- Jan 1 Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as king of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin
- Jan 5 Felix Manz, a leader of the Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, is executed by drowning. (b. 1498)
- Feb 24 Ferdinand of Austria crowned as king of Bohemia
Treaty of Interest
Apr 30 Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the Treaty of Westminster, pledging to combine their forces against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in attempt to win War of the League of Cognac
Victory in Battle
Jun 7 Pope Clement VII surrenders to Emperor Charles V's armies
- Jun 24 Gustaaf I begins Reformation in Sweden, taking Catholic possessions
Historic Event
Jun 24 Paracelsus publicly burns standard medical textbooks in Basle as a protest against the current teaching and practice of medicine
- Aug 3 First known letter sent from North America by John Rut while at St. John's, Newfoundland
- Nov 3 Ferdinand of Austria and Bohemia chosen as king of Hungary
- Nov 15 Treaty of Schoonhoven: Henry of the Palatinate, Bishop of Utrecht, cedes lands to the Habsburgs in return for security help against resistant citizens
- Nov 26 Pope Clemens VII signs treaty with emperor Karel I
- Dec 6 Pope Clemens VII flees to Orvieto
- Dec 12 Composer Adrian Willaert moves from Milan to Venice