1556
*
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 9 -
Scottish nobles kill
David Rizzio, the secretary to
Mary I of Scotland in the queen's presence
*
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*
Bloody 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
*
January 8 -
Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (died
1623)
*
February 21 -
Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (died
1615)
*
March 7 -
Guillaume du Vair, French statesman and philosopher (died
1621)
*
June 6 -
Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche, English politician and diplomat (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 military commander (died
1583)
*
Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese military commander (died
1583)
*
Ahmad Baba al Massufi, Sudanese writer and political leader
*
James Melville, Scottish divine and reformer (died
1614)
See also :Category: 1556 births*
March 21 -
Thomas Cranmer,
Archbishop of Canterbury (burned at the stake) (born
1489)
*
April 18 -
Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and statesman (born
1495)
*
June 10 -
Martin Agricola, German composer (born
1486)
*
July 31 -
Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuit order
*
November 14 -
Giovanni della Casa, Italian poet (born
1503)
*
December 23 -
Nicholas Udall, English dramatist (born
1504)
*
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 traitor (born
1512)
*
Girolamo da Carpi, Italian painter (born
1501)
*
Jacob Clemens non Papa, Flemish composer (born
1510)
*
Saito Dosan, Japanese warlord (born
1494)
*
Fuzuli, Turkish poet (born
1494)
*
Lorenzo Lotto, Italian painter (born
1480)
*Brian mac Cathaoir O Conchobhair Failghe, last of the
Kings of Ui FailgheSee also :Category: 1556 deaths.
