1545

1545 (MDXLV) was a year of the 16th century that occurred during the later Renaissance and the early phase of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. It belongs to the period when the Julian calendar was in use in most of Europe; the Gregorian calendar reform would not be introduced until 1582.

Major events of 1545 included the opening of the Council of Trent on December 13 in Trento (Trent), a key milestone in Catholic reform and in shaping Catholic–Protestant relations for the ensuing decades. The year also occurred within the ongoing Italian Wars (1494–1559), a broader conflict among France, the Holy Roman Empire, and their allies, with campaigns and shifting alliances across Italy and neighboring regions.

In a broader sense, European exploration and missionary activity continued during the mid‑16th century, with implications for the Americas, Africa, and Asia, alongside the cultural and scientific currents of the Renaissance. The start of the Council of Trent in 1545 is often highlighted as a significant inflection point in the Catholic Church’s internal reform and its response to Protestant movements, reflecting the wider religious and political realignments of Europe in the period.

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