The 1550s

Explore 93 historical events from 1550–1559.

1551 475 years ago

Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (born 1520)

Barbara Radziwiłł was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund II Augustus, the last male monarch of the Jagiellon dynasty. Barbara, already w…

Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (born 1520)

1550

Charles IX, king of France (died 1574)

Charles IX was King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II in 1560, and as such was the penultimate mon…

Charles IX, king of France (died 1574)

1550

Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (born 1516)

Tabin-shwë-hti, also called Black Tongue (လျှာနက်မင်း), was King of Burma from 1530 to 1550, and the founder of the First Toungoo Empire. His military campaigns (1534–1549) created…

Tabinshwehti, Burmese king (born 1516)

1550

Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (born 1498)

Jean de Lorraine was the third son of the ruling Duke of Lorraine, and a French cardinal, who was archbishop of Reims (1532–1538), Lyon (1537–1539), and Narbonne (1524–1550), bisho…

Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine (born 1498)