Calendar Changes in Christendom
by Nathan W. Murphy, MA, AG®
In 1582, following instructions from Pope Gregory XIII, European countries began changing their calendars. The first day of the year was moved from 25 March to 1 January and specific numbers of days were dropped to correct lags accumulated during the Middle Ages. Certain countries rebelled and refused to make adjustments for decades and even centuries. Here is a list of when some Christian nations changed from the Old Style to the New Style:
Austria |
1583 |
Denmark |
1-Mar-1700 |
Finland |
1753 |
France (most of) |
20-Dec-1582 |
Germany (Protestant) |
1-Mar-1700 |
Great Britain |
14-Sep-1752 |
Holland |
1-Jan-1583 |
Italy (most of) |
15-Oct-1582 |
Poland |
1583 |
Portugal |
15-Oct-1582 |
Russia |
14-Feb-1918 |
Spain |
15-Oct-1582 |
Sweden |
1-Mar-1753 |
Turkey |
1-Jan-1926 |
Source: Kenneth L. Smith, Genealogical Dates: A User-Friendly Guide (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 1994), 8-9.