1558

1558 was a year in the 16th century marked by major political changes in England and ongoing European tensions. It occurred during the later phase of the Renaissance and the broader realignments caused by the Protestant Reformation and its countercurrents.

Key events in 1558 include the fall of Calais to France on January 7, which ended England’s centuries-long control of a continental possession and altered the balance of power in northwestern Europe. The year also witnessed the death of Mary I, Queen of England, on November 17, and the accession of Elizabeth I to the English throne on the same day. Elizabeth’s succession would inaugurate the Elizabethan era, a period known for religious settlement, cultural flowering, and increasing maritime activity, even as England’s early efforts to enforce a uniform church structure were developed in the following years.

In France and the broader European context, 1558 was a time of continuing contests between France and the Spanish-led Habsburgs, set against the ongoing changes brought by the Catholic Reformation and political realignments across European states. The papacy, under Paul IV, and various monarchies navigated shifting alliances and conflicts characteristic of mid- to late 16th-century Europe.

The year’s events would influence English foreign and domestic policy for decades, shaping relations with neighboring kingdoms, as well as England’s religious and cultural trajectory under a new monarch.