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