| February 21 | Philip II routes cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comte |
| March 13 | Cardinal Granvelle flees Brussels |
| April 11 | England and France sign Peace of Troyes |
| April 11 | Liege prince-bishop Robert van Bergen resigns |
| April 26 | William Shakespeare baptized |
| May 31 | Battle on Gotland: Lubeck and Denmark beat Sweden |
| July 25 | Maximilian II succeeds his father Ferdinand II as RC emperor |
| August 18 | Spanish king Philip II joins Council of Trente |
| September 29 | Robert Dudley becomes earl of Leicester |
| October 18 | John Hawkins begins 2nd trip to America |
| December 31 | Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion |
