1552

Years: 1549 1550 1551 - 1552 - 1553 1554 1555
Decades: 1520s 1530s 1540s - 1550s - 1560s 1570s 1580s
Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century

Events

January 15 - Henry II of France and Maurice of Saxony sign the Treaty of Chambord
February 24 - Privileges of the Hanseatic League abolished in England
March - Act of Uniformity imposes Protestant prayerbook in England
April - War between Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V. Henry invades Lorraine and captures Toul, Metz, and Verdun
May - Maurice of Saxony captures Augsburg and almost seizes Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Innsbruck
August 2 - John Frederick, Elector of Saxony and Philipp I of Hesse taken prisoner by Charles V in 1546 are released
August 2 - Peace of Passau revokes the Augsburg Interim of 1548 and promises religious freedom to the Protestant princes
October - December - Unsuccessful Siege of Metz by Charles V
October 2 - Khanate of Kazan falls to troops of Ivan IV of Russia
Hungary - defence of Eger from Turks
Persian Gulf - Ottoman Empire Red Sea Fleet attacks the Portuguese stronghold of Hormuz but fails to capture it
Spain - Bartolomé de Las Casas publishes his attack on colonial practices in the New World, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Italy - Bartolomeo Eustachi makes important discoveries on the structure of the ear and heart

February 1 - Edward Coke, English colonial entrepreneur and jurist (died 1634)
February 8 - Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet and soldier (d. 1630)
February 19 - Melchior Klesl, Austrian statesman and cardinal (died 1630)
February 28 - Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (died 1632)
April 15 - Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician (died 1626)
June 18 - Gabriello Chiabrera, Italian poet (d. 1637)
July 18 - Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1612)
August 24 - Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (d. 1614)
October 6 - Matteo Ricci, Italian Jesuit missionary to China (died 1610)
December 30 - Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (d. 1611)
Hans von Aachen, German mannerist painter (died 1615)
Thomas Aufield, English Catholic martyr (died 1585)
Jean Bertaut, French poet (died 1611)
Henri I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (died 1588)
Philemon Holland, English translator (died 1637)
Francisco Goméz de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma, Spanish politician (died 1625)
Tsar Vasili IV of Russia (d. 1612)
Dom Justo Takayama, Japanese daimyo (died 1615)
Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (died 1636)
Jack Ward, English pirate (died 1622)