| 3 May 996 | Italy, Holy Roman Empire [administration] | Bruno of Carinthia becomes the first German pope when he is crowned as Gregory V. |
| 3 May 1469 | Florence [births and deaths] | Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian statesman, writer, and political theorist whose best-known work is Il principe/The Prince (1513), born in Florence, Italy (–1527). |
| 3 May 1534 | Spain, Inca Empire [wars] | The Inca general of the Quitan forces, Quisquis, narrowly loses the battle of Teocajas to the Spanish force under Sebastián de Belalcázar, which goes on to occupy the city before the end of June, though Inca resistance continues in the area now known as Ecuador until December. |
| 3 May 1616 | France [treaties] | The Treaty of Loudun ends the French rebellion against the administration and the accompanying civil war; it grants an amnesty and large payments to the rebels, and installs Henri II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, as head of the Council, but no concessions are made to the Huguenots (French Protestants); the unpopular Concino Concini remains in power as marshal of France. |
| 3 May 1660 | France, Sweden, Poland, Denmark-Norway, Russia, Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire, Germany [diplomacy] | Assisted by French mediation, the Peace of Oliwa is signed. It ends the war between Sweden and the allied forces of Brandenburg, Poland, and Denmark. Under its terms, the Elector of Brandenburg Frederick William's sovereignty in East Prussia is recognized, King John II Casimir of Poland renounces his claim to the Swedish throne, Sweden retains Estonia and Livonia, and Sweden and Poland recognize Russian claims to Lithuania and Courland. |
| 3 May 1791 | Poland [legislation] | Poland's Four Year Sejm (parliament), in power 1788–92, introduces a new constitution, converting Poland's long-established electoral monarchy into a hereditary monarchy, giving executive power to the king and a council of state, and placing legislative power in the hands of a two-chamber Sejm. Russia opposes the changes, and promotes agitation in Poland in defence of the old constitution. |
| 3 May 1833 | Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Ottoman Empire, Aden [political events] | The Ottoman Empire recognizes the independence of Egypt (ostensibly a part of the Ottoman Empire but in fact already autonomous) and cedes the provinces of Syria and Aden to its ruler, Mehmet Ali. |
| 3 May 1841 | New Zealand, UK [colonization] | New Zealand is formally proclaimed a British colony. |
| 3 May 1859 | France, Austrian Empire, Sardinia-Piedmont [wars] | France declares war on Austria in response to the Austrian invasion of the Italian kingdom of Piedmont to dispute plans for Italian unification. |
| 3 May 1919 | India, Afghanistan [wars] | War begins between British India and Afghanistan following Afghanistan's demand for complete independence. On 8 August a peace will be agreed at Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan), conceding independence. |
| 3–12 May 1926 | United Kingdom [work and unemployment] | A general strike in Britain in support of the striking coal miners paralyses the country. |
| 3 May 1960 | Europe [international organizations] | The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) comes into force, with 20% tariff cuts between members from July. |
| 3 May 1982 | UK [newspapers] | The Times is the first national newspaper in Britain to be entirely phototypeset. |
