__NOTOC__ Year 1578 ( MDLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandri ...

Events

January–June

January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. *1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...

– Battle of Gembloux: Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: * Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew *Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), ...

defeat the Dutch; Farnese begins to recover control of the French-speaking

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

. *

April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...

– The Duel of the Mignons claims the lives of two favorites of

Henry III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Li ...

, and two favourites of

Henry I, Duke of Guise Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole II d'Este, ...

. *

May 26 Events Pre-1600 * 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. * 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empir ...

– The ''

Alteratie The Alteratie (Eng: Alteration) is the name given to the change of power in Amsterdam on May 26, 1578, when the Catholic city government was deposed in favor of a Protestant one. The coup should be seen in the context of the greater Dutch Revolt t ...

'' in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

ends Catholic rule, and opens Catholic worship there. * May 31 –

Martin Frobisher Sir Martin Frobisher (; c. 1535 – 22 November 1594) was an English seaman and privateer who made three voyages to the New World looking for the North-west Passage. He probably sighted Resolution Island near Labrador in north-eastern Canad ...

sails from

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring District, Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-w ...

, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, on his third expedition. * June 11 – Humphrey Gilbert is granted

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, tit ...

from the English crown to establish a colony in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

July–December

July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the fourth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., it being the mont ...

–

holds the first

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

celebration by Europeans in North America, on

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He ships ore, which proves to be valueless fool's gold, which can only be used as road metal in London. * August 4 – Battle of Alcácer Quibir in North Africa: The

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

defeat King Sebastian of Portugal, who is killed, leaving his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, as his heir, initiating a succession crisis in Portugal. * August 20– September 6 –

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

, during his circumnavigation , passes through the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural ...

in his ship, the newly renamed '' Golden Hind''. * October 1 – Alessandro Farnese succeeds his uncle, Don John, as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. * October 21 – Battle of Wenden: The Russians are defeated by the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

, who proceed to take Polotsk. *

November 19 Events Pre-1600 * 461 – Libius Severus is declared emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The real power is in the hands of the ''magister militum'' Ricimer. * 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battl ...

– Humphrey Gilbert and Walter Ralegh set out from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

in England, leading an expedition to establish a colony in North America; forced to turn back six months later.

Date unknown

* Battle of the Spoiling Dyke at Trumpan on the Scottish

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

: the

Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod (; gd, Clann Mac Leòid ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, whose chief is MacLeod of MacLeod, are known in Gaelic as ' ("se ...

are victorious over the MacDonalds of Uist in a feud. * The

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

conquers

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...

. * Sarsa Dengel,

Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...

, defeats and kills Bahr negus Yeshaq along with his Ottoman allies, finally ending his rebellion. * Sonam Gyrso receives from Prince Atlan Khan the title of ''Talaï'', and becomes the third

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. * The last outbreak of sweating sickness occurs in England. * The Portuguese assist Lord Ōmura Sumitada, the first Christian Japanese diamyo, in repulsing an assault on

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

by the Ryūzōji clan. *

Fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

begins in Newfoundland in North America.

Births

January 7 Events Pre-1600 * 49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso I ...

–

Agnes of Solms-Laubach Agnes of Solms-Laubach (7 January 1578 – 23 November 1602) was a Countess of Solms-Laubach and, by marriage, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel from 1593 until her death. Life Agnes was a daughter of Count John George (1546–1600), son of Cou ...

, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1602) *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 * 49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the ...

–

Christopher Clitherow Sir Christopher Clitherow (10 January 1578 – 11 November 1641) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1635. Clitherow was the son of Henry Clitherow and his wife ...

, Lord Mayor of London and Member of Parliament (d. 1641) *

January 28 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession ...

–

Cornelius Haga Corneli(u)s Haga (Schiedam, 28 January 1578 – The Hague, 12 August 1654) was the first ambassador of the Dutch Republic to the Ottoman Empire. Early life Cornelius Haga was born in Schiedam. His father was Dirk Lambrechtszoon, merchant and me ...

, Dutch diplomat (d. 1654) * March 18 – Adam Elsheimer, German artist working in Rome, who died at only thirty-two (d.

1610 Some have suggested that 1610 may mark the beginning of the Anthropocene, or the 'Age of Man', marking a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system, but earlier starting dates (ca. 1000 C.E.) have received broa ...

) *

April 1 Events Pre-1600 * 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held. * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. *1081 – Alexios I Ko ...

–

William Harvey William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and propert ...

, English physician (d.

1657 Events January–March * January 8 – Miles Sindercombe and his group of disaffected Levellers are betrayed, in their attempt to assassinate Oliver Cromwell, by blowing up the Palace of Whitehall in London, and arrested. * Febru ...

) *

April 14 Events Pre-1600 * 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum. * 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor O ...

– King

Philip III of Spain Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...

(d. 1621) *

April 17 Events Pre-1600 *1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized. * 1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Has ...

– Maximilian van der Sandt, Dutch theologian (d.

1656 Events January–March * January 5 – The First War of Villmergen, a civil war in the Confederation of Switzerland pitting its Protestant and Roman Catholic cantons against each other, breaks out but is resolved by March 7. The ...

) *

May 11 Events 1601–1900 * 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. * 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route acr ...

–

Christian Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Christian Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (11 May 1578 – 25 November 1642) was the ruling Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen from 1601 until his death. Life Count Christian Günther I was the son of Count John Günther I of Schwa ...

(1601–1642) (d. 1642) *

June 5 Events Pre-1600 * 1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights. *1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles of Salerno. *1288 & ...

–

Claude, Duke of Chevreuse Claude de Lorraine (5 June 1578 – 24 January 1657), also called ''Claude de Guise'', was a French noble and husband of Marie de Rohan. He was the Duke of Chevreuse, a title which is today used by the Duke of Luynes. Biography He was the thir ...

(d.

) * June 13 – Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea, Member of Parliament (d. 1639) *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

–

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria of Bavaria. His parents were dev ...

(d. 1637) * July 21 – Philipp Hainhofer, German merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector (d. 1647) *

July 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. * 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...

– Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond, British duchess (d. 1639) *

July 31 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide. * 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (T ...

–

Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau Catharina Belgica of Nassau (31 July 1578 – 12 April 1648) was a countess of Hanau-Münzenberg by marriage to Philip Louis II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg. She was regent of Hanau-Münzenberg during the minority of her son from 1612 until 1 ...

, regent of Hanau-Münzenberg (d.

1648 1648 has been suggested as possibly the last year in which the overall human population declined, coming towards the end of a broader period of global instability which included the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the Thirty Years' War, t ...

) *

August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...

– Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, first duke of Chaulnes (d. 1621) * August 10 –

Matteo Rosselli Matteo Rosselli (10 August 1578 – 18 January 1650) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Counter- Mannerism and early Baroque. He is best known however for his highly populated grand-manner historical paintings. Biography He first appr ...

, Italian painter (d. 1650) *

August 17 Events Pre-1600 *309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike. * 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. * 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle ...

Francesco Albani Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter who was active in Bologna (1591–1600), Rome (1600–1609), Bologna (1609), Viterbo (1609–1610), Bologna (1610), Rome (1610–1617), ...

, Italian painter (d.

1660 Events January–March * January 1 ** At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the border into Englan ...

) **

Johann, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Prince Johann of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (17 August 1578 in Sigmaringen – 22 March 1638 in Munich), was the ruling Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from 1606 to 1623. He was elevated to the rank of prince in 1623 and so was ''Prince'' of ...

, first prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (d.

1638 Events January–March * January 4 – **A naval battle takes place in the Indian Ocean off of the coast of Goa at South India as a Netherlands fleet commanded by Admiral Adam Westerwolt decimates the Portuguese fleet. **A fleet of 80 ...

) *

August 24 Events Pre-1600 * 367 – Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father. * 394 – The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is writte ...

– John Taylor, English poet who dubbed himself ''The Water Poet'' (d.

1653 Events January–March * January 3 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage. * January– The Swiss Peasant War begins after magistrates meeting at Luc ...

) * September 11 – Vincenzo Maculani, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1667) *

September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". * 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Emp ...

– John Prideaux, English academic administrator and Anglican bishop (d. 1650) * October 4 –

Giovanni Francesco Guidi di Bagno Giovanni Francesco Guidi di Bagno (1578–1641) (also known as Gian Francesco Guidi di Bagno, Gianfrancesco Guidi di Bagno, Giovanni Francesco Bagni or Gianfrancesco de' Conti Guidi di Bagno) was an Italian cardinal, brother of cardinal Nicola Gu ...

, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1641) * October 12 –

Baldassare Aloisi Baldassare Aloisi, or Baldassare Galanino (12 October 1578 – 1638), was an Italian history and portrait painter and engraver. He was also known as Il Galanino. Aloisi was born at Bologna, the relative and pupil of Ludovico Carracci. As his ...

, Italian painter (d.

) * October 19 – Christine of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Eisenach and Saxe-Coburg (d. 1658) *

November 4 Events Pre-1600 *1429 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. *1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches Leeward Island and Puerto Rico. *1501 – Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII ...

–

Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg (4 November 1578 in Neuburg an der Donau – 14 September 1653 in Düsseldorf) was a German Prince. He was Count palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich and Berg. Life Wolfgang Wilhelm's parents were Ph ...

, Duke of Jülich and Berg (1614–1635) (d.

) * November 6 –

Maximilian of Liechtenstein Maximilian of Liechtenstein (6 November 1578 – 29 April 1645 in Győr) was a nobleman from the House of Liechtenstein. He was a senior military officer in the imperial Habsburg service, eventually promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. ...

, Austrian nobleman and Imperial General (d. 1645) * December 2 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and music theorist (d. 1640) * December 7 –

Okaji no Kata (December 7, 1578September 17, 1642) or Lady Okaji, was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat who lived during the Sengoku period and at the beginning of Edo period. She was the founder of Eishō-ji temple in Kamakura and was also a concubine o ...

, Japanese concubine of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

(d. 1642) * December 20 – Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French noble (d. 1621) * December 28 –

Henry Bulstrode Henry Bulstrode (28 December 1578 – August 1643) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and 1625. Bulstrode was the eldest son of Edward Bulstrode of Upton, Buckinghamshire and matriculated at University College, O ...

, English Member of Parliament (d. 1643) *

December 30 Events Pre-1600 *534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. *999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushi ...

– Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1624) * ''approx. date'' – Fede Galizia, Italian painter * ''date unknown'' **

Giambattista Andreini Giambattista Andreini (9 February 1576 – 7 June 1654) was an Italian actor and the most important Italian playwright of the 17th century. Life Born in Florence to stage stars Isabella Andreini and Francesco Andreini, he had a great success a ...

, Italian actor and playwright (d. 1650) ** Yamada Arinaga, Japanese retainer of the Shimazu clan (d. 1668) **

Benedetto Castelli Benedetto Castelli (1578 – 9 April 1643), born Antonio Castelli, was an Italian mathematician. Benedetto was his name in religion on entering the Benedictine Order in 1595. Life Born in Brescia, Castelli studied at the University of Padua and ...

, Italian scientist (d. 1643) ** Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer (d. 1640) ** Iwasa Matabei, Japanese painter (d. 1650) ** Samuel Jordan, American colonial legislator (d. 1623) ** Grzegorz IV Radziwiłł, Polish magnate (d.

1613 Events January–June * January 11 – Workers in a sandpit in the Dauphiné region of France discover the skeleton of what is alleged to be a 30-foot tall man (the remains, it is supposed, of the giant Teutobochus, a legendar ...

) ** François Ravaillac, killer of Henry IV of France (d.

) **

Ambrose Rookwood Ambrose Rookwood (c. 1578 – 31 January 1606) was a member of the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to replace the Protestant King James I with a Catholic sovereign. Rookwood was born into a wealthy family of Catholic recusants, and edu ...

, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (d. 1606) ** Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland (d. 1632) ** Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyō (d. 1604) ** Everard Digby, English conspirator (d. 1606)

Deaths

* January 5 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (b. 1498) * January 6 – Queen Inseong, Korean royal consort (b. 1514) * January 25 – Mihrimah Sultan (daughter of Suleiman I), Mihrimah Sultan, Sultan Suleiman's daughter (b. 1522) * February 5 or 1579 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1510) * February 12 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (b. 1507) * March 3 ** Sebastiano Venier, Doge of Venice (b. 1496) ** Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu, Ottoman Greek magnate (b. 1510) * March 7 – Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (b. 1515) * March 29 ** Arthur Champernowne, English admiral (b. 1524) ** Louis I, Cardinal of Guise, French cardinal (b. 1527) * April 2 – Marie Elisabeth of France, French princess (b. 1572) * April 11 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (b. 1547) *

– James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1535) * April 15 – Wolrad II, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg (b. 1509) * April 19 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530) * May 4 – Martin Eisengrein, German theologian (b. 1535) * June 16 – Ioan Potcoavă, Russian Cossack ataman * July 2 – Thomas Doughty (explorer), Thomas Doughty, English explorer (executed) * July 5 – Cristoforo Madruzzo, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1512) *

– Jane Lumley, English translator (b. 1537) * August 4 ** King Sebastian of Portugal (b. 1554) ** Thomas Stukley, English adventurer (b. 1525) ** Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi, King of Morocco ** Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi, King of Morocco * August 8 – Amago Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman (b. 1553) * August 11 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b. 1502) * August 16 – Andrew Corbet (died 1578), Andrew Corbet, English landowner and politician (b. 1522) * August 20 – Yamanaka Yukimori, Japanese samurai (b. 1545) * September – Pierre Lescot, French architect (b. 1510) * September 3 – Giulio della Rovere, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1533) * September 22 – Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (b. 1561) * October 1 – Don John of Austria, military leader (b. 1547) * October 12 – Cornelius Gemma, Dutch astronomer and astrologer (b. 1535) * October 18 – Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, Spanish prince (b. 1571) * December 3 – Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba (1520–1578), Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba, Governor of the Duchy of Milan (b. 1520) * December – Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1501) * ''date unknown'' – Sabina, Duchess of Bavaria (b. 1528)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1578 1578,