Discover

Year '1578' was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Contents

Events of 1578

Undated

Births

Deaths

Events of 1578

★ January 31 - Battle of Gembloux: Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. Alexander Farnese begins to recover control of the French-speaking Southern Netherlands.

★ April 27 - Duel of the Mignons claims the lives of two favorites of Henry III of France and two favourites of Henry I, Duke of Guise.

★ May 31 - Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool's gold, used to pave streets in London.


★ August 4 - Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir - The Moors defeat the Portuguese. King Sebastian I of Portugal is defeated and killed in North Africa, leaving his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, as his heir. This initiates a succession crisis in Portugal.

★ October 1 - Alessandro Farnese succeeds Don John as Spanish Governor-General of the Netherlands.

Undated

★ Martin Frobisher held the first celebration of Thanksgiving by Europeans in North America at Newfoundland by the Frobisher Expedition.

★ Tibet - Sonam Gyrso receives from prince Atlan Khan the title of "Talaï" and becomes the third Dalai Lama.

★ Battle of Wenden: The Russians are defeated by the Swedes, who proceed to take Polotsk.

★ The Ottoman Empire conquers Abkhazia.

★ Sixth and so far the last outbreak of the sweating sickness in England.

★ Emperor Sarsa Dengel of Ethiopia kills Bahr negus Yeshaq, finally ending his rebellion.

Births

★ March 2 - George Sandys, English traveller (died 1644)

★ April 1 - William Harvey, English physician (died 1657)

★ April 14 - King Philip III of Spain (died 1621)

★ May 16 - Everard Digby, English conspirator (died 1606)

★ July 9 - Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1637)

★ August 5 - Charles de Luynes, first duke of Chaulnes (died 1621)

★ August 17 - Francesco Albani, Italian painter (died 1660)

★ November 1 - Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (died 1642)

★ December 2 - Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer (died 1640)

★ ''date unknown''

★
★ Giambattista Andreini, Italian actor and playwright (died 1650)

★
★ Catharina Belgica of Nassau, regent of Hanau-Münzenberg (died 1648)

★
★ Yamada Arinaga, Japanese retainer of Shimazu clan (died 1668)

★
★ Benedetto Castelli, Italian scientist (died 1643)

★
★ Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer (died 1640)

★
★ Robert Cushman, Plymouth Colony settler (died 1625)

★
★ Iwasa Matabei, Japanese painter (died 1650)

★
★ Samuel Jordan, American colonial legislator (died 1623)

★
★ Grzegorz IV Radziwiłł, Polish magnate (died 1613)

★
★ François Ravaillac, killer of Henry IV of France (died 1610)

★
★ Ambrose Rokewood, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (died 1606)

★
★ Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland (died 1632)

★
★ Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyo (died 1604)
: ''See also .''

Deaths

★ February 5 - Giambattista Moroni, Italian painter (born 1510)

★ March 7 - Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (born 1515)

★ March 29 - Arthur Champernowne, English admiral (born 1524)

★ March 29 - Louis I, Cardinal of Guise, French cardinal (born 1527)

★ April 14 - James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, consort of Mary I of Scotland (born 1535)

★ April 19 - Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (born 1530)

★ June 20 - Thomas Doughty, English explorer (executed)

★ August 4

★
★ King Sebastian I of Portugal (born 1554)

★
★ Thomas Stucley, English adventurer (born 1525)

★
★ Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi, King of Morocco

★
★ Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi, King of Morocco

★ August 11 - Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (born 1502)

★ October 1 - Don John of Austria, military leader (born 1547)

★ ''date unknown''

★
★ Jane Lumley, English translator (born 1537)

★
★ Giulio Clovio, Italian painter (born 1498)

★
★ Cornelis Cort, Dutch engraver (born 1536)

★
★ Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor (born 1501)

★
★ Amago Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman (born 1553)

★
★ Ikeda Katsumasa, Japanese military commander (born 1539)

★
★ Juraj Julije Klovic, Dalmatian painter (born 1498)

★
★ Pierre Lescot, French architect (born 1510)
: ''See also .''