| January 5 | William Louis of Nassau becomes governor/viceroy of Drenthe |
| January 27 | Vatican opens 7 year trial against scholar Giordano Bruno |
| March 23 | English Congressionalist Henry Barrow accused of slander |
| June 28 | Earl Mauritius conquerors Geertruidenberg |
| July 25 | France's Protestant King Henri IV converts to Roman Catholic |
| December 15 | State of Holland grants patent on windmill with crankshaft |
| December 24 | Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed |