1581
Galileo enters the University of Pisa.

Philip II of Spain put a price on William the Silent’s head.

Martyrdom of Blessed Everard Hanse. He was a Protestant minister who after a grave illness, it almost took his life, sent for his brother William, a Catholic and converted to the Faith. He was ordained a priest after nine months of rigorous study. on March 25 of this year. He left with three other priests for England on April 24. He was asked if the Pope could err. His response was “No.” This response was taken as a plea of guilty and he was sentenced to death. He was drawn at Tyburn, where he desired all Catholics to pray for him. He was cut down and disemboweled while still alive.

Martyrdom of Blessed Ralph Sherwin. He was ordained a priest in 1577. He had been an acute philosopher and an excellent Grecian and Hebrican. In November of 1580 he was arrested while preaching at the house of Nichoals Roscarrock in London, and was chained in the Marhalsea. He was tortured severely on the rack in December of 1580, his torturers were trying to extract information about his fellow missionaries. On December 1 of this year, he was dragged to Tyburn on the same Hurdle as Blessed Alexander Briant and suffered immediately following Campion.

Martyrdom of Blessed Alexander Briant, a priest.

Martyrdom of Blessed Edmund Campion. Blessed Edmund was martyred on December 1 at Tyburn. A city company sent Blessed Edmund, a promising child to a grammer school and to Christ Church Hospital. When Mary Tudor entered London in state as Queen, he was the schoolboy chosen to give Latin salutatory to her majesty. Sir Thomas White, lord Mayor, who built and endowed St. John's College at Oxford,accepted Campion as one of his first scholars, appointed him junior fellow at age seventeen, and, dying, gave him his last messages for his acedemic family. Amid scenes of violent excitment, Blessed Edmund was paraded through the streets of his native city, bound hand and foot, riding backwards, with a paper stuck in his hat to denote the seditious Jesuit. First thrown into Little Ease at the Tower, he was carried privately to the house of his old patron, the Earl of Leicester; there he encountered the queen herself, and recveived earnest proffers of liberty and preferments would he but forsake his Papistry. Relics of Blessed Edmund are preserved in Rome, Prague, London, Oxford, Stoneyhurst, and Roehampton. The picture below is Blessed Edmund in 1560 when he delivered one oration at the reburial of Amy Robsart, and another at the funeral of the founder of his own college.

1582
Pope St. Gregory XIII established the Calendar we still use today, replacing the inaccurate Julian Calendar.

The first edition of the new Martyrology appeared. It had many typographical errors.

The first Catholic Latin to English New Testament was published at Rheims, France.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Payne.

Death of St. Theresa of Avila, virgin, Foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, and one of three women Doctors of the Church.

The London Martyrs. On May 28, three priests, Thomas Ford, John Shert, and Robert Johnson were hanged, and drawn and quartered at Tyburn for exercising their Sacerdotal functions and for denying that Queen Elizabeth I was the head of the Church.

Martyrdom of Blessed William Lacey and Richard Kirkman. Blessed William was married to a widow and was a lawyer holding official position. Blessed Richard was a secular priest. They too gave up their lives by not renouncing the authority of the Pope.

Martyrdom of Blessed James Thompson. He was hung, and while swinging and choking, he was seen making the Sign of the Cross.

Pope Gregory XIII Canonized the Founder of the Premonstratensians, St. Norbert. Pope Gregory XIII establishes a Papal Nuciature in Cologne, Germany.

1583
St. Philip Neri is named the Apostle of Rome.

The second edition of the new Martyrology appeared. It, like its predecessor, had many typographical errors.

Martyrdom of Blessed William Hart. He was arrested on Christmas night at the house of Blessed Margaret Clitherow. Blessed William was betrayed by an apostate. He was hanged.

Martyrdom of Blessed Richard Thirkeld, a priest who was ordained late in life.

Martyrdom of Blessed Rudolph Aquaviva and his companions. All five victims were Jesuit priests.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Slade, a schoolmaster and Blessed John Bodey. They were hanged, then drawn and quartered.

Pope St. Gregory XIII elevated Bishop Niccolo Sfondrati to the College of Cardinals. He is the future Pope Gregory XIV. Ever since he was a child he had been a man of piety and mortification. He was admired for his reforming zeal and devotion to St. Philip Neri and the Oratory. His father, Francesco, a Milanese Senator, had, after the death of his wife, been created a Cardinal by Pope Paul III in 1544. On the same day, December 12, Bishops Giambattista Castagna, the future Pope Urban VII; Ippololito Aldobrandini, the future Pope Clement VIII;, who was also influenced by St. Philip Neri; and Giovanni Antonio Fachinetti, the future Pope Innocent IX were all elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was a good day for the making of future Popes Cardinals this year.

1584
Death of St. Charles Borromeo. He was called the Apostle of the Council of Trent.

William I the Silent, the Prince of Orange, is assassinated.

Martyrdom of Blessed Thomas Hemerford and his companions. He was ordained a priest the year before.

Martyrdom of Blessed James Bell and Blessed John Finch. Blessed James was ordained a secular priest in the days of Queen Mary Tudor. After Elizabeth was crowned, he conformed to the state religion. He was later reconciled to the Church. At his trial he refused to acknowledge Queen Elizabeth I’s ecclesiastical supremacy. His words were: “I beg your lordship would add to the sentence that my lips and tops of my fingers be cut off for having sworn and subscribed to the articles of heretics, contrary both to my conscience and to God’s truth.” Blessed John Finch was a married layman and yeoman farmer. He was zealous in winning converts as well as helping priests, to whom he acted as Clerk and Catchiest. The two were executed together on April 20.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Gwyn. He was a layman and the first victim in Wales to experience the cruelty of the Elizabethan government run by Cecil.

1585
Death of Philip II’s fourth wife, Ann of Austria.

The Spanish defeated the Huguenots in the siege of Antwerp. Philip II is at the summit of his power

Martyrdom of Blessed Thomas Alfield, a priest who was a Protestant convert.

Sixtus V becomes Pope. He was a farm worker’s son, Cardinal Felice Peretti. He was a man born to rule; energetic and inflexible. Pope Sixtus V immediately set out to restore order to the Papal State, which Pope St. Gregory XIII had left in the grip of uncontrollable banditry.

1586
Galileo publishes his work on Hydrostatic Balance.

The Jesuits begin their missions in Paraguay.

Martyrdom of Blessed Edward Stransham.

Martyrdom of Blessed Margaret Clitherow. Two of her sons became priests. One of her hands is preserved in a reliquary at the Bar Convent, York.

Martyrdom of Blessed Robert Anderton and Blessed William Marsden. They were executed on the Isle of Wight, April 25.

El Greco of Spain introduced the Baroque style of art with his famous painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz.

On December 3, Pope Sixtus V set the number of Cardinals at 70, 6 Cardinal-Bishops; 50 Cardinal-Priests; and 14 Cardinal-Deacons.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome.

1587
Henry of Navarre, a Huguenot, won his first victory at Coutras. Henry would soon become the King of France and later convert to the Catholic Faith. He was the son of Antoine De Bourbon, duc de Vendome and Jeanne D’Albert, the niece of Francis I. He will be the first of the Boubon Kings and will restore stability in the religious wars of this turbulent century.

1588
Pope Sixtus V, on January 22, created fifteen permanent Congregations of Cardinals; six to oversee secular administration and the rest to supervise spiritual affairs. This arrangement remained unchanged until Vatican II.

The London Martyrs died for the Faith. Among them were Blessed William Dean; Venerable Henry Webley; Blessed William Gunter; Blessed Hugh More; and Blessed Robert Morton.

Japanese Emperor Cambacundono orders all missionaries to leave his domain within six months.

Pope Sixtus V has a new building erected from the designs of Fontana to house the Vatican Library.

The Babington Plot. Mary Queen of Scots is put to death. This plot was conceived by William Cecil. Mary Stuart had a claim to the English Throne, she was a Catholic; and to protect his and his clique’s new found wealth, Mary Stuart had to die. The plot consisted of the Casket letters. While in prison, documents were brought in for Mary to sign. After he signature was obtained, Cecil the edited the document to read as if it were an assassination attempt on the Queen, so she was killed. She is not Canonized, but was murdered because of her Catholic Faith.

Outraged by this appalling act, Philip II sent the Spanish Armada to attack England. The invincible Armada was lost however. Foul weather took its toll and the ships were lost, they were Not defeated. It is, however; fair to say that Cecil was ready for what would have been a bloody fight.

1589
Death of Catherine De Medicis in France. She was the daughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent de Medici II, Duke of Urbino, and a distant cousin of Cosimo. Her mother was Madeleine De La Tour D’Auvergne who, by her mother, Catherine of Bourbon, was related to the Royal House of France. The “s” on the end of the Medici name is the French spelling. She was married to King Henry II of France and Francis II, who was married to Mary Queen of Scots, was her son.

Henry of Navarre becomes King of France. He is Henry IV. He issued the Edict of Nemours. This was demanded by the Catholic League and signed by King Henry IV. The Edict outlawed Calvinism in France.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Amias, a widower and Blessed Robert Dalby, a former Protestant Minister. Both men were from Yorkshire and had become Catholic priests.

Death of St. Benedict the Black. His parents were African slaves. At the age of ten, St. Benedict was nick-named The Holy Black. The name stuck with him rest of his life.

1590
Urban VII is elected Pope. He was struck down with malaria on the night of his election. He died before his Coronation.

Gregory XIV becomes Pope. He was a good friend of St. Charles Borromeo.

Death of St. Catherine Dei Ricci, virgin.

Martyrdom of Blessed Christopher Bales.

Martyrdom of Blessed Francis Dickenson and Blessed Miles Gerard.

1591
Pope Gregory XIV bans all betting on Papal elections, the length of the Pontificate or the creation of Cardinals.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga aided plague victims in Rome, washing and feeding the dying in hospitals. He contracted the plague in March while caring for a victim in hospital and died several months later.

Innocent IX becomes Pope.

Martyrdom of Blessed Roger Dickenson and his companions at Winchester.

Death of St. John of the Cross, priest and Doctor of the Church.

1592
Clement VIII becomes Pope. He was a pious man; he fasted rigorously, practiced extensive devotions, and regularly visited on foot the Pilgrim Churches of Rome.

Martyrdom of Blessed William Patenson. He was a native of Durham.

Martyrdom of Blessed Edmund Campion.

1593
King Henry IV of France converts to the Catholic Faith; he had been a Huguenot.

The Theological Conference of Mantes was held in April of this year.

Martyrdom of Blessed Edward Waterson. He was born Protestant in England. He traveled to Turkey, had an opportunity to marry a Turkish girl, and become a Muslim. On his way home, he was converted to the Catholic Faith.

Martyrdom of Blessed James Sales and Blessed William Saultemouche.

Martyrdom of Blessed James Bird. He was a 19 year old layman. His father was Protestant and Blessed James was brought up a Protestant. After a great deal of study, he became convinced of the veracity of the Catholic Faith and was received into the Church.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Cornelius, a priest; and his companions, all laymen, Blessed Thomas Bosgrave, John Carey, and Patrick Salmon. They were hanged. Blessed John Cornelius was also drawn and quartered at Dorchester in Dorset. They are known as the Dorchester Martyrs.

The Durham Martyrs met glorious deaths for the Catholic Faith.

1594
In January King Henry IV of France had five audiences with Pope Clement VIII, nothing was accomplished. He had been excommunicated for heresy as Henry of Bourbon. Henry was Baptized a Roman Catholic at birth, but grew up a Huguenot. He was told he had to do penance. In February, Cardinal De Plaisance, Papal Legate to France, found out that King Henry IV was to be consecrated at Chartres on the 27th, informed the Catholics that he would not be absolved. This caused a great sensation in France, and Cardinal De Plaisance began to fear that a schism like that on Henry VIII in England was imminent. In May, Cardinal De Gondi, Archbishop of Paris, won the Pope’s consent to enter into negotiations with King Henry IV.

Church opposition to coffee ends when Pope Clement VIII tried a cup and liked it so much that he baptized it. "We will not let coffee remain the property of Satan," he said. "As Christians, our power is greater than Satan's; we shall make coffee our own". Coffee had been thought to be the devil's brew previous to this date.

1595
Pope Clement VIII recognizes Henry of Navarre as King Henry IV of France.

Martyrdom of Blessed Robert Southwell.

Martyrdom of Blessed Alexander Rawlings, a priest.

Martyrdom of Blessed Henry Walpole, a Jesuit.

Martyrdom of William Freeman, a priest. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Warwick.

Martyrdom of Blessed Philip Howard, he was beheaded.

The Jesuit and Dominican Orders begin disputing over the theory of Luis De Molina, concerning Grace, Free-Will, and the foreknowledge of God Himself.

Death of St. Philip Neri. His heart was found to be so enlarged that two ribs were found broken and arched outwards-they had been so for 50 years! A few years later, while doing some work in the cemetery, the caretakers had to move his coffin. Upon examining his remains, his body was found to be incorrupt.

1596
Pope Clement VIII issues a stricter enlarged Index of Errors, including a ban on Jewish Books.

1597
Death of St. Peter Canisius, the second Apostle of Germany and author of a Catechism. He is a Doctor of the Church.

Catholic Church in New Mexico is erected by Father Martinez.

The Martyrs of Japan. Twenty-six Catholics were crucified. Among them were three Jesuit priests, and six Franciscans; all were crucified on a hill near Nagasaki. Among the twenty native Martyrs, one was a child the age of thirteen and another only twelve.

Martyrdom of Blessed William Andleby, a secular priest, and his companions.

Armand Jean Du Plessis, at the age of twelve was sent to the University of Paris. He is the future Cardinal Richelieu. He took the name Marquis de Chillou from one of the Richelieu lands. The Richelieu was the Du Plessis family estate.

St. Rose of Lima was confirmed. It was at this time she took the name Rose, because when she was an infant, her face had been seen transformed by a mystical rose.

Galileo discards the Ptolemy position.

St. John of the Cross is ordained a Catholic Priest.

1598
King henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes. This ended the seventh of the religious wars. It restored the rights and privileges of the Catholic clergy and gave the Huguenots civil rights, freedom of worship in many parts of France, and possession of one hundred fortified cities.

Death of Philip II of Spain. The Philippines are named after him. His disappointment in life was England. He never got over “what he could have done,” that is deny Elizabeth her Queenship. He trusted her smiling face. He died in the state of Grace, receiving Holy Communion for the last time on September 8, the Feast of the Birth of Mary. Extreme Unction was given a few days later. He died at the Escorial, September 13, while gazing at a wooden Crucifix that had belonged to his parents. He looked tenderly at the Crucifix and said repeatedly: “Lord, I offer you my sufferings in atonement for my sins.”

Martyrdom of Blessed John Jones. He was a Franciscan priest. He was arrested by the Priest Hunter, Topcliff, and subjected to cruel tortures.

1599
Birth of Blessed John Kemble, who will be Martyred for the Faith late in the next century, at the age of eighty.

Birth of St. John Berchman, Patron St. of Altar Boys.

1600
Pope Clement VIII celebrates the Holy Year Jubilee.

Martyrdom of Blessed John Rigby. He won back lapsed Catholics, one of which was his own father, in England. He was thirty years old when he suffered; his last words were: “God forgive you: Jesus receive my soul.”

King Henry IV of France offered Madame De Richelieu, a lady-in-waitingship, to the Queen, Marie De Medicis. She hesitated on the honor and almost accepted it, but later refused. The understood her motive and sent her 10,000 Pounds as a personal gift. He took her eldest son, Henry, who had been a Page at Court, into his service as Gentleman of the Chamber, with a pension of 2,000 Pounds a year to support the position. To her second son, Alphonse, the Bishopric at Lucon was given; he declined it however.