1581 CE

Zsigmond Báthory, the 8-year-old son of Kristóf Báthory, ruler of the Principality of Transylvania, is elected by the Diet of Transylvania as the new voivode at the request of Kristóf, who dies 12 days later. The army of King Stephen Báthory of Poland begins its siege of the Russian garrison of Pskov. In England, Jesuit priest Edmund Campion is executed for treason.

In the 1580s, the 16th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • January 14 – The Treaty of Drohiczyn is concluded, ending the Livonian War and adding the conquered city of Riga to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.source
  • January 23 – The Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours between the Duchy of Anjou and most of the states of the Dutch Republic is ratified at Bourdeaux, granting Francis, Duke of Anjou executive authority over the Republic with the title "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands".source
  • March 25 – Iberian Union: Philip II of Spain is crowned Philip I of Portugal.source
  • July 22 - At a meeting of the States General of the Union of Utrecht at Antwerp, the representatives vote to proclaim their independence from Spain in the Act of Abjuration, abjuring loyalty to Philip II of Spain as their sovereign, and appointing Francis, Duke of Anjou, as the new sovereign of the Netherlands; public practice of Roman Catholicism is forbidden.source
  • July 26 – The Act of Abjuration is signed at The Hague by representatives of eight Dutch provinces as a declaration of independence from Spanish rule and a secession from the Union of Utrecht. The signing confirms a decision made in a July 22 meeting of the States General in Antwerp. King Philip II of Spain refuses to acknowledge the Abjuration.source
  • September 23 – Martín Enríquez de Almanza arrives in Lima and becomes the new Viceroy of Peru, replacing Francisco de Toledo, who was summoned home by King Philip II.source
  • King Henry III established a secret inner council to conduct state affairs in private, this council brought two men, Anne de Joyeuse and Jean Louis de la Valette to prominence in French politics.Francesource

Conflict & Security

  • February 8 – (7th waxing of Tabaung 942 ME) Prince Shin Thissa, later to become King of Burma in 1599 as Nyaungyan Min, receives his first executive job when he is appointed to be Governor of Nyaungyan by his father, King Bayinnaung.source
  • February 23 – The Spanish Army is forced to abandon the siege of Steenwijk in the Netherlands after more than four months.source
  • April 19 – general pardon offered to participants in the Second Desmond Rebellion (other than the leaders).Irelandsource
  • May 26 – (10th waning of Nayon 943 ME) In Burma, Thiri Thudhamma Yaza of Martaban becomes the new Viceroy of Martaban (now Mottama in the Mon State of Myanmar) after the demise of Minye Nandameit.source
  • July 27 – Capture of Breda: After a surprise attack the day before, Spanish troops under the command of Claude de Berlaymont, Lord of Haultepenne, take the walled city Breda in the Netherlands. Once inside the gates, the Spanish troops overcome the defenders and carry out the massacre of 584 citizens in the "Haultepenne Fury".source
  • August 28 – The army of King Stephen Báthory of Poland begins its siege of the Russian garrison of Pskov.source
  • September 6 – A mercenary army of Sweden, under Pontus De la Gardie, captures Narva from Russia.source
  • September 30 – In Japan, warlord Oda Nobunaga invades the Iga Province. With 42,000 troops under his command against 10,000 defenders led by Takino Jurobei, Nobunaga controls most of central Japan within eight days.source
  • October 8 – The Tenshō Iga War ends in Japan with the surrender of Kashiwara Castle to Oda Nobunaga.source
  • John Dee practices angel magic with Barnabas Saul, but with no success.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • April 4 – Following his circumnavigation of the world, Francis Drake is knighted by Elizabeth I of England.source
  • Francisco de Mascarenhas becomes 13th Vice Regent of Portuguese India (until 1584)Indiasource
  • Pontus De la Gardie, a prominent military figure, led the Swedish conquest of Narva, a key strategic location due to its accessibility to the Narva River, which would later play a significant role in the military and commercial affairs of the region.Swedensource

Religion & Belief

  • March 18 – The Parliament of England's Act against Reconciliation to Rome imposes heavy fines, for practising Roman Catholicism.source
  • July 11 – The Knights Hospitaller depose Jean de la Cassière as Grandmaster and appoint Mathurin Romegas in his place.source
  • November 4 – Jean de la Cassière is restored as Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller, by Pope Gregory XIII.source
  • Guru Arjan Dev becomes the fifth Guru of Sikhs, succeeding his father Guru Ram Das.source
  • The last Bishop of Meissen, John IX of Haugwitz, resigns his office in the wake of the Reformation.source
  • Dermot O'Hurley appointed Archbishop of Cashel by Pope Gregory XIII, but is unable to enter Ireland until 1583 when he was imprisoned in Dublin Castle and hanged for treason in 1584.Irelandsource

Economy & Finance

  • The Ming Dynasty Chancellor of China, Chief Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, imposes the Single Whip Reform, by which taxes are assessed on properties recorded in the land census, and paid in silver, as the accepted medium of exchange.source

Science & Discovery

  • July 26 – A meteorite strikes the Earth in Thuringia in the Holy Roman Empire.source

Health & Medicine

  • June 14 – The representatives of the States General of the Netherlands vote to declare that the throne of the Union of Utrecht is vacant because of the erratic behavior of King Philip II.source

Crime & Justice

Culture & Society

  • January – James Stewart marries Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray, celebrated with masques and running at the ring. James VI takes part.Scotlandsource
  • 7 May - The wedding of Princess Elizabeth of Sweden and Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg took place. This union was a significant event in the year, fortifying the alliance between Sweden and Mecklenburg. The marriage was celebrated with grandeur, reflecting the political significance of the event.Swedensource
  • October 15 – Ballet Comique de la Reine, the first narrative ballet, devised by Louise of Lorraine, wife of Henry III of France, and choreographed by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, opens in its first performance at the court of Catherine de' Medici, in the Louvre Palace in Paris, as part of the wedding celebrations for Marguerite of Lorraine.source
  • John Derricke publishes The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne.Irelandsource
  • The notable work, Oeconomia eller Hushållsbok för ungt adelsfolk by Per Brahe was published, which served as a guide for young nobles in the conduct of their households and estates. This book played an instrumental role in setting the standards for the aristocratic lifestyle in Sweden during that period.Swedensource

Births

  • January 4 – James Ussher, Anglo-Irish priest and scholar (died 1656)source
  • January 4 – James Ussher, Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, published the Ussher chronology purporting to time and date creation (died 1656).Irelandsource
  • January 6 – Countess Palatine Dorothea of Simmern, Princess consort of Anhalt-Dessau (died 1631)source
  • January 30 – Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1603–1655) (died 1655)source
  • February 17 – Fausto Poli, Italian Catholic prelate and cardinal (died 1653)source
  • April 24 – Vincent de Paul, French Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor (died 1660)source
  • May 22 – Archduchess Gregoria Maximiliana of Austria, Austrian archduchess (died 1597)source
  • July 20 – Isidoro Bianchi, Italian painter (died 1662)source
  • July 25 – Brian Twyne, English archivist (died 1644)source
  • August 5 – Hedwig of Denmark, Danish princess (died 1641)source
  • August 15 – Jeremias Drexel, Jesuit writer of devotional literature and a professor of the humanities and rhetoric (died 1638)source
  • September 27 – Juan Damián López de Haro, Spanish Catholic bishop of Puerto Rico (died 1648)source
  • October 9 – Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician (died 1638)source
  • October 21 – Domenico Zampieri, Italian painter (died 1641)source
  • December 26 – Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach (1609–1643) (died 1643)source
  • Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, mathematician, linguist and poet (d.1638)Francesource
  • James Stuart, 3rd Earl of MorayScotlandsource
  • Johannes Rudbeckius, bishop of Västerås and chaplain of the king, was born this year. He would later contribute significantly to the religious, educational and social life in Sweden. His most significant achievements included the establishment of the first gymnasium (school) in Västerås, and the introduction of confirmation in the Swedish Church. (died 1646)Swedensource

Deaths

  • January 11 – Chandrasen Rathore, ruler of the Kingdom of Marwar (now part of the state of Rajasthan in India) dies at the age of 39, leaving a power vacuum that allows the Mughal Empire to take control of the kingdom.source
  • March 19 – Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (born 1510)source
  • May 15 – Zsigmond Báthory, the 8-year-old son of Kristóf Báthory, ruler of the Principality of Transylvania, is elected by the Diet of Transylvania as the new voivode at the request of Kristóf, who dies 12 days later.source
  • June 2 – James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, the last regent for Scotland from 1572 to 1578 during the minority of King James VI, is beheaded at Edinburgh using the "Scottish Maiden", after being convicted of conspiracy in the 1567 murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of King James."source
  • June 2 – James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, regent of Scotland (born 1525)source
  • 2 June – James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton executed.Scotlandsource
  • August – King Mayadunne of Sitawaka (born 1501)source
  • September 1 – Guru Ram Das, fourth Sikh Guru (born 1534)source
  • September 6 – Guillaume Postel, linguist (b.1510)Francesource
  • September 16 – Peter Niers, notorious German bandit (date of birth unknown)source
  • October 4 – Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English earl (born 1545)source
  • October 9 – Saint Louis Bertrand, Spanish missionary to Latin America, patron saint of Colombia (born 1526)source
  • October 10 – King Bayinnaung of Burma (born 1516)source
  • November 19 – Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia (born 1554)source
  • December 1 – In England, Jesuit priest Edmund Campion is executed for treason.source
  • December 1 – Edmund Campion, English Jesuit priest and saint (born 1540)source
  • Nicholas Sanders, English Catholic priest and an exiled leader of the Second Desmond Rebellion (born c.1530).Irelandsource
  • Gustav Vasa's third wife, Queen Catherine Stenbock. She was remembered for her efforts in managing the kingdom during Gustav's illnesses, and her patronage of arts and education.Swedensource