1570
Pius V Excommunicates Elizabeth
In the bull Regnans in Excelsis, Pope Pius V declared Queen Elizabeth a heretic, released her subjects from allegiance, and encouraged Catholic powers to depose her. Elizabeth tightened her laws against priests and recusants. The line between Catholic loyalty and English treason was now a single knife edge. The bull forced English Catholics to choose between queen and pope, a dilemma defining their experience for two centuries.
Ottomans Invade Cyprus
A massive Ottoman force landed on Cyprus and besieged Nicosia, which fell within weeks with tremendous slaughter. Famagusta would hold out until the following August. Venice, which had ruled the island for almost a century, lost its most lucrative eastern Mediterranean colony and began begging for help. Famagusta's commander Bragadin was flayed alive after surrender, an atrocity that galvanized the Holy League alliance against the Ottomans.
Nobunaga Defeats the Asai
Oda Nobunaga crushed a coalition of the Asai and Asakura clans at the battle of Anegawa, a confused engagement in a shallow river that left thousands of corpses drifting downstream. Tokugawa Ieyasu, his young ally, distinguished himself in the day's fighting. Japan's unification was grinding forward victory by victory. The battle cemented the Nobunaga-Tokugawa alliance whose combined forces would eventually unify Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.
Palladio Publishes the Four Books
The Vicentine architect Andrea Palladio published I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura, illustrated with his own villas and temples. It codified classical proportions for builders and became the most influential architectural manual ever written, shaping country houses from Virginia plantations to Saint Petersburg palaces. His influence, transmitted through Inigo Jones and Thomas Jefferson, made Palladian style synonymous with democratic classicism worldwide.
Abraham Ortelius Atlas
The Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius published the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, considered the first modern atlas, containing over fifty maps of the known world in a uniform format. It quickly became a standard reference work, reprinted in numerous editions and translated into several languages. The systematic compilation into one standardized volume made it possible for educated Europeans to visualize the entire known world.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1570?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1570. The most significant is Pius V Excommunicates Elizabeth: In the bull Regnans in Excelsis, Pope Pius V declared Queen Elizabeth a heretic, released her subjects from allegiance, and encouraged Catholic powers…
What era was 1570 part of?
1570 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1570?
The curated events from 1570 span Europe, Middle East and East Asia.