Year 1578 (MDLXXVIII)
1578 was a common year starting on Wednesday in the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
January 13 – The Siege of Gvozdansko concludes in the Kingdom of Croatia as troops from the Ottoman Empire, led by Ferhad Pasha Sokolović, capture the fortress at Gvozdansko.
January 31 – In the Battle of Gembloux, Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese achieve victory against the Dutch; Farnese begins to reclaim control of the French-speaking Southern Netherlands.
February 6 – Pope Gregory XIII issues the papal bull Illius fulti praesidio and establishes the Diocese of Manila, the first Roman Catholic diocese in the Philippines, appointing Domingo de Salazar as its first bishop. This diocese will elevate to an archdiocese on August 14, 1595.
February 8 – The city council of Amsterdam ratifies a treaty placing the city under the authority of Willem, Prince of Orange, joining the States of Holland.
February 12 – Mohammad Khodabanda, older brother of the late Shah Ismail II, ascends as the new Shah of Persia (now Iran) after entering the capital Qazvin, following the removal of his sister Pari Khan Khanum, who had held power. His initial act as ruler is the execution of Pari Khan Khanum.
February 13 – Just two days post the Battle of Gembloux, Spanish troops seize the city of Leuven, compelling Willem, Prince of Orange to flee from Brussels to Antwerp.
March 11 – Nicolò da Ponte is elected as the new Doge of the Republic of Venice after 44 ballots, following the death of Sebastiano Venier on March 3.
March 20 – James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, the final regent for King James VI of Scotland, resigns after serving since November 24, 1572.
The Belgian city of Bruges, under Spanish control, is captured by Dutch rebels.
April–June
April 23 – The Siege of Otate commences in Japan following the death of Uesugi Kenshin, the warlord of Echigo Province.
April 27 – The Duel of the Mignons results in the deaths of two favorites of Henry III of France and two favorites of Henry I, Duke of Guise.
May 26 – The Alteratie occurs in Amsterdam, leading to the expulsion of 24 Catholic members from the 40-member city government, forming a new council comprised of 30 Calvinist Protestants and 10 Catholics.
May 31 – Martin Frobisher embarks from Harwich in England with 15 ships on his third expedition to North America, expecting to arrive at Frobisher Bay in July.
June 11 – Humphrey Gilbert receives letters patent from the English crown to establish a colony in North America.
June 20 – The Frobisher expedition reaches Greenland.
June 30 – Following a conflict with fellow officer Thomas Doughty, Francis Drake puts Doughty on trial during their world circumnavigation. Doughty is convicted of treason and executed on July 2.
July–September
July 2 – The Frobisher expedition arrives in Canada, entering what is now known as Frobisher Bay. One of the ships, the Dennis, wrecks on an iceberg.
July 31 – In the Battle of Rijmenam, fought near Antwerp, a combined Dutch and English force led by the Count of Boussu and England’s John Norreys defeats Spanish troops commanded by Don Juan de Austria.
Some accounts attribute the first European Thanksgiving celebration in Canada to Martin Frobisher, occurring in Newfoundland. However, the celebration consisted solely of a sermon and expressions of gratitude from Frobisher’s men, rather than a feast.
August 4 – King Sebastian of Portugal is killed in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in North Africa while fighting the Moors. His elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, is designated as his heir, igniting a succession crisis in Portugal.
August 20–September 6 – After renaming his flagship from Pelican to Golden Hind, Francis Drake and his fleet navigate the Strait of Magellan.
August 31 – The Frobisher expedition departs from North America, commencing its return journey to England.
September 6 – After 16 days of travel, Francis Drake’s fleet successfully traverses the Strait of Magellan and enters the Pacific Ocean. The fleet encounters violent storms, leading to the loss of the supply ship Marigold off Cape Horn, with all hands lost. The remaining ships continue their journey.
October–December
October 1 – Alessandro Farnese succeeds his uncle Don John as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands.
October 21 – In the Battle of Wenden, Swedish troops defeat the Russians, subsequently capturing Polotsk.
November 19 – Humphrey Gilbert and Walter Ralegh depart from Plymouth on an expedition to establish a colony in North America, but will be forced to return six months later.
December 9 – After over five years of combat in southern France, the Protestant Huguenot citadel of Ménerbes negotiates a surrender to its French Catholic assailants.
Date Unknown
- Battle of the Spoiling Dyke at Trumpan on the Scottish Isle of Skye: the Clan MacLeod triumphs over the MacDonalds of Uist in a long-standing feud.
- The Ottoman Empire conquers Abkhazia.
- Sarsa Dengel, Emperor of Ethiopia, defeats and kills Bahr negus Yeshaq along with his Ottoman allies, effectively ending his rebellion.
- Sonam Gyrso is bestowed the title of Talaï by Prince Atlan Khan, becoming the third Dalai Lama of Tibet.
- The last occurrence of sweating sickness is documented in England.
- The Portuguese assist Lord Ōmura Sumitada, the first Christian Japanese daimyō, in repelling an attack on Nagasaki by the Ryūzōji clan.
- Fur trade begins in Newfoundland, North America.
Births
January 7 – Agnes of Solms-Laubach, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1602)
January 10 – Christopher Clitherow, Lord Mayor of London and Member of Parliament (d. 1641)
January 28 – Cornelius Haga, Dutch diplomat (d. 1654)
March 18 – Adam Elsheimer, German artist working in Rome, who died at only thirty-two (d. 1610)
April 1 – William Harvey, English physician (d. 1657)
April 14 – King Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
April 17 – Maximilian van der Sandt, Dutch theologian (d. 1656)
May 11 – Christian Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1601–1642) (d. 1642)
June 5 – Claude, Duke of Chevreuse (d. 1657)
June 13 – Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea, Member of Parliament (d. 1639)
July 9 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1637)
July 21 – Philipp Hainhofer, German merchant, banker, diplomat, and art collector (d. 1647)
July 27 – Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond, British duchess (d. 1639)
July 31 – Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau, regent of Hanau-Münzenberg (d. 1648)
August 5 – Charles d’Albert, duc de Luynes, first duke of Chaulnes (d. 1621)
August 10 – Matteo Rosselli, Italian painter (d. 1650)
August 17
- Francesco Albani, Italian painter (d. 1660)
- Johann, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, first prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (d. 1638)
August 24 – John Taylor, English poet who dubbed himself The Water Poet (d. 1653)
September 11 – Vincenzo Maculani, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1667)
September 17 – John Prideaux, English academic administrator and Anglican bishop (d. 1650)
October 4 – Giovanni Francesco Guidi di Bagno, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1641)
October 12 – Baldassare Aloisi, Italian painter (d. 1638)
October 19 – Christine of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Eisenach and Saxe-Coburg (d. 1658)
November 4 – Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg (1614–1635) (d. 1653)
November 6 – Maximilian of Liechtenstein, Austrian nobleman and Imperial General (d. 1645)
December 2 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and music theorist (d. 1640)
December 7 – Okaji no Kata, Japanese concubine of Tokugawa Ieyasu (d. 1642)
December 20 – Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French noble (d. 1621)
December 28 – Henry Bulstrode, English Member of Parliament (d. 1643)
December 30 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1624)
Approximate Date – Fede Galizia, Italian painter
Date Unknown
- Giambattista Andreini, Italian actor and playwright (d. 1650)
- Yamada Arinaga, Japanese retainer of the Shimazu clan (d. 1668)
- Benedetto Castelli, Italian scientist (d. 1643)
- Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer (d. 1640)
- Iwasa Matabei, Japanese painter (d. 1650)
- Samuel Jordan, American colonial legislator (d. 1623)
- Grzegorz IV Radziwiłł, Polish magnate (d. 1613)
- François Ravaillac, assassin of Henry IV of France (d. 1610)
- Ambrose Rookwood, English conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot (d. 1606)
- Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland (d. 1632)
- Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyō (d. 1604)
- Everard Digby, English conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot (d. 1606)
Deaths
January 5 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (b. 1498)
January 6 – Queen Inseong, Korean royal consort (b. 1514)
January 25 – Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Sultan Suleiman (b. 1522)
February 5 or 1579 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1510)
February 12 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (b. 1507)
March 3
- Sebastiano Venier, Doge of Venice (b. 1496)
- Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu, Ottoman Greek magnate (b. 1510)
March 7 – Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (b. 1515)
March 29
- Arthur Champernowne, English admiral (b. 1524)
- Louis I, Cardinal of Guise, French cardinal (b. 1527)
April 2 – Marie Elisabeth of France, French princess (b. 1572)
April 11 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (b. 1547)
April 14 – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1535)
April 15 – Wolrad II, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg (b. 1509)
April 19 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530)
May 4 – Martin Eisengrein, German theologian (b. 1535)
June 16 – Ioan Potcoavă, Russian Cossack ataman
July 2 – Thomas Doughty, English explorer (executed)
July 5 – Cristoforo Madruzzo, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1512)
July 27 – Jane Lumley, English translator (b. 1537)
August 4
- King Sebastian of Portugal (b. 1554)
- Thomas Stukley, English adventurer (b. 1525)
- Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi, King of Morocco
- Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi, King of Morocco
August 8 – Amago Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman (b. 1553)
August 11 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b. 1502)
August 16 – Andrew Corbet, English landowner and politician (b. 1522)
August 20 – Yamanaka Yukimori, Japanese samurai (b. 1545)
September – Pierre Lescot, French architect (b. 1510)
September 3 – Giulio della Rovere, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1533)
September 22 – Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (b. 1561)
October 1 – Don John of Austria, military leader (b. 1547)
October 12 – Cornelius Gemma, Dutch astronomer and astrologer (b. 1535)
October 18 – Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, Spanish prince (b. 1571)
December 3 – Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba, Governor of the Duchy of Milan (b. 1520)
December – Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1501)
Date Unknown – Sabina, Duchess of Bavaria (b. 1528)