Years: 1538 1539 1540 - 1541 - 1542 1543 1544

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

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

Events

• The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish
• February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile.
• May 8 - Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River naming it Rio de Espiritu Santo.
• May 23 - Jacques Cartier departs Saint-Malo France on his third voyage.
• August 29 - The Janissaries of Suleiman the Magnificent take Buda by ruse, hiding themselves as tourists.
• Muslims seal off The Golden Gate in Jerusalem.
• Irish Parliament declares Ireland to be a kingdom

Births

• March 21 - Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
• El Greco - Spanish artist (d. 1614)
• Hatano Hideharu - Japanese daimyo and samurai

Deaths

• May 27 - Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence (executed) (b. 1374)
• June 26 - Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistador of Peru
• November 24 - Margaret Tudor, widowed Queen consort of King James IV of Scotland.