1561
| Years: 1558 1559 1560 – 1561 – 1562 1563 1564 | |
| Decades: 1530s 1540s 1550s – 1560s – 1570s 1580s 1590s | |
| Centuries: 15th century – 16th century – 17th century | |
Table of contents |
Events
- The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots.
- Mary, Queen of Scots is denied passage through England after returning from France. She arrives at Leith, Scotland on August 19.
- The first Calvinists settle in England after fleeing Flanders.
- Madrid is declared the capital of Spain by Philip II.
- St. Paul's Cathedral in London is badly damaged by fire.
- Ruy López develops modern techniques of chess playing in Spain.
- Sweden conquers Livonia (modern Estonia).
- Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome
- Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is finished (started in 1534)
Births
- January 21 – Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher, scientist and statesman (d. 1626)
- July 11 – Luís de Góngora y Argote, Spanish baroque poet. (d. 1627)
- August 20 – Jacopo Peri, Italian composer (d. 1633)
- Giulio Cesare Martinengo, Italian composer
Deaths
- Alonso Berruguete, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1480)
Literature
- The Book of the Courtier (Il Cortegiano) is translated into English by Sir Thomas Hoby
- Poetics by Julius Caesar Scaliger
- Institution of the Christian Religion is translated into English by Thomas Norton
- Gabriele Fallopius publishes Observationes anatomicae (anatomical observations)
Categories: 1561