1561
1561 was a common year.
| Millennium: | 2nd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 15th century – 16th century – 17th century |
| Decades: | 1530s 1540s 1550s – 1560s – 1570s 1580s 1590s |
| Years: | 1558 1559 1560 – 1561 – 1562 1563 1564 |
Births
- January 6 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (died 1656)
- January 22 – Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher, scientist, and statesman (died 1626)
- July 11 – Luís de Góngora y Argote, Spanish poet (died 1627)
- August 20 – Jacopo Peri, Italian composer (died 1633)
- August 24 – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk (died 1626)
- August 25 – Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer (died 1632)
- September 29 – Adriaan van Roomen, Belgian mathematician (died 1615)
- December 7 – Kikkawa Hiroie, Japanese politician (d. 1625)
- December 9 – Edwin Sandys, English founder of the colony of Virginia (died 1629)
- Jacopo Corsi, Italian composer (died 1602)
- John Harington, English writer (died 1612)
- Samuel Harsnett, Archbishop of York (died 1631)