History by century · The 1500s

The 16th century

In the 1500s, 1,279 recorded states existed somewhere in the world. 377 were founded and 298 came to an end. The great powers of the age included the Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Empire and the Crown of Castile.

ProfileState876 states with a known seat in 1550 CESee 1550 CE in the atlas →

Great powers

Profiles of the 16th century, ranked by their military, territorial, economic and historical weight in the Institute’s analysis and by how strong they were in these hundred years.

Key events

All 177 battles, wars and treaties of the 16th century →

People

Works and ideas

States founded 377

Show all 377

States that came to an end 298

Show all 298

On this day

Year by year 90

The years of the 16th century with a page of their own: their events, births and deaths, and the states founded and ended.

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). The 16th century. In The Epoch Institute. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/16th-century
MLA
“The 16th century.” The Epoch Institute, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/16th-century. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “The 16th century.” The Epoch Institute. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/16th-century.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘The 16th century’, The Epoch Institute. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/16th-century (Accessed: ).