| February 4 | Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for 1st time near Prague |
| February 8 | Vatican convicts scholar Giordano Bruno to death |
| April 21 | 1st date in James Clavell's novel Shogun |
| July 1 | Prince Maurits' army occupies Newport Flanders, Netherlands |
| July 2 | Battle at Newport: Earl Mauritius van Nassau beats Spanish Army |
| August 6 | Henry IV of France invades Savoy after negotiations break down over Saluzzo, controlled by Savoy since 1588 |
| October 8 | San Marino adopts constitution |
| October 16 | Olivier van Noorts ships reach Philippines |
| October 20 | Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's rulers (shoguns) |
| December 14 | Olivier van Noort sinks Sp galleon San Diego at Bay of Manila, 350 die |
| December 20 | Ottario Rinuccini/Giulio Caccini's opera "Euridice" published |
| December 31 | British East India Company chartered |
