1600

Lore & Background

Events include the Battle of Nieuwpoort on July 2, where the Dutch Republic defeated the Spanish Empire; the Battle of Sekigahara on October 21, which ended the Sengoku period and established the Tokugawa shogunate; and the granting of a Royal charter to the East India Company on December 31. William Gilbert published De Magnete, describing the Earth's magnetic field and beginning modern geomagnetism; he coined the adjective 'electricus'.

Reader's Guide

The year 1600 is a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. Key events include the Dutch victory at Nieuwpoort, the unification of the Danubian Principalities under Michael the Brave, and the premiere of Jacopo Peri's Euridice, the earliest known fully surviving opera.

Did You Know?

• The first Dutch ship to arrive in Japan, the Liefde, anchored in Bungo Province on April 19.
• The Huaynaputina volcano in Peru erupted on February 19, the worst recorded volcanic eruption in South America.
• Sumo wrestling became a professional sport in Japan in 1600.