- Mar 15 Spanish King Philip II puts 25,000 gold coins on head of Prince William of Orange
- Mar 17 Prince Willem of Orange welcomed in Amsterdam
- Apr 11 Drenthe joins Union of Utrecht
- Jun 15 Phillip II of Spain declares William the Silent to be an outlaw.
- Jun 17 Battle at Hardenberg: Spanish troops beat rebels
- Jun 18 States of Utrecht forbid catholic worship
- Jun 25 Book of Concord, standards of Lutheran Church, 1st published
- Jun 27 Duke of Alva's army occupies Portugal
- Jul 12 Ostrog Bible, the first printed Bible in a Slavic language, is published
- Aug 25 Battle of Alcantara, Spain defeats Portugal
- Sep 19 Treaty of Plessis-lez-Tours (Anjou/Dutch States-General)
- Sep 26 Frances Drake completes circumnavigation of the world, sailing into Plymouth aboard the Golden Hind
- Nov 9 Spanish troops land in Ireland
- Nov 26 French Huguenots & Roman Catholics sign peace treaty