Events relating to religion
Muslims throughout Spain are ordered to convert to Christianity or to leave the kingdom
Gustavus I of Sweden fills his coffers by appropriating the property of Catholic churches and monasteries
Discussion of Henry VIII's proposed divorce hinges on rival verses from the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy and Leviticus
The 'Protestation' of various princes and imperial cities at Speyer identifies them as Protestants
Protestant reformers Luther and Zwingli disagree at Marburg on the nature of the Eucharist
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim leads Muslim Somalis in a holy war against Christian Ethiopia, destroying churches and shrines
The Augsburg Confession, presented by Melanchthon to the imperial diet, defines the Lutheran faith
The Aztec Virgin of Guadalupe appears to an Indian near Mexico City and tells him she is 'one of his kind'
The Protestant princes of Germany form the defensive League of Schmalkalden
Zwingli is killed at Kappel in a battle between Protestant and Catholic cantons
Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy forces prominent figures in English public life to accept him on oath as head of the Church of England
Paris wakes up to find Protestant placards all over the place, mocking the sacrament of the mass

Henry VIII begins the process of gathering in the wealth of England's monasteries
Christian III seizes the wealth of Danish churches and monasteries, before turning his attention to those of Norway
Pope Paul III establishes Ignatius Loyola and his followers as the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits
Protestant reformer John Calvin settles in Geneva and submits the city to a strict Christian rule
Francis Xavier, companion of Ignatius Loyola and the first missionary of the Counter-Reformation, sets sail from Lisbon
Francis Xavier reaches Goa, at the start of the great mission to the east that will last the nine years until his death
Pope Paul III establishes the Roman Inquisition, with the specific task of fighting against the Protestant heresy
3000 Waldenses are massacred as heretics in the villages of Provence
A council of the Roman Catholic church is convened in Trent, to establish the tenets of the Counter-Reformation
David Beaton, the archbishop of St Andrews, burns a leading Protestant, George Wishart, as a heretic and is murdered in retaliation
John Knox is captured in St Andrews and is sent to serve in the French fleet as a galley slave
The first version of the English prayer book, or Book of Common Prayer, is published with text by Thomas Cranmer
Mary I succeeds to the English throne, and devotes her energies to the restoration of the Catholic faith