Years: 1550 1551 1552 - 1553 - 1554 1555 1556

Decades: 1520s 1530s 1540s - 1550s - 1560s 1570s 1580s

Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century

Events

• June 26 - Christ's Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter
• July 6 - Edward VI of England dies
• July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days
• July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey willingly abdicates
• August 2 - Battle of Marciano . French forces invading Italy under Marshal Blaise de Monluc are defeated by an imperial army under the Marquis of Marignano and are forced to retreat into Siena, which is besieged by the imperialial forces.
• August 3 - Queen Mary arrives in London
• August 22 - Duke of Northumberland, supporter of Jane Grey, executed
• Battle of Sievershausen - Elector Maurice of Saxony defeats the catholic forces of Margrave Albert of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. Maurice is mortally wounded.
• Russia, Opening of the maritime way of the White sea by the British captain Chancellor, beginning of the trade with the England
• Shanghai is fortified for the first time.
• Michael Servetus is burned in Geneva because he denies the Trinity

Births

• May 14 - Margaret of Valois, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1615)
• July 15 - Archduke Ernest of Austria
• December 13 - King Henry IV of France (d. 1610)
• Luca Marenzio, Italian composer
• Giovanni Florio, Italian-English writer, translator of Montaigne

Deaths

• February 25 - Hirate Masahide, Japanese retainer and the tutor of Oda Nobunaga
• July 6 - King Edward VI of England