Major Events
- Jan 27 Dutchy of Guelders accepts rule of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
- Feb 24 Treaty of Nagyvarad/Peace of Grosswardein signed between Ferdinand I of Austria and John Zápolya of Hungary.
- Apr 9 Danish king Christian III enters Schmalkaldische Union
- May 26 Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
- Jun 10 Catholic German monarchy signs League of Neuremberg, in response to the formation of the Protestant Schmalkaldic League
- Jun 18 Truce of Nice signed between Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and French King Francis I ending the Italian War of 1536-38
- Jul 25 The City of Guayaquil is founded by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana and given the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil
- Jul 30 St Augustine's Abbey, one of the most important monasteries in England, is dissolved - its Abbot John Essex and 30 monks leave voluntarily, before it is ransacked [1]
- Aug 6 Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
- Sep 21 Shrine of Saint Swithun in Winchester smashed up in the middle of the night as part of the English Reformation
- More 1538 Events