Major Events
- Mar 9 Emperor Karel appoints son Philip as heir to the throne
- Apr 11 English premier John Dudley appointed Duke of Northumberland
- Apr 20 John Dudley becomes Earl Marshal of England
- May 1 Council of Trent resumes, overseen by Pope Julius III
- May 12 San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, opens (oldest continuously operating university in the Americas)
- Jun 8 Pope Julius III excommunicates the Duke of Parma, Ottavio Farnese
- Jul 19 Treaty of Karlsburg: arch duke Ferdinand of Austria recognized as King of Hungary/Transsylvania
- Aug 14 Ottoman fleet under Dragut captures Tripoli from The Knights of Malta after a six-day bombardment
- Oct 16 English Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset and former Lord Protector, re-arrested for treason - executed three months later
- Dec 19 Dutch west coast hit by hurricane
Did You Know?
San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, opens (oldest continuously operating university in the Americas)
Born in 1551
- Jan 14 Alberico Gentili, Italian lawyer and jurist, born in Province of Macerata, Italy (d. 1608)
- May 2 William Camden, English historian (Brittania, Annales), born in London (d. 1623)
- May 17 Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and occultist, born in Antwerp (d. 1608)
- Sep 13 Pandolfo Zallamella, Italian composer (Ingrediente Domino), born in Ravenna, Papal States (now Italy) (d. 1590)
- Sep 19 Henry III, King of France (1574-89) and Poland (1573-75), born in Château de Fontainebleau, France (d. 1589)
More People Born in 1551
Who Died in 1551
- Apr 6 Joachim Vadian [Vadianus] Swiss humanist, scholar and protestant reformer, dies at 66
- Apr 21 Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510)
- May 18 Domenico di Pace Beccafumi, Italian Mannerist painter, dies at 65
- May 31 Aristotele "Basiano" da Sangallo, Italian set designer, dies
- Jul 13 John Wallop, English soldier and diplomat (b. 1490)
More 1551 Deaths
Famous Weddings in 1551
- Jul 8 William I, Prince of Orange (18) weds Dutch noble and heiress Countess Anna van Egmont (18), until her death in 1558
Michelangelo
Charles V
Henry II
Suleiman the Magnificent