Major Events
- Jan 15 King Francis I of France commissions Jean-Francois Roberval to settle the province of New France
- Feb 12 Santiago, Chile, founded (or Feb 24)
- Feb 24 Santiago, Chile founded by Pedro de Valvidia (or 2/12)
- Apr 4 Ignatius of Loyola becomes 1st superior-general of Jesuits
- Apr 7 Spanish missionary Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon for the Portuguese East Indies as the first Jesuit missionary
- Apr 25 -26) Liege flooded after heavy down pour
- May 6 King Henry VIII orders a bible in English be placed in every church in England
- May 8 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his expedition are the first Europeans to discover the Mississippi River
- Jul 9 Estevão da Gama departs Massawa, leaving behind 400 matchlock men and 150 slaves under his brother Christovão da Gama, with orders to help the Emperor of Ethiopia defeat Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi who has invaded his Empire
- Aug 18 A Portuguese ship drifts ashore in the ancient Japanese province of Higo (modern day Kumamoto Prefecture). (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1541)
- More 1541 Events
Born in 1541
- Jan 26 Florent Chrestien, French writer (d. 1596)
- Mar 25 Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
- Apr 8 Michele Mercati, Italian physician and gardener, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1593)
- Oct 31 Hendrik van Kinschot, Dutch lawyer (lawyer for the Council of Brabant), born in Turnhout (d. 1608)
- Nov 9 Menso Alting, Dutch reformed vicar and theologist, born in Eelde, Netherlands (d. 1612)
Francisco Pizarro
ParacelsusMore 1541 Deaths
Famous Weddings in 1541
- Jun 14 William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg marries Jeanne d'Albret, daughter of King Henry II of Navarre - against her will, she has to be carried to the altar (marriage annulled 1545)
Martin Luther
Michelangelo
Charles V
Francis I of France
Henry VIII
Suleiman the Magnificent