1565 - Political Events

Political Events

Swedish forces under the command of Klas Kristersson Horn lay waste parts of Denmark in January, burning towns in Halland and Skania, and destroying the countryside outside Helsinborg despite strong resistance of Danes under the command of Jorgen Lunges (see 1564). The Swedish commander Nils Andersson Boije plunders the Hallandian city of Ny-Varberg, storms the castle of Varberg, and massacres its garrison along with all who have taken refuge in it. The Danes give command of their army in April to Daniel Rantzau, 35, whose mercenary Landsknechts and Reiters raise the siege of Varberg October 16. Finding that Knut Hakansson Hand has destroyed the only bridge across the Atran River, Rantzau marches his men north to use fords located upstream, encounters an 11,000-man Swedish army under the command of Erik XIV Vasa at Axtorna, and although he has only 7,600 men (1,600 horsemen; 6,000 infantry) and 21 guns, uses his superior cavalry and skill to defeat the Swedes, capturing the entire enemy artillery complement of 47 cannons; combined Danish and Swedish losses total between 3,000 and 4,000 (see 1566).

Mary, Queen of Scots, now 22, is married July 29 to her Yorkshire-born cousin, Henry Stuart, 18, Lord Darnley, whom she has created earl of Ross (a rank previously reserved for a son of a Scottish king) and, more recently, duke of Albany. His mother, Margaret (née Douglas) is a granddaughter of the late Henry VII, and the young man met Mary while both were in France. He has traveled to Scotland in February with the permission of Queen Elizabeth, but Elizabeth and her privy council have sent word that the proposed marriage would be "dangerous to the common amity" of the two nations. Lord Darnley's father, Matthew, 4th earl of Lennox, has pretensions to the Scottish throne but has been opposed by James Hamilton, 2nd earl of Arran (see Rizzio, 1576).

Elizabeth appoints Sir Henry Sidney, 36, lord deputy of Ireland with instructions to suppress a rebellion in Ulster led by patriot Shane O'Neill, now 35 (see 1564). Sir Hugh finds it impossible to suppress the uprising by force, so he intrigues with O'Neill's enemies the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell and the MacDonnells of Antrim (see 1566).

France's Charles IX, now 15, is married at the cathedral of Mézières November 27 to Elizabeth of Austria, also 15, in a match arranged by Catherine de' Medici. She has failed in her efforts to have her son married to England's Elizabeth, who at 32 is more than twice the young king's age, and has settled for a daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian.

Advisers to England's Elizabeth entreat her to marry and produce an heir to the throne. She has been heard more than once to say that she would "live and die a virgin," and while she dances quadrilles with eligible French and Austrian princes, London gossip has it that a physical defect prevents her from marrying. Elizabeth nevertheless uses her feminine charms to manipulate her male advisers.

The tiny Channel island of Sark 22 miles off the French coast becomes a possession of the English crown, even though it is 75 miles south of what later will be called the British Isles.

Ottoman forces lay siege to Malta in May (see 1551). Some 700 Knights of St. John, led by their grand master Jean Parisot de La Valette, 71, hold out until September, when Spanish forces arrive and drive 31,000 Turks into the sea. Suleiman the Magnificent has made his Bosnian-born son-in-law Mehmed Sokollu, 59, his grand vizier (chief minister) in June, having seen the man rise to the rank of high admiral (1546) and governor general (beylerbeyi) of Rumelia. Recruited originally through the child-tribute (devsirme) levied in the Balkans, Sokollu will exercise the real power in the empire until 1574.

The Battle of Talikota in the Indian Decca January 23 ends the Hindu empire of Vijayanagar, which has dominated the Tamil and Kannada South. Numbering several hundred thousand men with large contingents of elephants, the Muslim armies of the sultans of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Bidar, and Golconda join forces and use artillery to attack a Hindu army led by the minister Ramaraja, who is captured and beheaded. His brother Tirumala retires to Penukonda, where he will usurp the throne in 1570. The capital city of Vijayanagar will be captured and destroyed over the next 5 months and never occupied again.

Burmese forces invade the Laotian kingdom of Lan Xang (year approximate). Setthathirat I resists the invaders to preserve his country's autonomy.