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Stories Set in the 16th century (1500–1599)
1500–1599 · worldwide, all places
Moving through time
Martin Luther's protest split Western Christianity into competing churches, and the split turned violent across Germany, France and the Netherlands. At the same time Spanish and Portuguese fleets built the first global economy on American silver and Asian spices, and the Ottoman Empire under Suleyman reached its greatest extent.
Luther posted his theses in 1517, Cortes destroyed Tenochtitlan in 1521, and Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603. Kurosawa's Ran transplants King Lear to warring 16th-century Japan, and Elizabeth follows the first decades of the queen's reign. Open the 16th century on the StoryTerra map and explore its stories by place.
10 famous stories set in the 16th century
Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 180 books, 159 movies, 9 TV shows and 10 games set in the 16th century (1500–1599).
Ran
With Ran legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in scope the film is Kurosawa's late-life masterpiece a profound…
The Road to El Dorado
After a failed swindle two con-men end up with a map to El Dorado the fabled "city of gold" and an unintended trip to the New World. Much to their surprise the map does lead the pair to the mythical city where the…
EverAfter
A “modern” young woman of the 16th century Danielle is as independent and wise as she is beautiful and kind. Against remarkable odds she stands up to her scheming stepmother and works miracles on the lives of everyone…
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great…
Ugetsu
In 16th century Japan peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of…
Elizabeth
The story of the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First the endless attempts by her council to marry her off the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.
Magnificent Century
At the age of 26, when his reign began, Sultan Süleyman sought to build an empire more powerful than Alexander the Great and to render the Ottomans invincible. Throughout his 46-year reign, his fame as the greatest…
Reign
Mary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.
The Other Boleyn Girl
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn driven by their family's blind ambition compete…
Mary Queen of Scots
In 1561 Mary Stuart widow of the King of France returns to Scotland reclaims her rightful throne and menaces the future of Queen Elizabeth I as ruler of England because she has a legitimate claim to the English throne.…
The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 358 in the catalogue for this entry. For the live 1500–1599 catalogue, use the button above — or browse each decade below. 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.