1542
| Years | 
|---|
| Millennium | 
| 2nd millennium | 
| Centuries | 
| Decades | 
| Years | 
| 1542 by topic | 
|---|
| Arts and science | 
| Leaders | 
| 
 | 
| Birth and death categories | 
| Births – Deaths | 
| Establishments and disestablishments categories | 
| Establishments – Disestablishments | 
| Works category | 
| 
 | 
| Gregorian calendar | 1542 MDXLII | 
| Ab urbe condita | 2295 | 
| Armenian calendar | 991 ԹՎ ՋՂԱ | 
| Assyrian calendar | 6292 | 
| Balinese saka calendar | 1463–1464 | 
| Bengali calendar | 948–949 | 
| Berber calendar | 2492 | 
| English Regnal year | 33 Hen. 8 – 34 Hen. 8 | 
| Buddhist calendar | 2086 | 
| Burmese calendar | 904 | 
| Byzantine calendar | 7050–7051 | 
| Chinese calendar | 辛丑年 (Metal Ox) 4239 or 4032 — to — 壬寅年 (Water Tiger) 4240 or 4033 | 
| Coptic calendar | 1258–1259 | 
| Discordian calendar | 2708 | 
| Ethiopian calendar | 1534–1535 | 
| Hebrew calendar | 5302–5303 | 
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1598–1599 | 
| - Shaka Samvat | 1463–1464 | 
| - Kali Yuga | 4642–4643 | 
| Holocene calendar | 11542 | 
| Igbo calendar | 542–543 | 
| Iranian calendar | 920–921 | 
| Islamic calendar | 948–949 | 
| Japanese calendar | Tenbun 11 (天文11年) | 
| Javanese calendar | 1460–1461 | 
| Julian calendar | 1542 MDXLII | 
| Korean calendar | 3875 | 
| Minguo calendar | 370 before ROC 民前370年 | 
| Nanakshahi calendar | 74 | 
| Thai solar calendar | 2084–2085 | 
| Tibetan calendar | 阴金牛年 (female Iron-Ox) 1668 or 1287 or 515 — to — 阳水虎年 (male Water-Tiger) 1669 or 1288 or 516 | 
Year 1542 (MDXLII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.