Editing 1578 (section)

=== January&ndash;March ===
* [[January 13]] &ndash; The [[Siege of Gvozdansko]] ends in the [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Kingdom of Croatia]] as Ottoman Empire troops led by [[Ferhad Pasha Sokolović]] capture the fortress at [[Gvozdansko]].<ref>"Osmanska opsada Gvozdanskog 1578" [The Ottoman siege of Gvozdansko in 1578], by Hrvoje Kekez, in ''Magazin Za Vojnu Povijest'' No.4 (in Croatian), 2011, pp. 70–73</ref>
* [[January 31]] &ndash; [[Battle of Gembloux (1578)|Battle of Gembloux]]: Spanish forces under [[John of Austria|Don John of Austria]] and [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Alexander Farnese]] defeat the Dutch; Farnese begins to recover control of the French-speaking [[Southern Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite book|author=John Fitzmaurice|title=The Politics of Belgium: Crisis and Compromise in a Plural Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jYWAQAAIAAJ|year=1988|publisher=C. Hurst|isbn=978-1-85065-038-6|page=16|language=en}}</ref>
* [[February 6]] &ndash; [[Pope Gregory XIII]] issues the papal bull ''Illius fulti praesidio'' and creates the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila|Diocese of Manila]], the first Roman Catholic diocese in the Philippines, with [[Domingo de Salazar]] as the first Bishop of Manila.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=de Achútegui|first=Pedro S.|date=1979|title=A Problem of Chronology: The Quadricentennial of Manila and the Gregorian Calendar|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/42632495|journal=Philippine Studies|volume=27|issue=3|pages=417–431|jstor=42632495|issn=0031-7837}}</ref> The diocese will be raised to the status of archdiocese on August 14, 1595.
* [[February 8]] &ndash; The city council of Amsterdam in the Netherlands ratifies a treaty placing the city under the authority of [[William the Silent|Willem, Prince of Orange]], and joining the [[States of Holland and West Friesland|States of Holland]].<ref>"'Kennen, respecteren ende gehoorsamen': Amsterdamse schouten en hun ambt", ''Jaarboek Amstelodamum'' 89 (1997) p.16</ref> 
* [[February 12]] &ndash; [[Mohammad Khodabanda]], older brother of the late [[Ismail II|Shah Ismail II]], begins his reign as the new [[List of monarchs of Persia|Shah]] of [[Safavid dynasty|Persia]] (now Iran) after entering the Persian capital at [[Qazvin]], after removing his sister [[Pari Khan Khanum]], who had exercised regal authority after Ismail's death.<ref>Colin P. Mitchell, ''The Practice of Politics in Safavid Iran: Power, Religion and Rhetoric'' (I.B. Tauris, 2009) p. 160</ref> His first act as ruler is to have Pari Khan Khanum strangled to death.
* [[February 13]] &ndash; Two days after the Battle of Gembloux, Spanish troops capture the city of [[Leuven]], forcing Willem, Prince of Orange, to flee [[Brussels]] and relocate to [[Antwerp]].Geoffrey Parker, ''The Dutch Revolt'' (Cornell University Press, 1977) p.186
* [[March 11]] &ndash; [[Nicolò da Ponte]] is elected as the new [[Doge of Venice|Doge]] of the Republic of Venice after 44 ballots, following the March 3 death of [[Sebastiano Venier]].<ref>[https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nicolo-da-ponte "Da Pónte, Nicolò, doge di Venezia"], by Giuseppe Gullino, in ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Vol. 32 (Treccani, 1986)</ref>
* [[March 20]]
**[[James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton]], the last of the regents for King James VI of Scotland, resigns after having served as regent since November 24, 1572.
**The Belgian city of [[Bruges]], controlled by Spain, falls to Dutch rebels.<ref>"Lucas, François, dit Lucas Brugensis", in ''Biographie Nationale de Belgique'', ed. by A. C. De Schrevel (Brussels, 1893) pp. 550-563</ref>