Major Events
- Jan 20 Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway
- Jan 29 Sermon of Constanz: Zwingli defends 67 Schlussreden
- May 1 Danish prince and later King Christian III arrives in Veere, Zeeland
- Jun 6 Gustav Vasa is elected King of Sweden, marking the end of the Kalmar Union
- Jun 12 Frisian rebel leader Jancko Douwama arrested
- Sep 19 Emperor Charles I & England sign anti-French covenant
- Oct 27 English troops occupy Montalidier, France
- Nov 19 Florentine Giulio de' Medici chosen as Pope Clement VII - rules until 1534
- Nov 30 Amsterdam bans assembly of heretics
Born in 1523
- Feb 20 Jan Blahoslav, Czech humanist and bishop (Bohemian brothers, translated New Testament into Czech), born in Přerov, Moravia (d. 1571)
- Apr 5 Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer, born in Saint-Pourçain, France (d. 1596)
- Jun 5 Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry, born in Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France (d. 1573)
- Sep 11 Pierre de Ronsard, French poet, born in Couture-sur-Loir, Vendômois (d. 1585)
- Sep 22 Charles de Bourbon, French cardinal, born in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, France (d. 1590)
More People Born in 1523
Who Died in 1523
- May 7 Franz von Sickingen, German knight/protect of poor, dies of wounds at 42
- May 23 Ashikaga Yoshitane, 10th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, dies at 56
- Jul 1 Hendrik Voes, Flemish priest and church reformer, burned at the stake
- Jul 1 John of Esschen, Flemish priest and church reformer, burned at the stake
- Aug 13 Gerard David, Flemish painter
More 1523 Deaths
Martin Luther
Michelangelo
Charles V
Francis I of France
Henry VIII
Suleiman the Magnificent