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)

1577-0412 Christian IV of Denmark* longest reign (59 years) of Danish monarchs – Frederiksborg Palace, Denmark (1648/70)

1577-0520 Philip de’ Medici* Grand Prince of Tuscany (1582/4)

1577-0628 Peter Paul Rubens* Flemish artist – Siegen, Nassau, Roman Empire (1640/62)

1577-1125 Piet Pieterszoon Hein* admiral/privateer – Delfshaven, Holland (1629/51)

1577-1208 Mario Minniti* Italian artist – Syracuse, Sicily (1640/62)
1577-1220 Antonio Brunelli* composer/theorist – Pisa, Italy (1630/52)

Updated 7.9.2019

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Data for 1507

Martin Waldseemüller publishes his world map, naming the new continent America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci (Apr), the Portuguese occupy Mozambique, King James IV grants a patent for the first printing press in Scotland, Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa – and all these fine people were born:

1507-0125 Johannes Oporinus* humanist printer – Basel, Swiss Confederation (1568/61)

1507-0414 Konrad Hubert* theologian/hymn writer/ reformer – Bergzabern, Germany (1577/70)

Data for 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:

Data for 1587

The motte of Fotheringhay Castle where Mary Stuart was imprisoned in 1587

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:

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),

Data for 1560

Tulip fields in the Netherlands

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

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:

Data for the 1510s

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), the first pocket watch is built, sunflowers are brought to Europe – and all these fine people were born:

Data for the 1520s

Stortorget in Stockholm’s Old Town – scene of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520

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:

Data for the 1530s

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:

Data for the 1540s

Charles V Wall in modern-day 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:

Data for the 1550s

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:

Data for the 1560s

Ösel is the Swedish word for Saaremaa

In the year 1560, Denmark buys the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Apr 15), the Treaty of Edinburgh is signed between England, France and Scotland (Jul 9) and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland (Aug 17), Eric XIV becomes King of Sweden (Sep 29), the first tulip bulb is brought from Turkey to the Netherlands, Jean Nicot introduces tobacco to the French court, and the great age of piracy in the Caribbean starts around this time – and all these fine people were born:

1560 Individual post

1561-0211 Francis Bacon* philosopher/scientist – London, England (65)

1562-1004 Longomontanus* astrononomer – Lomborg, Jutland, Denmark (85)

1563-0305 John Coke* politician – Trusley, Derbyshire, England (1644/81)

1564-0215 Galileo Galilei* physicist/mathematician/astronomer – Pisa, Duchy of Florence (77)
1564-0423 William Shakespeare* (B 26th) author/playwright – Stratford-upon-Avon, England (1616/52)
1564-0628 Cort Aslakssøn* astronomer/philosopher – Bergen, Norway (1624)
1564-0924 William Adams* 三浦按針 sailor/samurai – Gillingham, Kent, England (1620/55)
1564-0925 Magnus Brahe* nobleman – Tynnelsö, Sweden (1633)

1565-1110 Laurentius Paulinus Gothus* theologian/astronomer/Archbishop of Uppsala – Söderköping, Sweden (1646/73)

1566-0619 James VI and I* King of Scotland/of England and Ireland/the first monarch to rule both Scotland and England – Edinburgh Castle, Scotland (1625/58)
1566-1227 Jan Jesenius* Slovak physician/politician/philosopher – Breslau, Silesia, Habsburg Monarchy (1621/54)

1567-0317 Akizuki Tanenega* samurai – Japan (1614/47)
1567-1121 Anne de Xainctonge* founder of the first non-cloistered women’s religious community – Dijon, France (1621/53)

1568-0128 Prince Gustav of Sweden* a wayward prince in exile – Sweden (1607/39)

1569-0415 Joan Shakespeare* (B) sister of WS/the only member of the family whose known descendants continue down to the present day – (1646)
1569-1111 Martin Ruland the Younger* physician/achemist/editor – Lauingen, Bavaria, Germany (1611/41)
1569-1222 Étienne Martellange* Jesuit architect/draftsman – Lyon, France (1641/71)

Updated 21.3.2019

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Data for the 1570s

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), the Kingdom of Livonia is established (Jun 10), the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus begins (Jul 3) – and all these fine people were born:

Data for the 1580s

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:

Data for the 1590s

Old Tolbooth in Edinburgh, Scotland

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: