1566
| Years: 1563 1564 1565 - 1566 - 1567 1568 1569 | |
| Decades: 1530s 1540s 1550s - 1560s - 1570s 1580s 1590s | |
| Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century | |
Events
- January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope
- Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
- Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands.
- The first bridge crossing the Neretva river at Mostar (in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina) is completed by the Ottoman Empire. The white marble bridge is now known as Stari Most (or "Old Bridge").
Births
- May 26 - Mehmed III, Ottoman Emperor (+ 1603)
- June 19 - Prince James Stewart, later King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England and Ireland.
- June 20 - Prince Sigismund Vasa, later King Sigismund III of Poland and King Sigismund I of Sweden.
Deaths
- April 25 - Diane de Poitiers, lover of King Henri II of France
- July 1 - Nostradamus, astrologer
- Kimotsuki Kanetsugu, Japanese samurai and daimyo
- Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire
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da:1566
de:1566
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eo:1566
fr:1566
nl:1566
pl:1566
ro:1566
sl:1566
fi:1566
sv:1566