Year 1552 (MDLII) Overview
The year 1552 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
- January 15 – Henry II of France and Maurice, Elector of Saxony, sign the Treaty of Chambord.
- February 12 – Pedro de Valdivia establishes the Chilean city of Valdivia, named as Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia.
- February 24 – The privileges of the Hanseatic League are abolished in England.
- March 26 – Guru Amar Das becomes the Third Sikh Guru.
April–June
- April 8 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony, liberates Augsburg and initiates a campaign to capture Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
- April 11 – Metz Cathedral is consecrated.
- April 15 – The Act of Uniformity is given royal assent, mandating the use of the Protestant Book of Common Prayer in England.
- April 16 – Pedro de Valdivia founds the city of La Imperial in Chile.
- April 18 – King Henry II of France enters Metz, which was ceded to France by Saxony as per the January 15 treaty.
- April 28 – Delegates of the Council of Trent adjourn for two years after learning of the emperor’s flight from Maurice of Saxony.
- May 20 – The emperor Charles V flees Innsbruck, anticipating his imminent capture by Elector Maurice.
- June 6 (14th waxing of Waso 914 ME) – Minye Sithu is appointed as the Burmese Viceroy of Martaban by his brother, Bayinnaung, King of Burma.
- June 16 – Yuri of Uglich manages Russia’s domestic affairs as Ivan IV leads troops in the Russo-Kazan War.
- June 22 – Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, the Spanish Governor of Luxembourg, is held captive by France.
- June 24 – The Portuguese ship São João wrecks off the coast of South Africa, leading to significant loss of life during a struggle to reach safety in present-day Mozambique.
July–September
- July 6 – The Ottoman Empire attacks Drégely Castle in Hungary, resulting in heavy casualties for the defenders.
- July 27 – The Ottomans capture the city of Temesvar.
- August 2 – Release of John Frederick, Elector of Saxony and Philipp I of Hesse from captivity by Charles V.
- September 9 – The Siege of Eger begins against Hungarian defenders by thousands of Ottoman troops.
- September 24 – The Debatable Lands between England and Scotland are officially divided.
October–December
- October 2 – The Khanate of Kazan falls to Ivan IV of Russia.
- October 17 – The Siege of Eger is lifted by the Ottomans after heavy losses.
- November 15 – Radu Ilie Haidăul becomes the new Prince of Wallachia.
- November 18 – Simeon Sulaka arrives in Rome seeking recognition as the Patriarch of the Church of the East.
- November 24 – Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, presents the proposed Forty-two Articles.
- December 26 – Pope Julius III revokes prior resolutions from the Papal State of Bologna.
Date Unknown
- Miguel de Buría leads the first African rebellion in South America, targeting the Gold mines of San Felipe de Buría.
- The Ottoman Empire’s Red Sea Fleet attacks the Portuguese stronghold of Hormuz, but is unsuccessful.
- Bartolomeo Eustachi completes his Tabulae anatomicae, although it won’t be published until 1714 due to fears of the Inquisition.
- King Edward VI of England establishes 35 grammar schools, including Shrewsbury and Leeds Grammar School.
Births
- January 14 – Alberico Gentili, Italian jurist (d. 1608)
- January 22 – Walter Raleigh, English explorer (d. 1618)
- February 1 – Edward Coke, English jurist (d. 1634)
- February 8 – Agrippa d’Aubigné, French poet (d. 1630)
- February 19 – Melchior Klesl, Austrian statesman (d. 1630)
- February 20 – Sengoku Hidehisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1614)
- February 25 – Magdalene of Lippe, Countess (d. 1587)
- February 28 – Joost Bürgi, Swiss mathematician (d. 1632)
- March 1 – Anna of Cleves, Countess Palatine (d. 1632)
- March 18 – Polykarp Leyser, German theologian (d. 1610)
- March 20 – Christoph, Count of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (d. 1592)
- April 20 – Frederick IV of Liegnitz, German noble (d. 1596)
- May 8 – Petrus Ryff, Swiss scientist (d. 1629)
- May 12 – Edmund Bowyer, English politician (d. 1627)
- June 2 – Raja Wodeyar I, King of Mysore (d. 1617)
- June 8 – Gabriello Chiabrera, Italian poet (d. 1638)
- June 17 – John George of Ohlau, Duke (d. 1592)
- June 29 – Elizabeth Spencer, English baroness (d. 1618)
- July 18 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
- July 22 – Anthony Browne, Sheriff (d. 1592)
- August 14 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian writer (d. 1623)
- August 21 – Muhammad Qadiri, Founder (d. 1654)
- August 24 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (d. 1614)
- September 12 – Andreas Schott, Flemish priest (d. 1629)
- September 20 – Lorenz Scholz von Rosenau, German botanist (d. 1599)
- September 21 – Barbara Longhi, Italian painter (d. 1638)
- September 22 – Tsar Vasili IV of Russia (d. 1612)
- September 27 – Flaminio Scala, Italian playwright (d. 1624)
- October 6 – Matteo Ricci, Italian Jesuit (d. 1610)
- October 11 – Tsarevich Dmitry, Grand Prince (d. 1553)
- October 18 – Elisabeth of Saxony, Countess (d. 1590)
- October 23 – Odet de Turnèbe, French dramatist (d. 1581)
- October 28 – Simón de Rojas, Spanish saint (d. 1624)
- December 18 – Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer (d. 1616)
- November 20 – Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury (d. 1616)
- November 26 – Seonjo of Joseon, King of Joseon (d. 1608)
- December 27 – William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (d. 1626)
- December 29 – Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé (d. 1588)
- December 31 – Simon Forman, English occultist (d. 1611)
Date Unknown
- Hans von Aachen, German mannerist painter (d. 1615)
- Thomas Aufield, English martyr (d. 1585)
- Jean Bertaut, French poet (d. 1611)
- Philemon Holland, English translator (d. 1637)
- Prince Masahito, Japanese prince (d. 1586)
- Lady Saigō, Japanese concubine (d. 1589)
- Dom Justo Takayama, Japanese daimyo (d. 1615)
- Anthony Tyrrell, Catholic priest and spy (d. circa 1610)
- Jean Hotman, French diplomat (d. 1636)
- Cvijeta Zuzorić, Croatian poet (d. 1648)
Deaths
- January 3 – Henry of the Palatinate, bishop of Utrecht (b. 1487)
- January 10 – Johann Cochlaeus, German humanist (b. 1479)
- January 22 – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (b. 1509)
- February 6 – Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1479)
- February 20 – Anne Parr, Countess of Pembroke (b. 1515)
- February 26 – Heinrich Faber, German composer (b. 1500)
- March 29 – Guru Angad, Indian religious leader (b. 1504)
- April 19 – Olaus Petri, Swedish cleric (b. 1493)
- April 18 – John Leland, English historian (b. 1502)
- April 21 – Petrus Apianus, German astronomer (b. 1495)
- May 26 – Sebastian Münster, cartographer (b. 1488)
- June 10 – Alexander Barclay, British poet (b. 1476)
- July 9 – György Szondy, Hungarian soldier
- August 15 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (b. 1477)
- September 23 – Barbara of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach, Landgravine (b. 1495)
- October 14 – Oswald Myconius, Swiss reformer (b. 1488)
- October 17 – Andreas Osiander, Protestant theologian (b. 1498)
- November 10 – Günther XL, Count of Schwarzburg (b. 1499)
- December 3 – Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary (b. 1506)
- December 20 – Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther (b. 1499)