the Westrogothian rebellion breaks out in Sweden (Apr 9), but the King persists, Buda (Sep 8) and Vienna (Sep 23) are invaded by the Ottomans, Thomas More succeeds Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of England (Oct 26), Paracelsus visits Nuremberg - and all these fine people were born: 1529-xxxx Willem Bloys van Treslong* nobleman/military leader during the Dutch war of Independence/a leader of the Sea Beggars - Den Briel (1594/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1589/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 08:11:13 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1589/ In the year 1589, King Henry III of France and his designated successor, Henry of Navarre, besiege Paris (Jan), Henry III is assassinated (Aug 1), and dies (Aug 2), monks in the Pechenga Monastery are massacred by the Swedes in the Russo-Swedish War (Dec 25), Hiroshima is founded, the Bavarian brewery Hofbräuhaus is founded - and all these fine people were born: 1589-0108Ivan Gundulić* Croatian poet - Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragisa (1638/49) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1530/ Tue, 17 Dec 2019 08:11:49 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1530/ In the year 1530, Florence is captured by Spanish troops (Aug 3), flood engulfs Rome (Oct 8), The Knights of Malta are formed (Oct 26), Martim Afonso de Sousa’s expedition sets out for the Americas from Portugal (Dec), Erasmus publishes A handbook on manners for children – and all these fine people were born: 1530-xxxx Jean Nicot de Villemain* diplomat/ scholar/famous for being the first to bring tobacco to France - Nîmes, Kingdom of France (1604/c. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1545-comments/ Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:11:13 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1545-comments/ Ericka Stadden - Feb 1, 2020very interesting details you have remarked, thankyou for posting. Hi Ericka, and thanks a lot for your comment! I’m currently writing my first Newsletter, and you’ll be getting it soon too! https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1545/ Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:11:13 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1545/ Potosí in modern-day Bolivia, 2003 In the year 1545, the Scots defeat the numerically superior English forces at the Battle of Ancrum Moor (Feb 27), the Spanish conquistadores found the mining town Potosí, the huge silver deposits of which provide most of the wealth on which the Spanish Empire is based (Apr 1), Spanish explorer Ortiz de Retez sets out to navigate the northern coast of New Guinea (Jun 13), Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, is sunk by the French (Jul 18) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1555-comments/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:22:34 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1555-comments/ Bernard Skog - Feb 3, 2020This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this information. Awesome blog, thanks for the useful information. Thank you for your comment, Austin! More info on years past coming up as time goes by. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1555/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:22:34 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1555/ In the year 1555, John Rogers - burned at the stake in London - becomes the first Protestant martyr under Mary I of England (Feb 4), Pope Paul IV creates the Roman Ghetto, the first Jewish ghetto in Rome (Jul 12), Russia breaks a 60-year-old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland, negro – the Spanish term for black person – is coined - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1519-comments/ Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:06:51 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1519-comments/ CliftonMirkovich - Jan 2, 2020Personally,if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before I am trying to find things to improve my web site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!! Absolutely! You are so welcome! Loving the information on this website , you have done outstanding job on the posts. Hi Jerrica! https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1519/ Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:06:51 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1519/ Emperor Montezuma II welcomes Cortés in Mexico, photo credit to Architect of the Capitol In 1519, Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores land in Mexico (Mar 4), Martin Luther joins the debate regarding papal authority (Jul 4), Panama City is founded (Aug 15), Cortés enters the court of Aztec ruler Montezuma (Nov 8), cacao comes to Europe, St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia is completed, and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1577/ Sun, 08 Sep 2019 16:21:36 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1577/ Francis Drake leaves Plymouth in England on an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas, and ends up circumnavigating the world (Dec 13), the MacDonald inhabitants of the Scottish island of Eigg are supposedly massacred by the Clan MacLeod, the church in San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert in Chile is built - and all these fine people were born: 1577-0208 Robert Burton* scholar - Lindley, Leicestershire, England (1640/62) https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1507/ Mon, 22 Apr 2019 10:13:07 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1507/ Cosmographiae Introductio by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, with accompanying wall map. The German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller publishes his world map, naming the new continent America in honor of his friend Amerigo Vespucci (Apr), the Portuguese occupy Mozambique, King James IV grants a patent for the first printing press in Scotland , the Timurid Dynasty ends, the Aztec New Fire ceremony is held for the last time - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1600/ Wed, 13 Mar 2019 10:45:43 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1600/ In the year 1600, Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome (Feb 17), Tycho Brahe observes a solar eclipse (Jul 10), and colleague Longomontanus works with him with Moon’s orbital theory (Jul), Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats Ishida Mitsunari and sets the stage for the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. This begins the Edo period (Oct 21), sumo wrestling becomes a professional sport in Japan - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1587/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:11:55 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1587/ [caption id=“attachment_8440” align=“alignleft” width=“310”]The motte of Fotheringhay Castle where Mary Stuart was imprisoned in 1587[/caption] Queen Elizabeth I signs the death warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots (Feb 1), beheaded a week later (Feb 8), a group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina, in order to re-establish the deserted colony (Jul 22), Toyotomi Hideyoshi becomes the Daijō-daijin in Japan - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1593/ Thu, 16 Aug 2018 11:01:59 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1593/ Siamese King Naresuan, in combat on elephant back, kills Burmese Crown Prince Minchit Sra, leading to Burmese forces leaving Siam (Jan 25), the Roman Inquisition opens the seven-year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno (Jan 27), the struggle between the Protestant Reformation (with break from the Roman Catholic Church) and the failed attempt to bring back Catholic liturgy concludes in Uppsala, Sweden (Feb 25), the Habsburgs defeat Ottoman Empire in Croatia (Jun 22) - and all these fine people were born: https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1560/ Thu, 17 May 2018 05:03:31 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-1560/ [caption id=“attachment_2529” align=“alignleft” width=“337”]Tulip fields in the Netherlands[/caption] In the year 1560, Denmark buys the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Apr 15), Oda Nobunaga defeats Imagawa Yoshimoto in the Battle of Okehazama (Jun 12), the Treaty of Edinburgh is signed, and thus ends the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland (Jul 9), the Roman Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland (Aug 17), Eric XIV becomes King of Sweden upon the death of his father Gustav Vasa (Sep 29). https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-the-1500s/ Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:05:29 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-the-1500s/ 1500 Individual post In the year 1501, Copernicus is formally installed as canon of Frauenberg Cathedral (Jul 27), Arthur, Prince of Wales, marries the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon (Nov 14), Amerigo Vespucci maps the two stars Alpha and Beta Centauri, Michelangelo returns to Florence to begin work on the statue David - and all these fine people were born: 1501-xxxx Anne Boleyn* Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII/mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I - Blickling Hall, Norfolk, England (1536/30-35) YouTube 1501-0117Leonhart Fuchs* physician/botanist- Wemding, Bavaria (1566/65) 1501-0718 Isabella of Austria* Queen of Denmark/Sweden/Norway - Brussels, Belgium (1526/24) 1502 Individual post 1503 Individual post 1504 Individual post 1505 Individual post 1506 Individual post 1507 Individual Post https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-the-1510s/ Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:03:18 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/data-for-the-1510s/ 1510 Individual post 1511 Individual post In the year 1512, (), (), Sten Sture the Younger is elected new Regent of Sweden (Jul 23), gypsies are mentioned for the tirst time in official Swedish records (Sep 29), the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti, is exhibited to the public for the first time (Nov 1), the Republic of Florence begins to be dismantled, and the Medici Family comes back into power. https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/the-16th-century/ Wed, 28 Mar 2018 20:43:15 +0000 https://lifeingoodmeasure.com/the-16th-century/ Pick one year or decade between 1501 and 1600! If you have ancestors born during this century, that you know of, you can have them added in the list simply by leaving a comment in the box below the year or decade in question. 1500s - 1510s Individual years: 1501 - 1502 - 1503 - 1504 - 1505 - 1506 - 1507 - 1508 - 1509 - 1510 - 1511 - 1512 - 1513 - 1514 - 1515 - 1516 - 1517 - 1518 - 1519 - 1520 - 1521 - 1522 - 1523 - 1524 - 1525 - 1526 - 1527 - 1528 - 1529 - 1530 - 1531 - 1532 - 1533 - 1534 - 1535 - 1536 - 1537 - 1538 - 1539 - 1540 - 1541 - 1542 - 1543 - 1544 - 1545 - 1546 - 1547 - 1548 - 1549 - 1550 - 1551 - 1552 - 1553 - 1554 - 1555 - 1556 - 1557 - 1558 - 1559 - 1560 - 1561 - 1562 - 1563 - 1564 - 1565 - 1566 - 1567 - 1568 - 1569 - 1570 - 1571 - 1572 - 1573 - 1574 - 1575 - 1576 - 1577 - 1578 - 1579 - 1580 - 1581 - 1582 - 1583 - 1584 - 1585 - 1586 - 1587 - 1588 - 1589 - 1590 - 1591 - 1592 - 1593 - 1594 - 1595 - 1596 - 1597 - 1598 - 1599 - 1600 Updated 2025-0102 (97)