- Jan 14 Church authorities in Rome burn Hebrew books
- Jan 17 France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
- Feb 8 Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, leads an unsuccessful revolt in London against Queen Elizabeth
- Feb 13 Fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on their 1st voyage from London, led by Sir James John Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; journey takes nearly 16 months
- Feb 25 Robert Devereux, English 2nd Earl of Essex, executed for treason against the Crown of England
- Apr 23 Dutch Fifth Expedition sets sail from the Dutch Republic for Sumatra, and the Moluccas to trade in spices
- Jul 30 Spanish garrison of Rhine birch surrenders to Earl Mauritius
- Aug 6 Spanish garrison of Meurs surrender to earl Mauritius
- Aug 27 Olivier van Noort completes first Dutch circumnavigation of the globe, returning home after two years but with little success at trading or taking Spanish possessions
- Sep 27 Dutch Moluccan fleet of the Fifth Expedition, under command of Wolfert Harmensz, land on Mauritius suffering from scurvy, where they hunt and document the dodo [1]
- Oct 21 Memorial service for Daitokuji's Shinju held for Ikkyu Sojun in Kyoto
Imperial Mathematician
Oct 24 Johannes Kepler succeeds Tycho Brahe as imperial mathematician to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II
- Nov 24 Earl Mauritius ceases siege of De Bosch due to strict monarchy
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