Francis Drake's Circumnavigation
Jan 9 Francis Drake's ship the 'Golden Hind' strikes a reef off the Celebes islands, slips off the next day and sails onward to Java then round the Cape of Good Hope and back to Plymouth in England [1]
Philip II's Bounty
Mar 15 Spanish King Philip II puts 25,000 gold coins on head of Prince William I of Orange
Event of Interest
Mar 17 Prince William I of Orange welcomed in Amsterdam
- Apr 11 Drenthe joins Union of Utrecht
- Jun 15 Phillip II of Spain declares William I of Orange 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)
Event of Interest
Sep 26 Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world, sailing into Plymouth aboard the 'Golden Hind'
