1556 state leaders - Events of 1557 - 1558 state leaders - State leaders by year

Africa

• Ethiopia - Gelawdewos, Emperor of Ethiopia (1540-1559)
• Kongo - Diogo I, Manikongo (1545 - 1561)
• Sennar -
  1. Abd al-Qadir I (1550/1 - 1557/8)
  2. Abu Sakikin (1557/8 - 1568)
• Songhai Empire - Askia Daoud, Askia of the Songhai Empire (1549-1582)

Asia

• China (Ming Dynasty) - Jiajing, Emperor of China (1521-1567)
• Japan
  • Monarch -
    1. Go-Nara, Emperor of Japan (1526-1557)
    2. Ogimachi, Emperor of Japan (1557-1586)
  • Shogun (Ashikaga) - Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Shogun of Japan (1546-1565)
• Korea (Joseon Dynasty) - Myeongjong, King of Joseon (1545-1567)
• Mughal Empire - Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar, Emperor of the Mughal Empire (1556-1605)
• Ryūkyū Kingdom - Shō Gen, King of Ryūkyū (1556-1572)

Europe

• Denmark-Norway - Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway (1534-1559)
• England - Mary I, Queen of England (1553 - 1558)
• France - Henry II, King of France (1547-1559)
• Holy Roman Empire - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1519 - 1556)
• Hungary -
  • Ferdinand I, Rival King of Hungary (1526-1564)
  • John II Zapolya, Rival King of Hungary (1540-1571)
• Lithuania-Poland - Sigismund II, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1544-1572) and King of Poland (1548-1572)
• Moldavia - Alexandru Lapusneanu, Voivode of Moldavia (1552-1561)
• Navarre - Jeanne III, King of Navarre (1555-1572)
• Portugal -
  1. John III the Pious, King of Portugal (1521-1557)
  2. Sebastian the Desired, King of Portugal (1557-1578)
• Russia - Ivan IV the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow (1533-1547) then Tsar of Russia 1547-1584)
• Scotland Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1567)
• Spain - Philip II, King of Spain (1556-1598)
• Sweden - Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden (1521/1523-1560)
• Venice - Lorenzo Priuli, Doge of Venice (1556-1559)

Middle East and North Africa

• Morocco -
  1. Mohammed ash-Sheikh, Sultan of the Saadi dynasty (1544-1557)
  2. Abdallah al-Ghalib, Sultan of the Saadi dynasty (1557-1574)
• Ottoman Empire - Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1520-1566)
• Safavid Empire - Tahmasp I Shah of Iran (1524-1576)