1556
| Millennium: | 2nd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 15th century – 16th century – 17th century |
| Decades: | 1520s 1530s 1540s – 1550s – 1560s 1570s 1580s |
| Years: | 1553 1554 1555 – 1556 – 1557 1558 1559 |
| Gregorian calendar | 1556 MDLVI |
| Ab urbe condita | 2309 |
| Armenian calendar | 1005 ԹՎ ՌԵ |
| Assyrian calendar | 6306 |
| Balinese saka calendar | 1477–1478 |
| Bengali calendar | 963 |
| Berber calendar | 2506 |
| English Regnal year | 2 Ph. & M. – 3 Ph. & M. |
| Buddhist calendar | 2100 |
| Burmese calendar | 918 |
| Byzantine calendar | 7064–7065 |
| Chinese calendar | 乙卯年 (Wood Rabbit) 4252 or 4192 — to — 丙辰年 (Fire Dragon) 4253 or 4193 |
| Coptic calendar | 1272–1273 |
| Discordian calendar | 2722 |
| Ethiopian calendar | 1548–1549 |
| Hebrew calendar | 5316–5317 |
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1612–1613 |
| - Shaka Samvat | 1477–1478 |
| - Kali Yuga | 4656–4657 |
| Holocene calendar | 11556 |
| Igbo calendar | 556–557 |
| Iranian calendar | 934–935 |
| Islamic calendar | 963–964 |
| Japanese calendar | Kōji 2 (弘治２年) |
| Javanese calendar | 1475–1476 |
| Julian calendar | 1556 MDLVI |
| Korean calendar | 3889 |
| Minguo calendar | 356 before ROC 民前356年 |
| Nanakshahi calendar | 88 |
| Thai solar calendar | 2098–2099 |
| Tibetan calendar | 阴木兔年 (female Wood-Rabbit) 1682 or 1301 or 529 — to — 阳火龙年 (male Fire-Dragon) 1683 or 1302 or 530 |
1556 (MDLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday in the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Sunday in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
Events
- January 23 – Most devastating recorded earthquake in Shaanxi, China. Over 850,000 deaths.
Births
- January 8 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (died 1623)
- February 21 – Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (d. 1615)
- March 7 – Guillaume du Vair, French statesman and philosopher (died 1621)
- June 6 – Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche (died 1625)
- November 15 – Jacques-Davy Duperron, French cardinal (died 1618)
- Henry Briggs, English mathematician (died 1630)
- Margaret Clitherow, English Catholic martyr (died 1586)
- Shibata Katsutoyo, Japanese military commander (died 1583)
- Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese military commander (died 1583)
- Ahmad Baba al Massufi, Sudanese writer and political leader
- James Melville, Scottish divine and reformer (died 1614)
- Maria of Nassau, second daughter of William the Silent (died 1616)