1581
| Years | 
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| Millennium | 
| 2nd millennium | 
| Centuries | 
| Decades | 
| Years | 
| 1581 by topic | 
|---|
| Arts and science | 
| Leaders | 
| 
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| Birth and death categories | 
| Births – Deaths | 
| Establishments and disestablishments categories | 
| Establishments – Disestablishments | 
| Works category | 
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| Gregorian calendar | 1581 MDLXXXI | 
| Ab urbe condita | 2334 | 
| Armenian calendar | 1030 ԹՎ ՌԼ | 
| Assyrian calendar | 6331 | 
| Balinese saka calendar | 1502–1503 | 
| Bengali calendar | 987–988 | 
| Berber calendar | 2531 | 
| English Regnal year | 23 Eliz. 1 – 24 Eliz. 1 | 
| Buddhist calendar | 2125 | 
| Burmese calendar | 943 | 
| Byzantine calendar | 7089–7090 | 
| Chinese calendar | 庚辰年 (Metal Dragon) 4278 or 4071 — to — 辛巳年 (Metal Snake) 4279 or 4072 | 
| Coptic calendar | 1297–1298 | 
| Discordian calendar | 2747 | 
| Ethiopian calendar | 1573–1574 | 
| Hebrew calendar | 5341–5342 | 
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1637–1638 | 
| - Shaka Samvat | 1502–1503 | 
| - Kali Yuga | 4681–4682 | 
| Holocene calendar | 11581 | 
| Igbo calendar | 581–582 | 
| Iranian calendar | 959–960 | 
| Islamic calendar | 988–989 | 
| Japanese calendar | Tenshō 9 (天正9年) | 
| Javanese calendar | 1500–1501 | 
| Julian calendar | 1581 MDLXXXI | 
| Korean calendar | 3914 | 
| Minguo calendar | 331 before ROC 民前331年 | 
| Nanakshahi calendar | 113 | 
| Thai solar calendar | 2123–2124 | 
| Tibetan calendar | 阳金龙年 (male Iron-Dragon) 1707 or 1326 or 554 — to — 阴金蛇年 (female Iron-Snake) 1708 or 1327 or 555 | 
1581 (MDLXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday in the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar.