Year by year · 17th century

1600

1600 in world history: 10 events, 4 births, 6 deaths, 1 work, 16 states founded and 3 that came to an end. 1,064 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 January

    Scotland begins its year on 1 January instead of 25 March

    By decree of James VI, Scotland moved the start of its legal year from Lady Day to 1 January. England did not follow until 1752, so for 150 years the two kingdoms numbered their years differently.

    ScotlandEngland

  2. 17 February

    Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake in Rome

    Condemned by the Inquisition for heresy, the Dominican philosopher was burned in the Campo de' Fiori. His views included an infinite universe with countless worlds; a statue of him now stands there.

  3. 27 August

    Ishida Mitsunari's Western Army besieges Fushimi Castle

    Ishida Mitsunari's Western Army laid siege to Fushimi Castle, held for Tokugawa Ieyasu by a much smaller garrison under Torii Mototada. The castle fell, but its resistance bought Ieyasu time to regroup and eventually win the Battle of Sekigahara.

    Ishida Mitsunari

  4. 6 October

    Peri's Euridice, the oldest surviving opera, is performed

    Jacopo Peri's Euridice was staged at the Pitti Palace in Florence during celebrations for the marriage of Maria de' Medici to Henry IV of France. It is the earliest opera whose music survives complete.

    Florence

  5. 21 October

    Tokugawa Ieyasu wins the Battle of Sekigahara

    Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated a coalition of western lords at Sekigahara, helped by defections mid-battle. The victory led to the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled a largely peaceful Japan for more than 250 years.

    Tokugawa ShogunateBattle of SekigaharaTokugawa Ieyasu

  6. 31 December

    Elizabeth I charters the East India Company

    Elizabeth I granted a monopoly of English trade east of the Cape of Good Hope to a company of London merchants. The East India Company eventually ruled much of India until 1858.

    Cape of Good HopeLondon

  7. Battle

    Battle of Nieuwpoort

    The Battle of Nieuwpoort was fought on 2 July 1600 on the beach and dunes near Nieuwpoort in Flanders, during the Eighty Years' War.

ProfileState916 states with a known seat in 1600Open the atlas at 1600 →

In the profiles

  • Tokugawa ShogunateTokugawa Ieyasu defeats Ishida Mitsunari's western coalition at Sekigahara

Wars and longer events

Born in 1600 4

Died in 1600 6

Works 1

States founded 16

States that came to an end 3

All years → The 17th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1600. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1600
MLA
“1600.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1600. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1600.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1600.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1600’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1600 (Accessed: ).