1554 CE

Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London on charges of working with the organizers of Wyatt's rebellion for the overthrow of Queen Mary of England. Queen Mary I of England marries King Prince Philip of Naples, the only son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and heir to the throne of Spain, at Winchester Cathedral just two days after their first meeting. (Shawwal 15, 961 AH) – At the Battle of Tadla in Morocco, Mohammed ash-Sheikh, ruler of the Saadi dynasty enters the city of Fez and becomes the undisputed sultan. Ali Abu Hassun, last ruler of the Wattasid dynasty, flees.

In the 1550s, the 16th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • 12 April – Mary of Guise is declared Regent of Scotland at a meeting of the Parliament of Scotland in Edinburgh.Scotlandsource

Conflict & Security

  • January 21 – Edward Courtenay, one of the four plotters of Wyatt's rebellion in England, is arrested and reveals that an attempt will be made to overthrow the English government.source
  • January 27 – Wyatt's rebellion begins in England at Maidstone as Sir Thomas Wyatt reads a proclamation that Queen Mary of England’s marriage to King Philip of Spain will "bring upon this realm most miserable servitude, and establish popish religion". Within two days, Wyatt has raised 2,000 soldiers to join his plan to overthrow Queen Mary.source
  • January 30 – Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, one of the English conspirators in Wyatt's rebellion, leads troops from Leicester to Coventry, but the group finds that the gates of the city are closed because the rebellion has been exposed.source
  • February 9 – Thomas Wyatt surrenders to government forces in London.source
  • March 18 – Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London on charges of working with the organizers of Wyatt's rebellion for the overthrow of Queen Mary of England.source
  • May 9 – Elizabeth is released from the Tower of London, although she continues to be confined at home after she is cleared of suspicion of conspiracy to overthrow the government.source
  • June 11 – Italian General Piero Strozzi successfully defends an attack on the Republic of Siena by French troops, led by Cosimo de' Medici at the battle of Pontedera, but suffers a tremendous loss of his own troops in the process.source
  • August 2 – Battle of Marciano: Senese–French forces are defeated by the Florentine–Imperial army.source
  • August 12 – Battle of Renty: French forces led by François, Duke of Guise turn back an invasion of Picardy, by Charles V.source
  • August 12 – Battle of Renty: French forces led by Francis, Duke of Guise turn back an invasion of Picardy by Charles V.Francesource
  • September 13 (Shawwal 15, 961 AH) – At the Battle of Tadla in Morocco, Mohammed ash-Sheikh, ruler of the Saadi dynasty enters the city of Fez and becomes the undisputed sultan. Ali Abu Hassun, last ruler of the Wattasid dynasty, flees.source
  • October 8 – In Peru, an 11-month long rebellion by Francisco Hernández Girón is ended at the Battle of Pucará with the rebels defeated by the Viceroy of Peru near Cuzco.source
  • October 21 – The Plassenburg castle in Bavaria, residence of the ruling House of Hohenzollern in the Principality of Ansbach, is destroyed during the Second Margrave War.source
  • Saadi conquers the Kingdom of Fez.source
  • Exact center year of Counter Reformation.source
  • Rao Surjan Singh becomes ruler of Bundi.source
  • Date unclear – Muhammad Adil Shah succeeds Firuz Shah Suri as Sultan of DelhiIndiasource
  • Gerald FitzGerald, Earl of Kildare and Richard Nugent, Baron Delvin, campaign against Phelim Roc O'Neill of Clandeboye.Irelandsource

Exploration & Expansion

  • November 1 – English captain John Lok, commanding three ships (the Trinitie, the Bartholomew and the John Evangelist), departs from Dartmouth in England to voyage to the Guinea Coast at West Africa.source
  • December 22 – The John Lok expedition reaches Guinea, anchoring at the Sesto River and remains for seven days to begin trading."source
  • Luso-Chinese agreement: Portugal reaches an agreement with the Ming Dynasty of China, to be allowed to legally trade in the province of Guangdong. This agreement is often seen as a starting point of the Portuguese colony of Macau.source

Religion & Belief

  • April 14 – George Dowdall, Archbishop of Armagh, is commissioned to deprive married clergy of their offices.Irelandsource
  • June 29 – Edward Staples, Bishop of Meath, is deprived of his office as being a married priest. The Cistercian William Walsh is appointed to succeed him on 22 November by letters patent.Irelandsource
  • July 25– Queen Mary I of England marries King Prince Philip of Naples, the only son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and heir to the throne of Spain, at Winchester Cathedral just two days after their first meeting.source
  • Mikael Agricola becomes the bishop of Turku.source
  • Date unclear – Firuz Shah Suri succeeds Islam Shah Suri as Sultan of DelhiIndiasource

Economy & Finance

  • The name of the beer brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company is based on a recipe from this date, called "1554."source

Technology & Infrastructure

  • 25 September - The monarch orders the burghers of the capital to finance the building of Naval ships.Swedensource

Crime & Justice

  • Barnaby Skurloke or Skurlog is appointed Attorney-General for Ireland, the first use of the title in place of King's Attorney.Irelandsource
  • John Bathe is appointed Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas following the death of Sir Thomas Luttrell.Irelandsource

Disasters & Accidents

  • January 5 – A great fire breaks out in Eindhoven, Netherlands.source
  • June 11 – A gunpowder explosion triggered by lightning causes fires that destroy much of the city of Luxembourg.source

Culture & Society

  • January 12 (10th waxing of Tabodwe 915 ME) – Bayinnaung is crowned king of the Burmese Taungoo Dynasty at his new capital at Pegu, after a previous coronation on January 11, 1551, and takes the regnal name of Thiri Thudhamma Yaza.source
  • January 25 – São Paulo, Brazil, is founded.source
  • April 12 – Mary of Guise becomes Regent of Scotland.source
  • May 13 – the Earldom of Kildare is revived in favour of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl.Irelandsource
  • 22 May – Date carved as "XXII MAY 1554" on the sill of an armorial panel of George Durie at Rossend Castle.Scotlandsource
  • 28 December – Edinburgh burgh council resolves to produce a play written by William Lauder (poet), probably as a New Year's Day gift to Mary of Guise.Scotlandsource
  • Jephthes, sive Votum, a tragedy by George Buchanan is published in Paris.Scotlandsource

Births

  • January 9 – Pope Gregory XV (died 1623)source
  • January 20 – Sebastian, King of Portugal (died 1578)source
  • February 8 – Marina de Escobar, Spanish nun (died 1633)source
  • March 18 – Josias I, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg (1578-1588) (died 1588)source
  • March 22 – Catherine de Parthenay, French noblewoman and mathematician (died 1631)source
  • March 26 – Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French military leader (died 1611)source
  • March – Richard Hooker, Anglican theologian (died 1600)source
  • June 3 – Pietro de' Medici, Italian noble (died 1604)source
  • July 5 – Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (died 1592)source
  • October 1 – Leonardus Lessius, Jesuit theologian (died 1623)source
  • October 3 – Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, English poet (died 1628)source
  • November 30 – Sir Philip Sidney, English courtier and poet (died 1586)source
  • December 17 – Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (died 1612)source
  • Walter Raleigh, English writer, poet, and explorer (died 1618)source
  • Approximate date – Richard Field, Jesuit (died 1606)Irelandsource
  • William Douglas, 10th Earl of AngusScotlandsource
  • James Lindsay, 7th Lord LindsayScotlandsource

Deaths

  • January 11 – Min Bin, king of Arakan (born 1493)source
  • January 23 – Elizabeth Hussey, Baroness Hungerford, English noblewoman (born 1510)source
  • February 12 – Lord Guildford Dudley, consort of Lady Jane Grey (executed) (born 1536)source
  • February 12 – Lady Jane Grey, claimant to the throne of England (executed) (born 1537)source
  • February 12 – After claiming the throne of England the previous year, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason.source
  • February 21 – Sibylle of Cleves, Electress consort of Saxony (born 1512)source
  • February 23 – Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, English politician (executed) (born c.1517)source
  • March 3 – John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (born 1503)source
  • April 11 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel (executed) (born 1521)source
  • August 25 – Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, English politician (born 1473)source
  • 29 August – Norman Leslie (soldier), veteran of the siege of St Andrews Castle.Scotlandsource
  • September 22 – Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, Spanish conquistador (born c. 1510)source
  • November 22 – Upon the death of his father, Sultan Islam Shah Suri, 12-year-old Firuz Shah Suri becomes the Sultan of the Sur Empire at Delhi, but he is murdered within a few days.source
  • 22 November – Islam Shah Suri, Sultan of DelhiIndiasource
  • December 22 – Alessandro Bonvicino, Italian painter (born 1498)source
  • December – John Taylor, Bishop of Lincoln (born 1503)source
  • Anne de Laval, Viscountess of ThouarsFrancesource
  • Princess Cecilia Vasa, (1539 – 1554), Cecilia was the daughter of Gustav Vasa.Swedensource