1565

January–June

• January 3 - In the Tsardom of Russia, Ivan the Terrible originates the oprichnina.
• January 23 - Battle of Talikota: The Vijayanagara Empire, the last Hindu kingdom in South India, is greatly weakened by the Deccan sultanates.
• February 13 - Spanish Conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi lands with his troops on the shores of Cebu Island in the Philippines.
• March 1 - The city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is founded as São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro by Estácio de Sá.
• March 16 - Spanish Conquistador López de Legazpi makes a blood compact with Datu Sikatuna in the island of Bohol, Philippines.
• April 27 - Cebu City is established as San Miguel by López de Legazpi, becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
• May 18 - Ottoman troops land on the island of Malta, beginning the Great Siege of Malta.
• June 4 - The Treaty of Cebu is signed between Miguel López de Legazpi, representing Philip II of Spain, and Rajah Tupas of Cebu. This effectively creates Spanish suzerainty over Cebu.
• June 17 - Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

  July–December

• July 29 - The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, marries her half-cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.
• August 6 - Sark, in the Channel Islands, is granted as a fief by Elizabeth I of England to Hellier de Carteret, Seigneur of Saint Ouen.
• August 28 - The Spanish fleet of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés first sights land in Florida.
• September 4 - The Spanish fleet of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés lands in Florida to oust the French under Jean Ribault. He later destroys the French colony of Fort Caroline.
• September 8 - St. Augustine, Florida, is established by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, becoming the oldest surviving European settlement in the modern-day United States.
• September 11 - The Knights of Malta lift the Great Siege of Malta after four months.
• October - The first Martello tower, the Tour de Mortella, designed by Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino, is completed as part of the Genovese defence system at Mortella Point, in Upper Corsica.
• October 18 - Battle of Fukuda Bay: Ships belonging to the Matsura clan of Japan fail to capture a Portuguese trading carrack, in the first recorded naval battle between Japan and the West.

  Date unknown

• The pencil is first documented by Conrad Gesner; it is becoming common in England.
• John Beddoes School is founded at Presteigne, Wales.
• Herlufsholm School is founded in Denmark.
• Huntingdon Grammar School is established in England.

  Births

• January 17 - Mariana Navarro de Guevarra Romero, Spanish Roman Catholic nun, member of the Mercedarian Tertiaries
• February 13 - Willem Baudartius, Dutch theologian
• March 23 - Eilhard Lubinus, German theologian
• April 2 - Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer
• April 3 - Anna III, Abbess of Quedlinburg
• May 15 - Hendrick de Keyser, Dutch sculptor and architect born in Utrecht
• June 2 - Francisco Ribalta, Spanish painter
• July 6 - Hugh Hamersley, Lord Mayor of London, 1627–1628
• August 5 - Paola Massarenghi, Italian composer
• August 9 - Louis II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
• August 16 - Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
• August 20 - Margaretha van Valckenburch, Dutch shipowner, only female member of the VOC
• August 29 - Agostino Ciampelli, Italian painter
• September 17 - Edward Fortunatus, German nobleman
• September 28 - Alessandro Tassoni, Italian poet and writer
• October 6 - Marie de Gournay, French writer
• October 12 - Ippolito Galantini, Italian founder of the Congregation of Christian Doctrine of Florence
• October 22 - Benedikt Carpzov the elder, German legal scholar
• November 10
• * Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English nobleman and politician
• * Laurentius Paulinus Gothus, Swedish theologian and astronomer
• November 14 - Petrus Bertius, Flemish theologian and scientist
• December 2 - Toby Caulfeild, 1st Baron Caulfeild, Northern Irish politician
• date unknown
• * Reza Abbasi, Persian painter and calligrapher
• * Gregor Aichinger, German composer
• * Ferdinando Gorges, English colonial entrepreneur
• * John Davies of Hereford, Welsh poet
• * George Kirbye, English composer
• * Duarte Lobo, Portuguese composer
• * Francis Meres, English churchman and author
• * María Pita, Spanish heroine
• * John Spottiswoode, Archbishop of St. Andrews
• * Francis Tanfield, English governor of the South Falkland colony
• * Edmund Whitelocke, English soldier and courtier

  Deaths

• January 19 - Diego Laynez, Spanish Jesuit theologian
• January 28 - Francisco Cesi, Italian Catholic cardinal
• February 28 - John, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels and Count of Glatz
• March 17 - Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian
• c. March - Lope de Rueda, Spanish dramatist
• April 2 - Elisabeth Parr, Marchioness of Northampton, English noble
• April 27 - Osanna of Cattaro, Dominican visionary and anchoress
• May 14 - Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German Protestant reformer
• May 5 - Queen Munjeong, Korean queen
• May 28 - Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, Polish magnate
• June 12 - Adrianus Turnebus, French classical scholar
• June 17 - Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun
• June 19 - Wolfgang Lazius, Austrian historian
• June 23 - Turgut Reis, Ottoman naval commander
• July 18 - Kat Ashley, governess of Elizabeth I of England
• August - Jacques Buus, Flemish composer and organist
• August 29 - Alfonso Carafa, Italian cardinal
• June 25 - Herluf Trolle, Danish Admiral of the Fleet and co-founder of Herlufsholm School
• September 13 - William Farel, French evangelist
• September 20 - Cipriano de Rore, Flemish composer and teacher
• October 4 - Pier Paolo Vergerio, Italian reformer
• October 5 - Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician
• October 7 - Johannes Mathesius, German theologian
• October 12 - Jean Ribault, French explorer and colonizer
• October 14 - Thomas Chaloner, English statesman and poet
• October 21 - John Frederick III, Duke of Saxony and nominal Duke of Saxe-Gotha
• October 22 - Jean, Vicomte d'Aguisy Grolier de Servieres, French bibliophile
• October 29 - Ranuccio Farnese, Italian prelate
• November 2 - Mechthild of Bavaria, German duchess
• November 25 - Hu Zongxian, Chinese general
• December 9 - Pope Pius IV
• December 12 - Johan Rantzau, German general
• December 13 - Conrad Gessner, Swiss naturalist
• date unknown
• * Antonio Bernieri, Italian painter of the Renaissance period
• * Yadegar Mokhammad of Kazan, last khan of Kazan Khanate
• * Paweł Tarło, canon of Kraków, Poland