Major Events
- Jan 6 Northern Hasburg Netherlands counties of Artois and Hainault and city Dowaai sign pro-Spanish and pro-Roman Catholic Union of Arras (Unie van Atrecht)
- Jan 23 Union of Utrecht signed by Northern Habsburg counties of Holland and Zeeland, and provinces of Utrecht and Groningen, marking the beginning of protestant Dutch Republic
- Mar 1 British admiral and explorer Francis Drake surprises and captures the Spanish treasure ship 'Nuestra Señora de la Concepción' off the coast of Peru, Drake's richest plunder [1]
- Mar 5 Betuwe joins Union of Utrecht
- Mar 6 Veluwe joins Union of Utrecht
- Mar 23 Friesland joins Union of Utrecht
- Apr 11 Venlo joins Union of Utrecht
- May 7 Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands
- May 17 Artois, Henegouwen and French-Flanders sign Treaty, the Peace of Parma recognizing Spanish Duke van Parma as land guardian
- Jun 17 Anti-English uprising in Ireland
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Born in 1579
- Jan 4 Willem Teellinck, Dutch pastor and theologist, born in Zierikzee (d. 1629)
- Jan 12 Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist (found boiling point temperature), born in Brussels (d. 1644)
- Feb 9 John Meursius [van Meurs], Dutch classical scholar, born in Loosduinen (d. 1639)
- Apr 12 François de Bassompierre, marshal of France, born in Haroué, France (d. 1646)
- Jul 13 Arthur Dee, English physician, born in Mortlake, London (d. 1651)
More People Born in 1579
Who Died in 1579
- Feb 20 Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
- Apr 29 Fray Diego de Landa, Spanish Franciscan bishop of Yucatán who both destroyed books of the Maya and documented them, dies at 54
- Jun 25 Hatano Hideharu, Japanese warlord and samurai (b. 1541)
- Aug 5 Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504)
- Oct 11 Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (1565-79), assassinated at 72 or 73
More 1579 Deaths