- Jan 16 English parliament passes laws against Catholicism
Knighthood
Apr 4 Francis Drake knighted by Queen Elizabeth I aboard Golden Hind at Deptford
- Apr 15 Cortes van Thomar accepts Philip II as king of Portugal
- Jul 14 English Jesuit priest Edmund Campion arrested for sedition in Anglican England (later hung, drawn and quartered)
- Jul 24 States of Holland/Zealand recognized by Wiliam of Orange
- Aug 2 Leiden University names Rudolph Snellius as math professor
Historic Event
Oct 15 Commissioned by Catherine de' Medici, the 1st ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine" is staged in Paris
Ivan the Terrible Kills His Son
Nov 16 Tsar Ivan the Terrible attacks his son and heir, Ivan Ivanovich, with a scepter after an argument leading to the latter's death three days later
Historic Event
Nov 19 Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich dies after being attacked by his father Ivan the Terrible three days earlier
- Nov 29 Doornik (Tournai) surrenders to Duke of Parma