1556
| Years: 1553 1554 1555 - 1556 - 1557 1558 1559 | |
| Decades: 1520s 1530s 1540s - 1550s - 1560s 1570s 1580s | |
| Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century | |
Events
- January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor
- January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. 830,000 people may have been killed.
- February - Truce of Vaucelles - Temporary end to the fighting between France and Spain.
- February 14 - Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic
- March 21 - In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake for treason.
- November - Collapse of the Truce of Vaucelles. War resumes between Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain
- November 5 - Second Battle of Panipat - Fifty miles north of Delhi, a Mogul Army defeats Hindu forces of General Hemu to ensure Akbar the throne of India.
- Lorenzo Priuli becomes Doge of Venice
- Queen Mary establishes the Fort of Maryborough, in what is now Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland
- The kings of Spain take control of the Flanders region, including what is now the French département of Nord
- The false Martin Guerre appears in the French village of Artigat.
- King John III of Sweden becomes ruler of Finland as Hertig Johan.
- Jellaladin Mahommed Akbar ascends to the throne of the Mughal Empire; he rules until his death in 1605
- Welser banking families of Augsburg lose colonial control of Venezuela
- Ivan the Terrible conquers Astrakhan, opening the Volga River to Russian traffic and trade
Births
- January 8 - Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (died 1623)
- March 7 - Guillaume du Vair, French statesman and philosopher (died 1621)
- June 6 - Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche (died 1625)
- November 15 - Jacques-Davy Duperron, French cardinal (died 1618)
- Henry Briggs, English mathematician (died 1630)
- Margaret Clitherow, English Catholic martyr (died 1586)
- Shibata Katsutoyo, Japanese militray commander (died 1583)
- Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese militray commander (died 1583)
- Ahmad Baba al Massufi, Sudanese writer and political leader
- James Melville, Scottish divine and reformer (died 1614)
- Maria of Nassau, second daughter of William the Silent (died 1616)
Deaths
- March 21 - Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (born 1489)
- June 10 - Martin Agricola, German composer (born 1486)
- July 31 - Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuit order (born 1491)
- November 14 - Giovanni della Casa, Italian poet (born 1503)
- December 23 - Nicholas Udall, English dramatist (born 1504)
- Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet (born 1495)
- Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (born 1490)
- Pietro Aretino, Italian author (born 1492)
- John Bell, Bishop of Worcester
- Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell, Scottish turncoat (born 1512)
- Girolamo da Carpi, Italian painter (born 1501)
- Jacob Clemens non Papa, Flemish composer (born 1510)
- Saito Dosan, Japanese daimyo (born 1494)
- Fuzuli, Turkish poet (born 1494)
- Lorenzo Lotto, Italian painter (born 1480)
- Tullia d'Aragona, Italian courtesan and writer