Years: 1537 1538 1539 - 1540 - 1541 1542 1543

Decades: 1510s 1520s 1530s - 1540s - 1550s 1560s 1570s

Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century

Events

• January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort.
• July 9 - King Henry VIII of England divorces Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort.
• July 28 - One of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VIII of England, Thomas Cromwell, is executed on order from the king on charges of treason. Henry marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day.
• Spain, Foundation of Society of Jesus, Catholicism
• French translation of John Calvin's L'Institution chrétienne (originally in Latin)

Births

• June 3 - Archduke Charles II of Austria, Regent of Inner Austria
• Amago Yoshihisa, Japanese samurai and warlord
• Andrea Andreani, Italian artist (possibly in 1560)
• Joseph Justus Scaliger, Protestant scholar
• Alessandro Striggio, a leading Italian composer of the late Renaissance, inventor of madrigal comedy (approximate date)

Deaths

• July 28 - Thomas Cromwell, English statesman,(executed).
• Elizabeth Blount, former mistress of Henry VIII of England.
• Thomas Abell, priest.

ca:1540 da:1540 de:1540 es:1540 eo:1540 fr:1540 io:1540 it:1540 nl:1540 pl:1540 ro:1540 sl:1540 fi:1540 sv:1540