1540

Events

• January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort.
• July 9 - King Henry VIII of England divorces Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort.
• July 28 - One of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VIII of England, Thomas Cromwell, is executed on order from the king on charges of treason. Henry marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day.
• Spain, Foundation of Society of Jesus, Catholicism
• French translation of John Calvin's L'Institution chrétienne (originally in Latin)
• Gelawdewos succeeds his father Lebna Dengel as Emperor of Ethiopia.

Births

• June 3 - Archduke Charles II of Austria, Regent of Inner Austria
• Amago Yoshihisa, Japanese samurai and warlord
• Andrea Andreani, Italian artist (possibly in 1560)
• Joseph Justus Scaliger, Protestant scholar
• Alessandro Striggio, a leading Italian composer of the late Renaissance, inventor of madrigal comedy (approximate date)

Deaths

• May 22 - Francesco Guicciardini
• July 28 - Thomas Cromwell, English statesman (executed).
• September 2 - Lebna Dengel , Emperor of Ethiopia (died in battle)
• Elizabeth Blount, former mistress of Henry VIII of England.
• Thomas Abell , priest.