Years: 1539 1540 1541 - 1542 - 1543 1544 1545

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

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

Events

• War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French.
• November 25 - Battle of Solway Moss. An English army invades Scotland and defeats a Scottish army.
• December 14 - Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen Mary I of Scotland.
• The first contact of Japan with the West when a Portuguese ship, blown off its course to China, landed in Japan.

Births

• December 7/December 8 - Princess Mary Stuart, later Queen Mary I of Scotland
• Akbar, Jellaladin Mahommed, ruler of the Mughal Empire

Deaths

• February 13 - Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, executed for adultery
• May 21 - Hernando de Soto, explorer
• August 24 - Gasparo Contarini, Italian diplomat and cardinal (b. 1483)
• December 14 - King James V of Scotland.