The world in
What happened in 1597?
10 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Scientific Revolution
In the 16th and 17th centuries, a Scientific Revolution took place in Europe, with breakthroughs in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry, altering the human understanding of nature. It marked the emergence of modern science, breaking with Greek traditions, embracing a mechanistic worldview, integrating mathematics, and emphasizing new evidence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the Protestant Reformation
In 1517, the Protestant Reformation broke out in Western Christianity. Initiated by theologians like Martin Luther, the movement posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and Catholic authority, seeking to return to the roots of Christianity. It marked the beginning of Protestantism, the end of the Middle Ages, and the start of the early modern period.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603, fought between a confederacy of Irish lords led by Hugh O'Neill and Hugh Roe O'Donnell and the English government forces. Centered in Ulster but spreading nationwide, it was part of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and linked to the Anglo-Spanish War and European wars of religion. The 1603 Treaty of Mellifont ended the war; the Irish lords' defeat led to the Flight of the Earls and the Plantation of Ulster.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Anglo-Spanish War breaks out
In 1585, England launched a military expedition to the Spanish Netherlands under the Earl of Leicester, in support of the Dutch rebellion, initiating an undeclared, intermittent conflict with Spain that lasted until 1604.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Construction of the New Mosque Begins
In the late 16th century, the New Mosque in Istanbul was founded in the Eminönü district on the shores of the Golden Horn. After reconstruction and expansion, it became an important imperial mosque of the late Ottoman Empire.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Japanese invasions of Korea break out
In 1592, Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, prompting Ming China to intervene on behalf of Joseon. The conflict lasted until 1598, devastating the Korean Peninsula.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Construction of the Mimizuka
In 1597, the Mimizuka, originally named Hanazuka (Nose Mound), was constructed in Kyoto to bury the severed noses of Koreans and Ming Chinese killed during the Japanese invasions of Korea, serving as a war trophy monument.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Marugame Castle Built in the Edo Period
Marugame Castle was built around the Edo period in Sanuki Province, Shikoku (now Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture), as a hirayamashiro (hilltop castle). Its stone walls, with a total height of about 60 meters, are the highest in Japan. The tenshu (keep) is one of only twelve original wooden keeps built before roughly 1860, and is the smallest among them.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Founding of Paraty
Paraty was founded in the late 16th century on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. It developed as a port and trade hub during the colonial period. In 2019, Paraty was inscribed as a World Heritage site for its well-preserved historic center and natural landscape.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
- Construction of Al-Bakiriyya Mosque
Around 1597, the Ottoman governor of Yemen, Hasan Pasha, oversaw the construction of the Al-Bakiriyya Mosque in Sana'a as a Sunni place of worship. The mosque forms part of the historic quarter of Sana'a, which was later inscribed as a World Heritage site.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1597
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Russian conquest of Siberia
- Beginning of the Columbian Exchange
- Beginning of the Renaissance
- Construction of the Badaling Section of the Great Wall
- Formation of the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests
- Founding of Varlaam Monastery
- Completion of the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge
- Construction of Villa d'Este begins