| 1517 | Martin Luther writes “Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences” |
| 1521 | Diet of Worms |
| 1521–1559 | Habsburg-Valois wars |
| 1525 | German Peasants’ War |
| 1526 | Turkish victory at Mohács, which allows spread of Protestantism in Hungary |
| 1530s | Henry VIII ends the authority of the pope in England |
| 1535 | Angela Merici establishes the Ursulines as first women’s teaching order |
| 1536 | John Calvin publishes The Institutes of the Christian Religion |
| 1540 | Papal approval of Society of Jesus (Jesuits) |
| 1542 | Pope Paul III establishes the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition |
| 1545–1563 | Council of Trent |
| 1553–1558 | Reign of Mary Tudor and temporary restoration of Catholicism in England |
| 1555 | Peace of Augsburg; official recognition of Lutheranism |
| 1558–1603 | Reign of Elizabeth in England |
| 1560–1660 | Height of the European witch-hunt |
| 1568–1578 | Civil war in the Netherlands |
| 1572 | Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre |
| 1588 | England defeats Spanish Armada |
| 1598 | Edict of Nantes |