Editing 1581 (section)

== Events ==
[[File:Plakkaat van Verlatinghe.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[July 26]]: Netherlands nobles sign the [[Act of Abjuration]] to declare independence from Spain.]]
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=== January&ndash;March ===
* [[January 11]] &ndash; [[Chandrasen Rathore]], ruler of the [[Marwar|Kingdom of Marwar]] (now part of the state of Rajasthan in India) dies at the age of 39, leaving a power vacuum that allows the [[Mughal Empire]] to take control of the kingdom.<ref>Visheshwar Sarup Bhagava, ''Marwar And The Mughal Emperors (1526–1748)'' (Munshiram Manoharlal, 1966) pp. 52–53</ref>
* [[January 14]] &ndash; The [[Treaty of Drohiczyn]] is concluded, ending the [[Livonian War]] and adding the conquered city of [[Riga]] to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.<ref>Ralph Tuchtenhagen, ''Geschichte der baltischen Länder'' (History of the Baltic Nations) (C. H. Beck, 2005) p. 37</ref>
* [[January 23]] &ndash; The [[Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours]] between the Duchy of Anjou and most of the states of the Dutch Republic is ratified at [[Bourdeaux]], granting [[François, Duke of Anjou]] executive authority over the Republic with the title "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands".<ref>John Lothrop Motley, ''The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1580-1582'' (Harper and Brothers, 1855)</ref>
* [[February 8]] &ndash; (7th waxing of Tabaung 942 ME) Prince Shin Thissa, later to become King of Burma in 1599 as [[Nyaungyan Min]], receives his first executive job when he is appointed to be Governor of Nyaungyan by his father, King [[Bayinnaung]].<ref>''Hmannan Yazawin '' Vol. 3 (Myanmar Ministry of Information, 2003) p.57</ref>
* [[February 23]] &ndash; The Spanish Army is forced to abandon the [[Siege of Steenwijk (1580–1581)|siege of Steenwijk]] in the Netherlands after more than four months.
* [[March 18]] &ndash; The [[Parliament of England]]'s ''Act against Reconciliation to Rome'' imposes heavy fines, for practising [[Roman Catholicism]].<ref name=CBH>{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Alan|last2=Palmer |first2=Veronica|year=1992|title=The Chronology of British History|publisher=Century Ltd|location=London|pages=160–162|isbn=0-7126-5616-2}}</ref>
* [[March 25]] &ndash; [[Iberian Union]]: [[Philip II of Spain]] is crowned Philip I of Portugal.

=== April&ndash;June ===
* [[April 4]] &ndash; Following his circumnavigation of the world, [[Francis Drake]] is [[knight]]ed by [[Elizabeth I of England]].<ref name="Pocket On This Day">{{cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-14-102715-0|year=2006}}</ref>
* [[May 15]] &ndash; [[Sigismund Báthory|Zsigmond Báthory]], the 8-year-old son of [[Christopher Báthory|Kristóf Báthory]], ruler of the Principality of Transylvania, is elected by the Diet of Transylvania as the new [[voivode of Transylvania|voivode]] at the request of Kristóf, who dies 12 days later.<ref>"Báthory Zsigmond", by Péter Károly Szabó, in ''Magyar királyok nagykönyve'' ("Encyclopedia of the Kings of Hungary", (Reader's Digest, 2012) pp. 184–187</ref>
* [[May 26]] &ndash; (10th waning of Nayon 943 ME) In Burma, [[Thiri Thudhamma Yaza of Martaban]] becomes the new Viceroy of Martaban  (now Mottama in the Mon State of Myanmar) after the demise of Minye Nandameit.<ref>''[[Maha Yazawin]]'', Vol. 3 (Ya-Pyei Publishing, 2006) p.73</ref>
* [[June 2]] &ndash; [[James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton]], the last regent for Scotland from 1572 to 1578 during the minority of King James VI, is beheaded at Edinburgh using the "[[Maiden (guillotine)|Scottish Maiden]]", after being convicted of conspiracy in the 1567 murder of [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]], consort of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of King James."<ref>"Morton, James Douglas, 4th Earl of", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (Vol. 18) (Cambridge University Press, 1911) pp. 880–881</ref>
* [[June 14]] &ndash; The representatives of the [[States General of the Netherlands]] vote to declare that the throne of the Union of Utrecht is vacant because of the erratic behavior of King Philip II.<ref>L. P. Gachard, ''Études et notices historiques concernant l'histoire des Pays-Bas'' ("Studies and Historical Comment Concerning the History of the Low Countries") (Hayez, 1890) p.388</ref>

=== July&ndash;September ===
* [[July 11]] &ndash;  The [[Knights Hospitaller]] depose [[Jean de la Cassière]] as Grandmaster and appoint [[Romegas|Mathurin Romegas]] in his place.<ref>"An eventful year for the Order of St John in Malta", by David Dandria, ''Times of Malta'', June 19, 2011</ref>
* [[July 14]] &ndash; English [[Jesuit]] [[Edmund Campion]] is arrested.
* [[July 22]] At a meeting of the States General of the Union of Utrecht at Antwerp, the representatives vote to proclaim their independence from Spain in the [[Act of Abjuration]], abjuring loyalty to [[Philip II of Spain]] as their sovereign, and appointing [[Francois, Duke of Anjou]], as the new sovereign of the Netherlands; public practice of Roman Catholicism is forbidden.
* [[July 26]]
**The [[Act of Abjuration]] is signed at [[The Hague]] by representatives of eight Dutch provinces as a declaration of independence from Spanish rule and a secession from the [[Union of Utrecht]]. The signing confirms a decision made in a July 22 meeting of the States General in [[Antwerp]]. King Philip II of Spain refuses to acknowledge the Abjuration.
**A meteorite strikes the Earth in [[Thuringia]] in the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteoritehistory.info/UKIRELAND/CAT2.HTM|title=Catalogue of aërolites and Bolides, from A.D. 2 to A.D. 1860|publisher=Meteoritehistory.info|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref>
* [[July 27]] &ndash; [[Capture of Breda (1581)|Capture of Breda]]: After a surprise attack the day before, [[Spanish Empire|Spanish troops]] under the command of [[Claude de Berlaymont]], Lord of Haultepenne, take the walled city [[Breda]] in the Netherlands. Once inside the gates, the Spanish troops overcome the defenders and carry out the massacre of 584 citizens in the "Haultepenne Fury".<ref>G. G. van der Hoeven, ''Geschiedenis der vesting Breda'' ("History of the Fortress of Breda" (Broese & Co., 1868) pp. 47-53</ref> 
* [[August 28]] &ndash; The army of King [[Stephen Báthory]] of [[History of Poland|Poland]] begins its siege of the [[History of Russia|Russian]] garrison of [[Siege of Pskov|Pskov]].
* [[September 6]] &ndash; A mercenary army of [[Sweden]], under [[Pontus De la Gardie]], captures [[Narva]] from [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]].<ref>[https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=17387 "Pontus De la Gardie"], Riksarkivet</ref>
* [[September 23]] &ndash; [[Martín Enríquez de Almanza]] arrives in [[Lima]] and becomes the new [[Viceroy of Peru]], replacing [[Francisco de Toledo]], who was summoned home by King Philip II.<ref>"Portrait of an American Viceroy: Martín Enríquez, 1568–1583", by Philip Wayne Powell, in ''The Americas'' (1957) pp.1–24</ref>
* [[September 30]] &ndash; In Japan, warlord [[Oda Nobunaga]] [[Tenshō Iga War|invades the Iga Province]].<ref>Ōta Gyūichi, ''The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga'', translated by J.S.A. Elisonas and J.P. Lamers (Brill, 2011) p.410</ref> With 42,000 troops under his command against 10,000 defenders led by Takino Jurobei, Nobunaga controls most of central Japan within eight days.

=== October&ndash;December ===
* [[October 8]] &ndash; The [[Tenshō Iga War]] ends in Japan with the surrender of Kashiwara Castle to Oda Nobunaga.<ref>Kikuoka Nyogen, ''Iranki: Records of the Iga Wars'', ed. by Momochi Orinosuke, Volume 5, p.8 (Tekisui Shoin, 1879)</ref>
* [[October 10]] &ndash; King [[Bayinnaung]] of Burma, who created the largest empire in mainland southeast Asia, dies at age 65.
* [[October 15]] &ndash; ''[[Ballet Comique de la Reine]]'', the first narrative [[ballet]], devised by [[Louise of Lorraine]], wife of [[Henry III of France]], and choreographed by [[Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx]], opens in its first performance at the court of [[Catherine de' Medici]], in the [[Louvre Palace]] in Paris, as part of the wedding celebrations for [[Marguerite of Lorraine]].
* [[November 4]] &ndash; [[Jean de la Cassière]] is restored as Grandmaster of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], by [[Pope Gregory XIII]].
* [[December 1]] &ndash; In [[England]], [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] priest [[Edmund Campion]] is executed for treason.<ref name="Cassell's Chronology 230">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|url=https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will|url-access=registration|location=London|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will/page/230 230–233]}}</ref>

=== Date unknown ===
* The [[Ming Dynasty]] [[Chancellor of China]], Chief Grand Secretary [[Zhang Juzheng]], imposes the Single Whip Reform, by which taxes are assessed on properties recorded in the land census, and paid in [[silver]], as the accepted [[medium of exchange]].
* The [[Trier witch trials]] begin.
* [[John Dee]] practices angel magic with Barnabas Saul, but with no success.
* [[Guru Arjan Dev]] becomes the fifth Guru of [[Sikh]]s, succeeding his father [[Guru Ram Das]].
* The last [[Bishop of Meissen]], [[John IX of Haugwitz]], resigns his office in the wake of [[the Reformation]].
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