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The 1550s: 1550–1559
1550–1559 · worldwide, all places
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Mary Tudor burned nearly 300 Protestants in three years, then died childless in 1558 and left the crown to Elizabeth. Akbar took the Mughal throne as a thirteen-year-old in 1556, and in Italy Vasari published his Lives of the Artists in 1550, inventing art history as he went.
Mary's burnings of 1555-58 made martyrdom the decade's English memory. Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor follows Lady Jane Grey to the scaffold in 1553, and Mujica Lainez's Bomarzo reconstructs the Orsini court of 1550s Italy. Open the 1550s on the StoryTerra map and explore its stories by place.
8 famous stories set in the 1550s
Live snapshot of the top 8 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 24 books and 1 movie set in the 1550s (1550–1559).
The Lives of the Artists
Packed with facts, attributions, and entertaining anecdotes about his contemporaries, Giorgio Vasari's collection of biographical accounts also presents a highly influential theory of the development of Renaissance…
The Kadin
Abducted from a life of privilege, she was sold into slavery in a distant land. For Lady Janet Leslie there would be no escaping the harem of the wealthy and powerful Sultan Selim. But from the moment the handsome ruler…
Lapwing
Mute young woman Patience from an isolated community in rural England in 1555 struggles with her controlling brother-in-law and leader David who is gradually unraveling after the failure of his idyllic community. The…
Innocent Traitor
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn.I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live. Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s…
Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne
The legend of Elizabeth I, the untouchable, charismatic Virgin Queen, is a powerful and enduring one. Most biographies focus on the years of her reign, during which she proved herself as adept a ruler -- and as shrewd…
Checkmate
For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond…
Bomarzo
En 1958, Manuel Mujica Lainez visitó el bosque sagrado de Bomarzo, poblado de esculturas fabulosas. Su erudición, su infatigable curiosidad por todas las empresas de la imaginación lo impulsaron a ver de cerca ese lugar…
The Perilous Gard
In 1558, while exiled by Queen Mary Tudor to a remote castle known as Perilous Gard, young Kate Sutton becomes involved in a series of mysterious events that lead her to an underground world peopled by Fairy Folk—whose…
The 8 stories above are just a sample of the 25 in the catalogue for this entry. For the live 1550–1559 catalogue, use the button above — or browse the whole 16th century. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
Relevant picks from this decade
Renaissance Rome: 1400–1600 — The rebirth of art, culture, and power in Rome — figures like Michelangelo and Raphael shaping history and storytelling, Borgia popes and Sistine… Explore Renaissance Rome: 1400–1600
Renaissance Venice: 1400–1600 — The jewel of the Renaissance — Venice was a hub for art, politics, and trade, inspiring tales of intrigue, romance, and masked balls in canalside… Explore Renaissance Venice: 1400–1600
Spanish Golden Age: 1500–1700 — A flourishing era of art, literature, and maritime expansion that made Spain a global power — Quixote's windmills, Lope's Madrid stages, Velázquez's… Explore Spanish Golden Age: 1500–1700
Ming China: 1368–1644 — Known for its cultural achievements and exploration, the Ming dynasty influenced East Asia's history and folklore profoundly — treasure fleets,… Explore Ming China: 1368–1644
Mughal India: 1526–1857 — Step into the opulent world of the Mughal Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent for centuries — a golden age of art, architecture, and culture… Explore Mughal India: 1526–1857
Colonial Brazil: 1500–1889 — Portuguese colonial influence shaped Brazil's early culture — rich stories of indigenous peoples, settlers, and revolutions, from captaincies to… Explore Colonial Brazil: 1500–1889
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