16th January » Philip II of Spain known as Philip II becomes King of Spain.
23rd January » The deadliest earthquake in history, the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake called Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
14th February » Thomas Cranmer is declared a Christian heresy called heretic.
21st March » In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is Execution by burning named burned at the stake.
27th June » The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs.
15th September » Departing from Vlissingen, ex-Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor called Charles V returns to Spain.
Famous Birthdays in 1556
8th January » Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyo (d. 1623)
21st February » Sethus Calvisius, German astronomer, composer, and theorist (d. 1615)
7th March » Guillaume du Vair, French lawyer and author (d. 1621)
17th August » Alexander Briant, English martyr and saint (d. 1581)
15th November » Jacques Davy Duperron, French cardinal (d. 1618)
17th December » Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Indian poet (d. 1627)
Famous Deaths in History for 1556
21st March » Thomas Cranmer, English archbishop (b. 1489)
18th April » Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and politician (b. 1495)
28th May » Saitō Dōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1494)
10th June » Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (b. 1486)
31st July » Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish priest and theologian, founded the Society of Jesus (b. 1491)
14th November » Giovanni della Casa, Italian poet and archbishop (b. 1504)
23rd December » Nicholas Udall, English cleric, playwright, and educator (b. 1504)