16th January » The English Parliament of England known as Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism.
4th April » Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
26th July » Act of Abjuration Plakkaat van Verlatinghe (Act of Abjuration): the northern Low Countries declare their independence from the Spain Spanish king, Philip II of Spain Philip II.
Famous Birthdays in 1581
4th January » James Ussher, Irish archbishop (d. 1656)
17th February » Fausto Poli, Italian cardinal (d. 1653)
16th March » Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch historian and poet (d. 1647)
24th April » Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (d. 1660)
9th October » Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician, poet, and scholar (d. 1638)
21st October » Domenichino, Italian painter (d. 1641)
Famous Deaths in History for 1581
2nd June » James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Scottish politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1525)
11th July » Peder Skram, Danish admiral and politician (b. 1503)
1st September » Guru Ram Das, Pakistani 4th of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism (b. 1534)
30th September » Hubert Languet, French diplomat and reformer (b. 1518)
9th October » Louis Bertrand (saint) called Louis Bertrand, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1526)
23rd October » Michael Neander, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1529)
7th November » Richard Davies (bishop) or Richard Davies, Welsh bishop and scholar (b. 1505)
1st December » Alexander Briant, English martyr and saint (b. 1556)
1st December » Edmund Campion, English priest, martyr, and saint (b. 1540)
1st December » Ralph Sherwin, English martyr and saint (b. 1550)