1559 A series of seven engravings with the Virtues appears. The painter changes the way he spells his name, signing himself no longer Brueghel but Bruegel. He paints The Fight between Carnival and Lent.
King Philip II of Spain, successor since 1556 of Charles V. leaves the Netherlands, where he has been dwelling for some considerable time, never to return. He makes Madrid his seat of government. Margaret of Parma, his half-sister, is appointed Regent of the Netherlands. The Netherlander demand the removal of Spanish troops.