History
1560
General
Population: 508 Million*
- Entertainment: Writers include Pierre de Tonsard (poems on religious wars), Hsu Wei (first classic Chinese novel), Francesco Patrizi (philosophy of history)
Art includes Tintoretto "Susannah and the Elders"
- Fashion: Visiting cards used for first time by German students in Italy
- Religion: Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) founded
Pruitan movement begins
Counter-reformation introduces reforms in Catholic Church
- Deaths: Sculptor Baccio Bandinelli, Reformer and humanist Philipp Melanchthon, King Gustavus I of Sweden, King Francis II of France,
Author Joachim du Bellay,
Africa
- West: Portuguese establish embassies in Timbuktu
Turkish galleys rout Spanish fleet under Duke of Medina off Tripoli
Americas
- Spanish begin missions in New World
- Brazil: Smallpox
Asia
- China: End of Wu painting
Hsu Wei creates first classic novel "Ching P'Ing mei"
Europe
- General: Tobacco plant imported to western Europe by Jean Nicot
Treaty of Edinburgh among England, France and Scotland
- England: Start of Puritanism in England
Westminster School in London founded
First Puritans – English went aborad to escape reign of Mary I
Treaty of Berwick between Elizabeth I and Scottish reformers
- France: French wars of religion begin for 30 years - Huguenot conspiracy at Amboise – liberty of worship promised to France
Death of King Francis II (François) of France – succeeded by brother Charles IX with Catherine de' Medici his mother as regent - Catherine gives civil rights to Huguenots but Cardinal Guise and Catholics challenge policy
- Holy Roman Empire: Orlando di Lasso made court Kapellmeister in Munich
- Italian States: The Uffizi at Florence founded
First scientific society founded at Naples by Giambattista della Porta
- Russia: Completion of St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow
- Scotland: Reformation Parliament establishes Protestantism as Scotland's religion (Church of Scotland) – championed by John Knox
Church of Scotland founded (Presbyterian) by John Knox
- Spain: Madrid becomes capital of Spain
King Philip of Spain - who ruled Netherlands - faces growing opposition to an anti-catholic movement
- Sweden: Death of King Gustavus I Vasa
Middle East
- Ottoman Empire: Turkish galleys rout Spanish fleet under Duke of Medina off Tripoli
Plague outbreak in Turkey