1556
| Years | 
|---|
| Millennium | 
| 2nd millennium | 
| Centuries | 
| Decades | 
| Years | 
| 1556 by topic | 
|---|
| Arts and science | 
| Leaders | 
| 
 | 
| Birth and death categories | 
| Births – Deaths | 
| Establishments and disestablishments categories | 
| Establishments – Disestablishments | 
| Works category | 
| 
 | 
| Gregorian calendar | 1556 MDLVI | 
| Ab urbe condita | 2309 | 
| Armenian calendar | 1005 ԹՎ ՌԵ | 
| Assyrian calendar | 6306 | 
| Balinese saka calendar | 1477–1478 | 
| Bengali calendar | 962–963 | 
| Berber calendar | 2506 | 
| English Regnal year | 2 Ph. & M. – 3 Ph. & M. | 
| Buddhist calendar | 2100 | 
| Burmese calendar | 918 | 
| Byzantine calendar | 7064–7065 | 
| Chinese calendar | 乙卯年 (Wood Rabbit) 4253 or 4046 — to — 丙辰年 (Fire Dragon) 4254 or 4047 | 
| Coptic calendar | 1272–1273 | 
| Discordian calendar | 2722 | 
| Ethiopian calendar | 1548–1549 | 
| Hebrew calendar | 5316–5317 | 
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1612–1613 | 
| - Shaka Samvat | 1477–1478 | 
| - Kali Yuga | 4656–4657 | 
| Holocene calendar | 11556 | 
| Igbo calendar | 556–557 | 
| Iranian calendar | 934–935 | 
| Islamic calendar | 963–964 | 
| Japanese calendar | Kōji 2 (弘治2年) | 
| Javanese calendar | 1475–1476 | 
| Julian calendar | 1556 MDLVI | 
| Korean calendar | 3889 | 
| Minguo calendar | 356 before ROC 民前356年 | 
| Nanakshahi calendar | 88 | 
| Thai solar calendar | 2098–2099 | 
| Tibetan calendar | 阴木兔年 (female Wood-Rabbit) 1682 or 1301 or 529 — to — 阳火龙年 (male Fire-Dragon) 1683 or 1302 or 530 | 
Year 1556 (MDLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.