| January 9 | Adriaan F Boeyens elected only Dutch pope (Adrian VI) |
| January 21 | Head inquisitor Adrian Florisz Boeyens elected pope |
| January 30 | Duke of Albany takes captured French back to Scotland |
| February 7 | Treaty of Brussels: Habsburgers split into Spanish/Austrian Branches |
| March 9 | Marten Luther preaches his Invocavit |
| April 27 | Battle at Bicacca: Charles I and Pope Adrianus VI beat France |
| April 29 | Emperor Charles V names Frans van Holly inquisitor-general of Netherlands |
| May 25 | Emperor Karel I returns to Spain |
| May 30 | French troops driven out of Genoa |
| June 24 | Battle at La Bicocca: Emperor Karel V beats France |
| June 24 | Portuguese Antonio de Brita signs treaty island of Ternate Molukkas |
| July 13 | Hunger appeal by women of Utrecht |
| August 11 | Uprising of adel/burgerij in Austria fails |
| September 6 | Magellen with Vittoria returns to Spain, after 1st round world trip |
| September 8 | Spanish navigator Juan de Elcano returns to Spain, completes 1st circumnavigation of globe, expedition begins under Ferdinand Magellan |
| October 15 | Emperor Karel I names Hernan Cortes governor of Mexico |
| December 25 | Turkish troops occupy Rhodos |
