Events from the
1550s
The 1550s decade ran from January 1, 1550, to December 31, 1559.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1550s
...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. This decade marks the beginning of the
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
.
Incumbents
*
Monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
–
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
(until 6 July 1553),
Jane
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
(disputed, 6 July to 19 July 1553),
Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
(starting 19 July 1553, until 17 November 1558) and
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
(starting 25 July 1554, until 17 November 1558), then
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
*
Regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
–
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Ja ...
(starting 2 February 1550, until 19 July 1553)
*
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
–
1st of King Edward VI (until 15 April 1552),
2nd of King Edward VI (starting 1 March, until 31 March 1553),
1st of Queen Mary I (starting 5 October, until 5 December 1553),
2nd of Queen Mary I (starting 2 April, until 3 May 1554),
3rd of Queen Mary I (starting 12 November 1554, until 16 January 1555),
4th of Queen Mary I (starting 21 October, until 9 December 1555),
5th of Queen Mary I (starting 20 January, until 17 November 1558),
1st of Queen Elizabeth I (starting 23 January, until 8 May 1559)
Events
* 1550
** January – Parliament passes an Act encouraging
iconoclasm
Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...
.
[
** 24 March – England and France sign the ]Treaty of Boulogne
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...
; England withdraws from Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
in France and returns territorial gains in Scotland.
** 29 March – Sherborne School
(God and My Right)
, established = 705 by Aldhelm,
re-founded by King Edward VI 1550
, closed =
, type = Public school Independent, boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, chair_label = Chairman of the governors
, ...
in Dorset is refounded by King Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
.
** 24 July – French Protestant Church of London
The French Protestant Church of London (''Église protestante française de Londres'') is a Reformed / Presbyterian church that has catered to the French-speaking community of London since 1550. It is the last remaining Huguenot church of London ...
established by Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
.
* 1551
** By July – Fifth and last outbreak of sweating sickness
Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning ...
in England. John Caius
John Caius (born John Kays ; 6 October 1510 – 29 July 1573), also known as Johannes Caius and Ioannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Biography
Early years
Caius was ...
of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
writes the first full contemporary account of the symptoms of the disease.
** 11 October – John Dudley, Earl of Warwick
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Ja ...
, ''de facto'' Lord Protector
Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...
of England, is created Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...
.
** St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foun ...
re-established on its former site in Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
by the Corporation of London
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
, taken as the founding date for St Thomas's Hospital Medical School
St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in London was one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the UK. The school was absorbed to form part of King's College London.
History
It was part of one of the oldest hospitals in London, ...
.
** Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
passes the Ale Houses Act licensing taverns for the first time.
** Silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
sixpence and crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
first minted.
* 1552
** January – Act of Uniformity imposes the Second Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
[ (with effect from March). Parish priests are to give instruction in the ]catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
every Sunday afternoon.
** 22 January – execution of the former Lord Protector
Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...
for treason.
** 24 February – the privileges of the Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
are abolished in England.
** 24 September – the Debatable Lands
The Debatable Lands, also known as debatable ground, batable ground or threip lands,. lay between Scotland and England. It was formerly in question as to which it belonged when they were distinct kingdoms. The name either signifies litigious or ...
on the border of England and Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
are divided between the two kingdoms by a commission creating the Scots' Dike
The Scots' Dike or dyke is a three and a half mile / 5.25 km long linear earthwork, constructed by the English and the Scots in the year 1552Mack, James Logan (1926). ''The Border Line'', p.94. Oliver & Boyd to mark the division of the Deb ...
in an unsuccessful attempt to halt lawlessness here, but giving both countries their modern borders.
** King Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
founds 35 grammar schools
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...
, including Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
; Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physically ...
is also established.
* 1553
** 16 June – King Edward founds Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553 ...
for London orphan
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
s.[
** 21 June – King Edward nominates ]Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
as his successor.[
** 6 July – King Edward VI dies of ]tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
.
** 10 July – Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
of England.
** 19 July – Thomas White Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...
proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen – Lady Jane Grey is imprisoned after using the title of queen for nine days.[
** 9 August – Mary arrives in London from ]Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 Census and an estimated 4, ...
.[
** 22 August – ]Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...
, a supporter of Lady Jane Grey, executed.[
** August – ]Richard Chancellor
Richard Chancellor (died 10 November 1556) was an English explorer and navigator; the first to penetrate to the White Sea and establish relations with the Tsardom of Russia.
Life
Chancellor, a native of Bristol, was brought up in the household ...
enters the White Sea
The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...
and reaches Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
, going on to the court of Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
, opening up trade between England and Russia.
** September – Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s in England are arrested and Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s are restored.
** Approximate date – ''Ralph Roister Doister
''Ralph Roister Doister'' is a sixteenth-century play by Nicholas Udall, which was once regarded as the first comedy to be written in the English language.
The date of its composition is disputed, but the balance of opinion suggests that it wa ...
'', the first known comedy in the English language, is written by London schoolmaster Nicholas Udall
Nicholas Udall (or Uvedale Udal, Woodall, or other variations) (1504 – 23 December 1556) was an English playwright, cleric, schoolmaster, the author of '' Ralph Roister Doister'', generally regarded as the first comedy written in the English ...
for his pupils to perform. ''Gammer Gurton's Needle'' by "Mr. S." follows.
* 1554
** 25 January – Wyatt's rebellion: Sir Thomas Wyatt leads a rebellion against Queen Mary's proposed marriage to Prince Philip of Spain.
** 9 February – Wyatt's rebellion collapses and he surrenders in London.[
** 12 February – after claiming the throne of England the previous year, ]Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
is beheaded for treason alongside her husband.
** 17 March – Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
imprisoned in the Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
, suspected of involvement in Wyatt's rebellion.
** 21 May – a Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
is granted to Derby School
Derby School was a school in Derby in the English Midlands from 1160 to 1989. It had an almost continuous history of education of over eight centuries. For most of that time it was a grammar school for boys. The school became co-educational an ...
.
** 25 July – wedding of Queen Mary and Prince Philip of Spain, only son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
, at Winchester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
under the terms of the Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain
The Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain (1 Mar. Sess. 3 c. 2), or Queen Mary's Marriage Act, was an Act of the Parliament of England, which was passed in April 1554 to regulate the future marriage and joint reign of Queen Mary ...
.
** November – English captain John Lok
John Lok was the son of Sir William Lok, the great-great-great-grandfather of the philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). In 1554 he was captain of a slave trading voyage to Guinea. An account of his voyage was published in 1572 by Richard Eden.
...
voyages to Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
.
** 30 November – England formally rejoins the Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.[
** c. December – ]Revival of the Heresy Acts
In November 1554, the Revival of the Heresy Acts (1 & 2 Ph. & M. c.6) revived three former Acts against heresy; the letters patent of 1382 of King Richard II, an Act of 1401 of King Henry IV, and an Act of 1414 of King Henry V. All three of these ...
: Parliament revives laws against heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
.[
** Foundation of ]Queen Mary's Grammar School
Queen Mary's Grammar School (QMGS) is a boys' grammar school with academy status located on Sutton Road, Walsall, England, about a mile from the town centre and one of the oldest schools in the country.
The sixth form is coeducational.
Admiss ...
, Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
, and The Free Grammar School of King Philip and Queen Mary, Clitheroe
Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
.
* 1555
** 4 February – John Rogers suffers death by burning
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment ...
at the stake at Smithfield, London
Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England.
Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Barth ...
, the first of the Protestant martyrs of the English Reformation under Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
.[
** 8 February – ]Laurence Saunders
Lawrence Saunders (1519 – 8 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr whose story is recorded in ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''.
Early life
Saunders was the son of Thomas Saunders (d. 1528) of Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire, by Margaret, the dau ...
is the second of the Marian Protestant martyrs, being led barefoot to his death by burning at the stake in Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
.
** 9 February – Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor (sometimes spelled "Tayler") (6 October 1510 – 9 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions.
At the time of his death, he was Rector of Hadleigh in Suffolk. He was burnt at the stake at ne ...
, Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Hadleigh, Suffolk
Hadleigh () is an ancient market town and civil parish in South Suffolk, East Anglia, situated, next to the River Brett, between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 census. The headquarters of Bab ...
, and John Hooper, deposed Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.
The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...
, are burned at the stake.
** 1 May – foundation of St John's College, Oxford
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...
.
** 30 May – foundation of Trinity College, Oxford
(That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody)
, named_for = The Holy Trinity
, established =
, sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge
, president = Dame Hilary Boulding
, location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH
, coordinates ...
.
** 12 July – the first four Canterbury Martyrs
The Canterbury Martyrs were 16th-century English Protestant martyrs. They were executed for heresy in Canterbury, Kent, and were the last Protestants burnt during the reign of Mary I. Their story is recorded in ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''.
155 ...
are burned at the stake.
** 16 October – two of the Oxford Martyrs
The Oxford Martyrs were Protestants tried for heresy in 1555 and burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for their religious beliefs and teachings, during the Marian persecution in England.
The three martyrs were the Church of England bishop ...
, Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer ( – 16 October 1555) was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and Bishop of Worcester during the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555 under the Catholic Queen Mary I he was burned at the s ...
and Nicholas Ridley, are burned at the stake.
** English captain John Lok
John Lok was the son of Sir William Lok, the great-great-great-grandfather of the philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). In 1554 he was captain of a slave trading voyage to Guinea. An account of his voyage was published in 1572 by Richard Eden.
...
returns from Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
with 5 Africans
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
to train as interpreters for future trading voyages.
** The Muscovy Company
The Muscovy Company (also called the Russia Company or the Muscovy Trading Company russian: Московская компания, Moskovskaya kompaniya) was an English trading company chartered in 1555. It was the first major chartered joint s ...
is chartered to trade with the Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I i ...
and Richard Chancellor
Richard Chancellor (died 10 November 1556) was an English explorer and navigator; the first to penetrate to the White Sea and establish relations with the Tsardom of Russia.
Life
Chancellor, a native of Bristol, was brought up in the household ...
negotiates with the Tsar.
** Establishment of the following grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
s: Boston Grammar School
The Boston Grammar School is a Grammar school, selective grammar school and sixth form college for boys aged 11 to 18 and girls attending the sixth form aged 16–18 located in Boston, Lincolnshire, England.
A recent 2021 Ofsted report assesse ...
, Gresham's School
Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...
at Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town has a population of 3,550, rising and including the ward to ...
(founded by Sir John Gresham) and Ripon Grammar School
Ripon Grammar School is a co-educational, boarding and day, selective grammar school in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. It has been named top-performing state school in the north for nine years running by ''The Sunday Times''. It is one of the ...
(re-foundation).
** Richard Eden translates ''The Decades of the Newe Worlde or West India'', urging his countrymen to follow the lead of Spain in exploring the New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
.
* 1556
** January – Soldier Sir Henry Dudley, from France, plots to raise an invasion force which is planned to land on the Isle of Wight, march on London, remove Queen Mary to exile in Spain and place the Protestant Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
on the throne. By July, the plot is discovered and abandoned.
** 21 March – the third of the Oxford Martyrs
The Oxford Martyrs were Protestants tried for heresy in 1555 and burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for their religious beliefs and teachings, during the Marian persecution in England.
The three martyrs were the Church of England bishop ...
, Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry' ...
, deposed Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, is burned at the stake for treason.
** 22 March – Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation.
Early life
Pole was born a ...
enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury.[
** 27 June – thirteen Protestant ]Stratford Martyrs
The Stratford Martyrs were eleven men and two women who were burned at the stake together for their Protestant beliefs, either at Stratford-le-Bow, Middlesex or Stratford, Essex, both near London, on 27 June 1556 during the Marian persecutions. ...
are burned at the stake in London.
** Establishment of Laxton Grammar School
Laxton Grammar School was a historic school located in Oundle, Northamptonshire, founded after the death of Sir William Laxton (Lord Mayor of London) in 1556. It was finally subsumed into Oundle School in 2000 under the name Oundle School.
The ...
.
** Period of rapid inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
; prices of many basic commodities double in 12 months.[
* 1557
** 28 February – a commercial treaty is signed with Russia.]
** May – Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monks allowed to return to Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
.[
** 5 June – publication in London of '']Tottel's Miscellany
''Songes and Sonettes'', usually called ''Tottel's Miscellany'', was the first printed anthology of English poetry. First published by Richard Tottel in 1557 in London, it ran to many editions in the sixteenth century.
Richard Tottel
Richard To ...
'' (''Songes and Sonettes''), the first printed anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of English poetry
This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including Republican Ireland after December 1922.
The earliest ...
.
** 7 June – Italian War of 1551–59
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
: England, now allied with Spain, declares war on France.
** Summer – 1557 influenza pandemic
In 1557, a pandemic strain of influenza emerged in Asia, then spread to Africa, Europe, and eventually the Americas. This flu was highly infectious and presented with intense, occasionally lethal symptoms. Medical historians like Thomas Short, ...
reaches the British Isles.
** 10 August – Italian War: English and Spanish victory over the French at the Battle of St. Quentin. First record of a Royal Artillery Band
The Royal Artillery Band was the first official, and permanent British military band (and former symphony orchestra) originating in 1557, but granted official status in 1762. Consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments (and until 2 ...
.
** Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...
, is refounded by John Caius
John Caius (born John Kays ; 6 October 1510 – 29 July 1573), also known as Johannes Caius and Ioannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Biography
Early years
Caius was ...
.
** The following schools are founded: Brentwood School, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, by Sir Antony Browne; Hampton School
Hampton School (formerly Hampton Grammar School) is an independent boys' day school in Hampton, London, Hampton, Greater London, England. It is regarded as one of the top independent schools in the country. Hampton School’s A-Level and GCSE ...
, Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, and historically in the County of Middlesex. which includes Hampton Court Palace. Hampton is served by two railway stations, ...
, by Robert Hammond; and Repton School
Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, by Sir John Port.
** Robert Recorde
Robert Recorde () was an Anglo-Welsh physician and mathematician. He invented the equals sign (=) and also introduced the pre-existing plus and minus signs, plus sign (+) to English speakers in 1557.
Biography
Born around 1512, Robert Recorde w ...
's ''The Whetstone of Witte
''The Whetstone of Witte'' is the shortened title of Robert Recorde's mathematics book published in 1557, the full title being ''The whetstone of , is the : The ''Coßike'' practise, with the rule of ''Equation'': and the of ''Surde Nombers. T ...
'' is published, the first English book on algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary a ...
, containing the first recorded use of the equals sign
The equals sign (British English, Unicode) or equal sign (American English), also known as the equality sign, is the mathematical symbol , which is used to indicate equality in some well-defined sense. In an equation, it is placed between two ...
and also the first use in English of plus and minus signs
The plus and minus signs, and , are mathematical symbols used to represent the notions of positive and negative, respectively. In addition, represents the operation of addition, which results in a sum, while represents subtraction, resul ...
.
** Thomas Tusser
Thomas Tusser (c. 15243 May 1580) was an English poet and farmer, best known for his instructional poem ''Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry'', an expanded version of his original title, ''A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie'', first publishe ...
's instructional poem ''A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie
A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...
'' is published.
* 1558
** 7 January – French troops led by Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, the first Prince of Joinville, also Duke of Guise and Duke of Aumale (french: François de Lorraine; 17 February 1519 – 24 February 1563), was a French general and statesman. A prominent leader during the Italian War of ...
take Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
, the last continental possession of England.
** By September – second wave of 1557 influenza pandemic
In 1557, a pandemic strain of influenza emerged in Asia, then spread to Africa, Europe, and eventually the Americas. This flu was highly infectious and presented with intense, occasionally lethal symptoms. Medical historians like Thomas Short, ...
in England.[
** 15 November – the last five Protestant martyrs of the English Reformation are burnt, at ]Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
.
** 17 November – Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
begins: Queen Mary I dies at St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...
and is succeeded by her Protestant half–sister Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
(at this time resident at Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Ceci ...
), who will rule for 44 years. 12 hours later, Mary's Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, Cardinal Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation.
Early life
Pole was born a ...
, dies in London.
** 20 November – William Cecil appointed principal Secretary of State.
* 1559
** 15 January – Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
is crowned in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
by Owen Oglethorpe
Owen Oglethorpe ( – 31 December 1559) was an English academic and Roman Catholic Bishop of Carlisle, 1557–1559.
Childhood and Education
Oglethorpe was born in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England (where he later founded a school), the third son ...
, Bishop of Carlisle.
** 23 January – Elizabethan Religious Settlement
The Elizabethan Religious Settlement is the name given to the religious and political arrangements made for England during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Implemented between 1559 and 1563, the settlement is considered the end of the E ...
: Parliament passes the Act of Uniformity and the Act of Supremacy
The Acts of Supremacy are two acts passed by the Parliament of England in the 16th century that established the English monarchs as the head of the Church of England; two similar laws were passed by the Parliament of Ireland establishing the Eng ...
, re-establishing the Protestant Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
.
** 10 February – House of Commons makes a 'Loyal Address', urging Queen Elizabeth to marry.
** 2 April – Peace of Cateau Cambrésis
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
: France makes peace with England and Spain. France gives up most of its gains in Italy (including Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
), keeping only Saluzzo
Saluzzo (; pms, Salusse ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy.
The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are fo ...
, but keeps the three Lorraine bishoprics of Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
, Toul
Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin.
Climate
Toul h ...
, and Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, and the formerly English town of Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
.
** 19 December – Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker (6 August 1504 – 17 May 1575) was an English bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder (with a p ...
enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury.
** Reintroduction of the Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
.
** Benedictine monks once again expelled from Westminster Abbey.[
** The predecessor of the private banking house of Child & Co. (which will still exist in the 21st century) is established in London.
]
Births
* 1550
** April 12 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...
, Lord Great Chamberlain (died 1604
Events
January–June
* January 1 – '' The Masque of Indian and China Knights'' is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court.
* January 14 – The Hampton Court Conference is held between James I of England ...
)
** October 25 – Ralph Sherwin
Sherwin (25 October 1550 – 1 December 1581) was an English Roman Catholic priest, executed in 1581. He is a Catholic martyr and saint.
Early years and education
Sherwin was born at Rodsley, Derbyshire to John and Constance Sherwin and ...
, Roman Catholic priest and saint (martyred 1581
1581 ( MDLXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) in the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Proleptic Gregorian calendar.
Events
Ja ...
)
** Approximate date
*** Henry Barrowe
Henry Barrow (or Barrowe) ( – 6 April 1593) was an English Separatist Puritan, or Brownist, executed for his views. He led the London Underground Church from 1587 to 1593, spending most of that time in prison, and wrote numerous works of Bro ...
, Puritan and Separatist (died 1593
Events
January–December
* January – Siege of Pyongyang (1593): A Japanese invasion is defeated in Pyongyang by a combined force of Korean and Ming troops.
* January 18 – Siamese King Naresuan, in combat on elephant back, k ...
)
*** Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 – 6 January 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance ...
, theatrical entrepreneur (died 1616
Events
January–June
* January
** Six-year-old António Vieira arrives from Portugal, with his parents, in Bahia (present-day Salvador) in Colonial Brazil, where he will become a diplomat, noted author, leading figure of the Church, an ...
)
*** Judith Ivye, wife of Anthony Prater (died 1578
__NOTOC__
Year 1578 (Roman numerals, MDLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 31 – Battle of Gembloux (1578), Battle of Ge ...
)
*** Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester
Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, KG, Earl Marshal (c. 1550 – 3 March 1628) was an English aristocrat. He was an important advisor to King James I (James VI of Scots), serving as Lord Privy Seal.
He was the only son of three children ...
(died 1628
Events
January–March
* January 19 – (26 Jumada al-Awwal 1037 A.H.) The reign of Salef-ud-din Muhammad Shahryar as the Mughal Emperor, Shahryar Mirza, comes to an end a little more than two months after the November 7 dea ...
)
* 1551
** 2 May – William Camden
William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Annal ...
, historian (died 1623
Events
January–March
* January 21 –
**Viscount Falkland, England's Lord Deputy of Ireland, issues a proclamation ordering all Roman Catholic priests to leave Ireland. The order frustrates negotiations between Protestant En ...
)
** George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven
George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven ( – 1617), was the son of Henry Tuchet, 10th Baron Audley (died 1563) and his wife, née Elizabeth Sneyd.
Career
He succeeded his father as 11th Baron Audley and 8th Baron Tuchet on 30 December 1563, ...
(died 1617
Events
January–June
* February 27 – The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the Ingrian War between Sweden and Russia. Sweden gains Ingria and Kexholm.
* April 14 – Second Battle of Playa Honda: The Spanish navy defeats a Dutch f ...
)
* 1552
** 22 January (or 1554?) – Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
, soldier, politician, courtier, explorer, historian, poet and spy (executed 1618)
** 1 February – Edward Coke
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
, colonial entrepreneur and jurist (died 1634
Events
January–March
* January 12– After suspecting that he will be dismissed, Albrecht von Wallenstein, supreme commander of the Holy Roman Empire's Army, demands that his colonels sign a declaration of personal loyalty.
...
)
** 30 December – Simon Forman
Simon Forman (31 December 1552 – 5 or 12 September 1611) was an Elizabethan astrologer, occultist and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. His reputation, however, was severely tarnishe ...
, occultist and astrologer (died 1611
Events
January–June
* February 27 – Sunspots are observed by telescope, by Frisian astronomers Johannes Fabricius and David Fabricius. Johannes publishes the results of these observations, in ''De Maculis in Sole observa ...
)
** Thomas Aufield
Thomas Aufield (1552 – 6 July 1585), also called Thomas Alfield, was an English Roman Catholic martyr.
He was born in Gloucestershire and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and in Sept ...
, Catholic martyr (died 1585
Events
January–June
* January – The Netherlands adopts the Gregorian calendar.
* February – The Spanish seize Brussels.
* April 24 – Pope Sixtus V succeeds Pope Gregory XIII, as the 227th pope.
* May 19 – S ...
)
** Philemon Holland
Philemon Holland (1552 – 9 February 1637) was an English schoolmaster, physician and translator. He is known for the first English translations of several works by Livy, Pliny the Elder, and Plutarch, and also for translating William Camden's ...
, translator (died 1637
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Pierre Corneille's tragicomedy ''Le Cid'' is first performed, in Paris, France.
* January 16 – The siege of Nagpur ends in what is now the Maharashtra state of India, as Kok Shah, the ...
)
** Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...
, poet (died 1599
__NOTOC__
Events
January–June
* January 8 – The Jesuit educational plan, known as the ''Ratio Studiorum'', is issued.
* March 12 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, by Queen Elizabeth I o ...
)
* 1553
** John Croke
Sir John Croke (1553 – 23 January 1620) was an English judge and politician who served as Speaker of the English House of Commons between October and December 1601. He also served as Recorder of London, and won the City of London constituen ...
, judge and Speaker of the House of Commons (died 1620
Events
January–June
* February 4 – Prince Bethlen Gabor signs a peace treaty with Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.
* May 17 – The first merry-go-round is seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey).
* June 3 – The ...
)
** John Florio
Giovanni Florio (1552–1625), known as John Florio, was an English linguist, poet, writer, translator, lexicographer, and royal language tutor at the Court of James I. He is recognised as the most important Renaissance humanist in England. F ...
, writer and translator (died 1625
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Led by the Duke of Soubise, the Huguenots launch a second rebellion against King Louis XIII, with a surprise naval assault on a French fleet being prepared in Blavet.
* February 3 – ...
)
** Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America'' (1582) and ''The Pri ...
, author, editor and translator (died 1616
Events
January–June
* January
** Six-year-old António Vieira arrives from Portugal, with his parents, in Bahia (present-day Salvador) in Colonial Brazil, where he will become a diplomat, noted author, leading figure of the Church, an ...
)
** Approximate date
*** Henry Robinson, Bishop of Carlisle (died 1616
Events
January–June
* January
** Six-year-old António Vieira arrives from Portugal, with his parents, in Bahia (present-day Salvador) in Colonial Brazil, where he will become a diplomat, noted author, leading figure of the Church, an ...
)
*** William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh
William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh (died 9 August 1613) was an English nobleman, politician, peer, and knight. He was the younger son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and his first wife Margaret St. John. His birthdate is un ...
, military leader (died 1613
Events
January–June
* January 11 – Workers in a sandpit in the Dauphiné region of France discover the skeleton of what is alleged to be a 30-foot tall man (the remains, it is supposed, of the giant Teutobochus, a legendary ...
)
*** Jack Ward
John Ward or Birdy ( 1553 – 1622), also known as Jack Ward or later as Yusuf Reis, was an English- Ottoman pirate who later became a Barbary Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Tunis during the early 17th century.
According ...
, pirate (died 1622
Events
January–May
* January 7 – The Holy Roman Empire and Transylvania sign the Peace of Nikolsburg.
* February 8 – King James I of England dissolves the English Parliament.
* March 12 – Ignatius of Loyola, F ...
)
* 1554
** March – Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker (25 March 1554 – 2 November 1600) was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor) Oxford University ...
, Anglican theologian (died 1600
__NOTOC__
In the Gregorian calendar, it was the last century leap year until the year 2000.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Scotland adopts January 1 as New Year's Day instead of March 25.
* January
** Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of T ...
)
** April – Stephen Gosson
Stephen Gosson (April 1554 – 13 February 1624) was an English satirist.
Biography
Gosson was baptized at St George's church, Canterbury, on 17 April 1554. He entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1572, and on leaving the university in 1576 h ...
, satirist (died 1624
Events
January–March
* January 14 – After 90 years of Ottoman occupation, Baghdad is recaptured by the Safavid Empire.
* January 22 – Korean General Yi Gwal leads an uprising of 12,000 soldiers against King Injo in wh ...
)
** 3 October – Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke
Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, ''de jure'' 13th Baron Latimer and 5th Baron Willoughby de Broke Order of the Bath, KB Privy Counsellor, PC (; 3 October 1554 – 30 September 1628), known before 1621 as Sir Fulke Greville, was an Elizabethan ...
, poet (died 1628
Events
January–March
* January 19 – (26 Jumada al-Awwal 1037 A.H.) The reign of Salef-ud-din Muhammad Shahryar as the Mughal Emperor, Shahryar Mirza, comes to an end a little more than two months after the November 7 dea ...
)
** 30 November – Philip Sidney
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philip ...
, courtier and poet (died 1586
Events
* January 18 – The 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes the Chubu region of Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing at least 8,000 deaths.
* June 16 – The deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of ...
)
** James Lancaster
Sir James Lancaster (c. 1554 – 6 June 1618) was an English privateer and trader of the Elizabethan era.
Life and work
Lancaster came from Basingstoke in Hampshire. In his early life, he was a soldier and a trader in Portugal.
On 10 April 159 ...
, navigator (died 1618
Events
January–June
* February 26 – Osman II deposes his uncle Mustafa I as Ottoman sultan (until 1622).
* March 8 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (after some initial calculations, he so ...
)
** John Lyly
John Lyly (; c. 1553 or 1554 – November 1606; also spelled ''Lilly'', ''Lylie'', ''Lylly'') was an English writer, dramatist of the University Wits, courtier, and parliamentarian. He was best known during his lifetime for his two books '' Eu ...
, writer (died 1606
Events
January–June
* January 24 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators, for plotting against Parliament and James I of England, begins.
* January 29 – Pedro Fernandes de Queirós discovers the Pi ...
)
** John Smyth, Baptist minister (died 1612
Events
January–June
* January 6 – Axel Oxenstierna becomes Lord High Chancellor of Sweden. He persuades the Riksdag of the Estates to grant the Swedish nobility the right and privilege to hold all higher offices of governme ...
)
** Francis Throckmorton
Sir Francis Throckmorton (155410 July 1584) was a conspirator against Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Throckmorton Plot.
Life
He was the son of Sir John Throckmorton, who was the seventh out of eight sons of Sir George Throckmorton of C ...
, conspirator (died 1584
__NOTOC__
Events
January–June
* January–March – Archangelsk is founded as ''New Kholmogory'' in northern Russia, by Ivan the Terrible.
* January 11 – Sir Walter Mildmay is given a royal licence to found Emman ...
)
* 1555
** 1 August – Edward Kelley
Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (; 1 August 1555 – 1597/8), was an English people, English Renaissance magic, Renaissance occultist and scryer. He is best known for working with John Dee (mathematician), John Dee in hi ...
, spirit medium (died 1597
Events
January–June
* January 24 – Battle of Turnhout: Maurice of Nassau defeats a Spanish force under Jean de Rie of Varas, in the Netherlands.
* February – Bali is discovered, by Dutch explorer Cornelis Houtman.
* February 5 ...
)
** Lancelot Andrewes
Lancelot Andrewes (155525 September 1626) was an English bishop and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chic ...
, clergyman and scholar (died 1626
Events
January–March
* January 7 – Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Wallhof in Latvia – Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, defeats a Polish army.
* January 9 – Peter Minuit sails from Texel Island for America's Ne ...
)
** 17 July – Richard Carew, Cornish translator and antiquary (died 1620
Events
January–June
* February 4 – Prince Bethlen Gabor signs a peace treaty with Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.
* May 17 – The first merry-go-round is seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey).
* June 3 – The ...
)
** Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet (July 1555 – 3 May 1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, was an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Heanor, Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester Colle ...
, Jesuit (executed 1606
Events
January–June
* January 24 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators, for plotting against Parliament and James I of England, begins.
* January 29 – Pedro Fernandes de Queirós discovers the Pi ...
)
* 1556
** February – Henry Briggs Henry Briggs may refer to:
*Henry Briggs (mathematician) (1561–1630), English mathematician
*Henry Perronet Briggs (1793–1844), English painter
*Henry George Briggs (1824–1872), English merchant, traveller, and orientalist
*Henry Shaw Briggs ...
, mathematician (died 1630
Events
January–March
* January 2 – A shoemaker in Turin is found to have the first case of bubonic plague there as the plague of 1630 begins spreading through Italy.
* January 5 – A team of Portuguese military advisers ...
)
** 6 June – Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche
Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche (6 June 1556 – 18 August 1625) was an English diplomat. He is remembered chiefly for his lone vote against the condemnation of Mary, Queen of Scots, and for organising the stag hunt where his guest, the Arc ...
, politician and diplomat (died 1625
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Led by the Duke of Soubise, the Huguenots launch a second rebellion against King Louis XIII, with a surprise naval assault on a French fleet being prepared in Blavet.
* February 3 – ...
)
** Margaret Clitherow
Margaret Clitherow (1556 – 25 March 1586) was an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, known as "the Pearl of York". She was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. She was c ...
, Catholic martyr (died 1586
Events
* January 18 – The 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes the Chubu region of Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing at least 8,000 deaths.
* June 16 – The deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of ...
)
* 1557
**Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
, judge and politician (died 1636
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Anthony van Diemen takes office as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and will serve until his death in 1645.
* January 18 – ''The Duke's Mistress'', the last ...
)
** Thomas Morley
Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, theorist, singer and organist of the Renaissance. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian influence on the Englis ...
, English composer (died 1602
Events January–June
* January 3 – Battle of Kinsale: The English defeat Irish rebels and their Spanish allies. (The battle happens on this date according to the Gregorian calendar used by the Irish and Spanish but on Thursday, 24 Dec ...
)
* 1558
** 3 November – Thomas Kyd
Thomas Kyd (baptised 6 November 1558; buried 15 August 1594) was an English playwright, the author of ''The Spanish Tragedy'', and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama.
Although well known in his own time, ...
, author of ''The Spanish Tragedy
''The Spanish Tragedy, or Hieronimo is Mad Again'' is an Elizabethan tragedy written by Thomas Kyd between 1582 and 1592. Highly popular and influential in its time, ''The Spanish Tragedy'' established a new genre in English theatre, the reveng ...
'' (died 1594
Events
January–June
* March 21 – Henry IV enters his capital of Paris for the first time.
* April 17 – Hyacinth of Poland is canonized.
* May
** Uprising in Banat of Serbs against Ottoman rule ends with the public ...
)
** Robert Greene, writer (died 1592
Events
January–June
* January 30 – Pope Clement VIII (born Ippolito Aldobrandini) succeeds Pope Innocent IX, who died one month earlier, as the 231st pope. He immediately recalls the Sixtine Vulgate.
* February 7 – G ...
)
** Chidiock Tichborne
Chidiock Tichborne (after 24 August 1562 – 20 September 1586), erroneously referred to as Charles, was an English conspirator and poet.
Life
Tichborne was born in Southampton sometime after 24 August 1562Phillimore, Hampshire Parish Records, ...
, conspirator and poet (died 1586
Events
* January 18 – The 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes the Chubu region of Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing at least 8,000 deaths.
* June 16 – The deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of ...
)
* 1559
**George Chapman
George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
, dramatist (died 1634
Events
January–March
* January 12– After suspecting that he will be dismissed, Albrecht von Wallenstein, supreme commander of the Holy Roman Empire's Army, demands that his colonels sign a declaration of personal loyalty.
...
)
** John Overall, bishop and academic (died 1619
Events
January–June
* January 12 – James I of England's Banqueting House, Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire."Fires, Great", in ''The Insurance Cyclopeadia: Being an Historical Treasury of Events and Circumstances Conne ...
)
**John Spenser
John Spenser (1559–1614) was an English academic, president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
Life
He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, London, and Temple Beth-El.
After graduating he became Greek reader in Corpus Christi College, a ...
, president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford (died 1614
Events
January–June
* February – King James I of England condemns duels, in his proclamation ''Against Private Challenges and Combats''.
* April 5 – Pocahontas is forced into child marriage with English colonist John Rolfe in Ja ...
)
Deaths
* 1550
** 30 July – Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (21 December 1505 – 30 July 1550), KG was an English peer, secretary of state, Lord Chancellor and Lord High Admiral. A naturally skilled but unscrupulous and devious politician who changed with t ...
, politician (born 1505
__NOTOC__
Year 1505 ( MDV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* June 6 – The M8.2–8.8 Lo Mustang earthquake strikes Nepal, causing sev ...
)
* 1551
** 13 July – John Wallop
Sir John Wallop, KG (c. 1490 – 13 July 1551) was an English soldier and diplomat who belonged to an old Hampshire family from the village of Farleigh Wallop.
Biography
Wallop, was son of Stephen Wallop by the daughter of Hugh Ashley.
Wall ...
, soldier and diplomat (born 1490
Year 1490 ( MCDXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January 4 – Anne of Brittany announces that all those who ally themselves with the ...
)
** 14 July
*** Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (18 September 1535 – 14 July 1551), styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, Catherine Willoughby.
His father h ...
, heir to the Dukedom of Suffolk of the second creation (sweating sickness) (born 1535
__NOTOC__
Year 1535 ( MDXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 18 – Lima, Peru, is founded by Francisco Pizarro, as '' Ciudad de l ...
)
*** Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (12 October 1537 – 14 July 1551), known as Lord Charles Brandon until shortly before his death, was the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk and the ''suo jure'' 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
His father ha ...
, heir to the Dukedom of Suffolk of the second creation (sweating sickness) (born 1537/8)
* 1552
** 22 January – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...
, politician (born 1509
__NOTOC__
Year 1509 ( MDIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 21 – The Portuguese first arrive at the Seven Islands of Bombay and ...
)
** 18 April – John Leland, antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
and historian (born 1502
Year 1502 (Roman numerals, MDII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese explorers, led by Gonçal ...
)
** 10 June – Alexander Barclay
Dr Alexander Barclay (c. 1476 – 10 June 1552) was a poet and clergyman of the Church of England, probably born in Scotland.
Biography
Barclay was born in about 1476. His place of birth is matter of dispute, but William Bulleyn, who w ...
, poet (born 1476
Year 1476 ( MCDLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 1 – Battle of Toro (War of the Castilian Succession): Although militarily ...
)
** October – Simon Haynes
Simon Haynes is an Australian writer of speculative fiction novels and short stories, particularly the Hal Spacejock series. Haynes also uses his experience with computers to write software which he designs for himself and then shares for free ...
, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, ambassador and Dean of Exeter
* 1553
** 6 July – King Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
(born 1537
__NOTOC__
Year 1537 ( MDXXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January
** Bigod's Rebellion, an uprising by Roman Catholics against Henry ...
)
** 22 August – John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Ja ...
, politician (executed) (born 1504
__NOTOC__
Year 1504 (MDIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – French troops of King Louis XII surrender Gaeta to the Spanish, u ...
)
* 1554
** 12 February
***Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
, claimant to the throne of England (executed) (born 1537
__NOTOC__
Year 1537 ( MDXXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January
** Bigod's Rebellion, an uprising by Roman Catholics against Henry ...
)
***Guilford Dudley
Lord Guildford Dudley (also spelt Guilford) ( 1535 – 12 February 1554) was an English nobleman who was married to Lady Jane Grey. King Edward VI had declared her his heir, and she occupied the English throne from 10 July until 19 Ju ...
, consort of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
(executed) (born c. 1535
__NOTOC__
Year 1535 ( MDXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 18 – Lima, Peru, is founded by Francisco Pizarro, as '' Ciudad de l ...
)
** 23 February – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset (17 January 151723 February 1554), was an Kingdom of England, English courtier and nobleman of the Tudor period. He was the father of Lady Jane Grey, known as "the Nine Days' Queen".
Orig ...
, politician (executed) (born 1517
Year 1517 ( MDXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 22 – Battle of Ridaniya: The Holy Ottoman army of the sultan Selim I de ...
)
** 11 April – Thomas Wyatt the Younger
Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (152111 April 1554) was an English politician and rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I; his rising is traditionally called " Wyatt's rebellion". He was the son of the English poet and ambassador Sir Thomas ...
, rebel (executed) (born 1521
1521 ( MDXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1521st year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 521st year of the 2nd millennium, the 21st year ...
)
** 4 August – Sir James Hales
Sir James Hales (c. 1500–1554) was an English people, English judge from Kent, the son of the politician and judge John Hales (died 1540), John Hales. Though a Protestantism, Protestant, he refused to seal the document settling the crown on t ...
, judge (suicide by drowning) (born c. 1550
__NOTOC__
Year 1550 ( MDL) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 6 – Spanish Captain Hernando de Santana founds the city of Vall ...
)
** 25 August – Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (1473 – 25 August 1554) was a prominent English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheade ...
, politician (born 1473
Year 1473 ( MCDLXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events January–December
* February 12, 1473 – The first complete Inside edition of Avicenna's ''The Canon ...
)
** December – John Taylor, Bishop of Lincoln (born 1503
__NOTOC__
Year 1503 ( MDIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 20 – Seville in Castile is awarded exclusive rights to trade wit ...
)
** Sir Hugh Willoughby
Sir Hugh Willoughby (fl. 1544; died 1554) was an English soldier and an early Arctic voyager. He served in the court of and fought in the Scottish campaign where he was knighted for his valour. In 1553, he was selected by a company of London ...
, explorer (in the Arctic Sea
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
)
* 1555
** 4 February – John Rogers, clergyman and Bible translator (burned at the stake) (born c. 1500
Year 1500 (Roman numerals, MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar.
The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, ...
)
** 8 February – Laurence Saunders
Lawrence Saunders (1519 – 8 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr whose story is recorded in ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''.
Early life
Saunders was the son of Thomas Saunders (d. 1528) of Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire, by Margaret, the dau ...
, clergyman (burned at the stake) (born 1500s 1500s may refer to:
* The period from 1500 to 1599, almost synonymous with the 16th century (1501–1600)
* 1500s (decade), the period from 1500 to 1509
{{Letter-NumberCombDisambig ...
)
** 9 February
*** John Hooper, deposed bishop (burned at the stake) (born c. 1497
Year 1497 ( MCDXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 7 (Shrove Tuesday) – Followers of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of ...
)
***Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor (sometimes spelled "Tayler") (6 October 1510 – 9 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions.
At the time of his death, he was Rector of Hadleigh in Suffolk. He was burnt at the stake at ne ...
, clergyman (burned at the stake) (born 1510
Year 1510 ( MDX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January – Catherine of Aragon gives birth to her first child, a stillborn daughter.
* ...
)
** 14 March – John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford
John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (c. 1485 – 14 March 1555) was an English royal minister in the Tudor dynasty, Tudor era. He served variously as Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal. Among the land ...
(born 1485
Year 1485 ( MCDLXXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* Spring – Multiple earthquakes occur near Taishan, China.
* March 16 – A ...
)
** 18 April – Polydore Vergil
Polydore Vergil or Virgil (Italian: ''Polidoro Virgili''; commonly Latinised as ''Polydorus Vergilius''; – 18 April 1555), widely known as Polydore Vergil of Urbino, was an Italian humanist scholar, historian, priest and diplomat, who spent ...
, historian (born 1470
Year 1470 ( MCDLXX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 12 – Wars of the Roses in England – Battle of Losecoat Field: The Ho ...
)
** 25 August – Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (1473 – 25 August 1554) was a prominent English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheade ...
(born 1473
Year 1473 ( MCDLXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events January–December
* February 12, 1473 – The first complete Inside edition of Avicenna's ''The Canon ...
)
** 5 October – Edward Wotton Edward Wotton may refer to:
*Sir Edward Wotton (1489–1551) treasurer of Calais
*Edward Wotton (zoologist) (1492–1552), early English zoologist
*Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton
Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton (1548–1626) was an English dipl ...
, zoologist (born 1492
Year 1492 ( MCDXCII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
1492 is considered to be a significant year in the history of the West, Europe, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Spain, and the Ne ...
)
** 16 October
***Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer ( – 16 October 1555) was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and Bishop of Worcester during the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555 under the Catholic Queen Mary I he was burned at the s ...
, clergyman (burned at the stake) (born c. 1487
Year 1487 ( MCDLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January 29 – Richard Foxe becomes Bishop of Exeter.
* March – Sigismund ...
)
*** Nicholas Ridley, clergyman (burned at the stake) (born c. 1500)
** 12 November – Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip.
Early life
Gardiner was b ...
, bishop and Lord Chancellor (born 1493
Year 1493 ( MCDXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January 19 – Treaty of Barcelona: Charles VIII of France returns Cerdagne a ...
)
* 1556
** 21 March – Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry' ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
(burned at the stake) (born 1489
Year 1489 ( MCDLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 14 – The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to the R ...
)
** 11 August – John Bell, Bishop of Worcester
** 10 November – Richard Chancellor
Richard Chancellor (died 10 November 1556) was an English explorer and navigator; the first to penetrate to the White Sea and establish relations with the Tsardom of Russia.
Life
Chancellor, a native of Bristol, was brought up in the household ...
, Arctic explorer (born c. 1521)
** 23 December – Nicholas Udall
Nicholas Udall (or Uvedale Udal, Woodall, or other variations) (1504 – 23 December 1556) was an English playwright, cleric, schoolmaster, the author of '' Ralph Roister Doister'', generally regarded as the first comedy written in the English ...
, dramatist (born 1504
__NOTOC__
Year 1504 (MDIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – French troops of King Louis XII surrender Gaeta to the Spanish, u ...
)
* 1557
** 28 May – Thomas Stafford aristocrat and rebel (executed) (born c. 1533
__NOTOC__
Year 1533 ( MDXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 25 – King Henry VIII of England formally but secretly marries ...
)
** 16 July – Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...
, queen of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
(born 1515
__NOTOC__
Year 1515 ( MDXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 25 – Francis I of France is crowned (reigns until 1547).
* May 13 & ...
)
** 13 September – John Cheke
Sir John Cheke (or Cheek) (16 June 1514 – 13 September 1557) was an English classical scholar and statesman. One of the foremost teachers of his age, and the first Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, he played a great pa ...
, classical scholar and statesman (born 1514
Year 1514 (Roman numerals, MDXIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 10 – A great fire breaks out, in the Rialto of Venice.
* Marc ...
)
** 25 October – William Cavendish, courtier (born 1505
__NOTOC__
Year 1505 ( MDV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* June 6 – The M8.2–8.8 Lo Mustang earthquake strikes Nepal, causing sev ...
)
** 18 December – Joyce Lewis
Joyce Lewis or Jocasta Lewis (died 1557) was an English Protestant martyr.
Life
She was only daughter of Thomas and Anne Curzon of Croxall in Staffordshire. Her maternal grandfather was Sir John Aston of Tixall. She first married Sir George Apple ...
, gentlewoman, Protestant convert and martyr (burned at the stake)
* 1558
** 31 May – Philip Hoby
Sir Philip Hoby (also Hobby or Hobbye) Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1505 – 31 May 1558) was a 16th-century English people, English Ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire and Flanders.
Early life
He was born probably at Leominster, E ...
, politician (born 1505
__NOTOC__
Year 1505 ( MDV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* June 6 – The M8.2–8.8 Lo Mustang earthquake strikes Nepal, causing sev ...
)
** 17 November
*** Queen Mary I of England
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
(born 1516
__NOTOC__
Year 1516 ( MDXVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January – Juan Díaz de Solís discovers the Río de la Plata (in future A ...
)
*** Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation.
Early life
Pole was born a ...
, Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
(born 1500
Year 1500 (Roman numerals, MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar.
The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, ...
)
*** ''(bur.)'' Hugh Aston
Hugh Aston (also spelled ''Asseton'', ''Assheton'', ''Ashton'', ''Haston''; c. 1485 – buried 17 November 1558) was an English composer of the early Tudor period. While little of his music survives, he is notable for his innovative keyboard a ...
, composer (born 1485
Year 1485 ( MCDLXXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* Spring – Multiple earthquakes occur near Taishan, China.
* March 16 – A ...
)
** 15 December – Thomas Cheney
Sir Thomas Cheney (or Cheyne) Order of the Garter, KG (c. 1485 – 16 December 1558) of the Blackfriars, City of London and Shurland, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, was an English administrator and diplomat, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in South ...
, Lord Warden of the ''Cinque Ports'' (born c. 1485
Year 1485 ( MCDLXXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* Spring – Multiple earthquakes occur near Taishan, China.
* March 16 – A ...
)
* 1559
** 8 March– Thomas Tresham I
Sir Thomas Tresham (died 8 March 1559) was a leading Catholic politician during the middle of the Tudor dynasty in England.
Family
Thomas Tresham was the eldest son of John Tresham of Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire, and Elizabeth Harrington, dau ...
, Catholic politician
** 16 March– Anthony St. Leger, Lord Deputy of Ireland (born 1496
Year 1496 ( MCDXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February – Pietro Bembo's ''Petri Bembi de Aetna Angelum Chalabrilem liber'', a des ...
)
** 10 September – Anthony Denny
Sir Anthony Denny (16 January 1501 – 10 September 1549) was Groom of the Stool to King Henry VIII of England, thus his closest courtier and confidant. He was the most prominent member of the Privy chamber in King Henry's last years, having ...
, confidant of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
(born 1501
Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna.
* March 25 & ...
)
** 18 November – Cuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall (otherwise spelt Tunstal or Tonstall; 1474 – 18 November 1559) was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser. He served as Prince-Bishop of Durham during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edwa ...
, Prince-Bishop of Durham (born 1474
Year 1474 ( MCDLXXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February – The Treaty of Utrecht puts an end to the Anglo-Hanseatic War.
* Mar ...
)
** 20 November – Lady Frances Brandon
Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (née Lady Frances Brandon; 16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559), was an English noblewoman, the second child and eldest daughter of King Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke ...
, claimant to the throne of England (born 1517
Year 1517 ( MDXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 22 – Battle of Ridaniya: The Holy Ottoman army of the sultan Selim I de ...
)
** 31 December – Owen Oglethorpe
Owen Oglethorpe ( – 31 December 1559) was an English academic and Roman Catholic Bishop of Carlisle, 1557–1559.
Childhood and Education
Oglethorpe was born in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England (where he later founded a school), the third son ...
, deposed Bishop of Carlisle
** Approximate date – Leonard Digges, mathematician and surveyor (born c. 1515
__NOTOC__
Year 1515 ( MDXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 25 – Francis I of France is crowned (reigns until 1547).
* May 13 & ...
)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1550s In England