Directory

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.

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
  • 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

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

  • 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

Economy & Finance

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

Crime & Justice

  • February 12 – After claiming the throne of England the previous year, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason.source

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

Births

  • February 8 – Marina de Escobar, Spanish nun (d. 1633)source
  • March 1 – William Stafford, English courtier and conspirator (d. 1612)source
  • March 18 – Josias I, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg (1578-1588) (d. 1588)source
  • March 22 – Catherine de Parthenay, French noblewoman and mathematician (d. 1631)source
  • March 26 – Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French military leader (d. 1611)source
  • March – Richard Hooker, Anglican theologian (d. 1600)source
  • April 15 – Simon VI, Count of Lippe, Count of Lippe-Detmold (1563-1613) (d. 1613)source
  • June 3 – Pietro de' Medici, Italian noble (d. 1604)source
  • July 5 – Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (d. 1592)source
  • October 1 – Leonardus Lessius, Jesuit theologian (d. 1623)source
  • October 3 – Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, English poet (d. 1628)source
  • October 10 – Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg and Lord of Rheda (d. 1606)source
  • November 30 – Sir Philip Sidney, English courtier and poet (d. 1586)source
  • December 17 – Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (d. 1612)source

Deaths

  • January 2 – João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, Portuguese prince (b. 1537)source
  • January 16 – Christiern Pedersen, Danish humanist (b. c. 1480)source
  • January 23 – Elizabeth Hussey, Baroness Hungerford, English noblewoman (b. 1510)source
  • February 12 – Lord Guildford Dudley, consort of Lady Jane Grey (executed) (b. 1536)source
  • February 12 – Lady Jane Grey, claimant to the throne of England (executed) (b. 1537)source
  • February 21 – Sibylle of Cleves, Electress consort of Saxony (b. 1512)source
  • February 21 – Hieronymus Bock, German botanist (b. 1498)source
  • February 23 – Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, English politician (executed) (b. c.1517)source
  • April 11 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel (executed) (b. 1521)source
  • April 23 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (b. 1523)source
  • September 22 – Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, Spanish conquistador (b. 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
  • December 22 – Alessandro Bonvicino, Italian painter (b. 1498)source
  • December – John Taylor, Bishop of Lincoln (b. 1503)source