1587
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Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire, February 8 at age 44 by order of her cousin Elizabeth, who has never met Mary face to face but has been persuaded that Mary Stuart's existence poses a continuing threat to the Protestant crown of England (see 1586). Loath to have Mary's blood on her hands, the queen has hinted to Mary's jailers Sir Amias Paulet and Sir Drue Drury that she would be happy if they were to relieve her of the responsibility for the execution, but they have ignored the suggestion; Elizabeth's secretary William Davison, 45, has obtained the queen's signature to the warrant, Lord Burghley has summoned the privy council, and it has decided to carry out the sentence without delay. Mary has worn a crimson petticoat to the scaffold with a view to dying a Catholic martyr. Told that Mary has been executed, Elizabeth becomes irate, says Davison disobeyed her instructions not to part with the warrant, and has him arrested and sent to the Tower of London. Charged with contempt and brought before the Star Chamber March 28, he is acquitted by many of the commissioners of having had any evil intent but is fined 10,000 marks and sentenced to be held prisoner at the queen's pleasure.
Spain's Felipe II prepares an invasion fleet to take the English throne but is delayed by Sir Francis Drake, who makes a preemptive strike April 19 on orders from Elizabeth, sailing into the Bay of Cádiz and burning upwards of 10,000 tons of Spanish shipping, a feat that he will later call "singeing the king's beard" (see 1588).
The last master of the Teutonic Knights in Livonia dies southwest of Riga May 17 at age 75 (approximate). Gotthard Kettler has headed the order since 1559 and directed its secularization; his son Friedrich will make the Knights' territory the duchy of Courland in 1561 and rule as duke until 1641.
Poland's nobility votes August 19 to elect the son of Sweden's Jan III to succeed the late Stephen Báthory (see 1586). Now 21, the Swede will rule Poland until 1632 as Sigismund III in a reign dominated by the Jesuits.
Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, returns to England in August, having failed in his mission to aid the Dutch revolt (see 1585). In violation of Elizabeth's instructions, he has alienated the Dutch and been recalled.
Henri de Navarre wins a victory over the Catholic League October 20 at the Battle of Coutras, but his cousin Henri I de Bourbon, 2nd Prince de Condé, sustains a wound that will prove fatal, and the loss to the Huguenots is only a temporary setback for the Catholic party (see 1588).
Swiss and German troops trying to link up with Henri de Navarre at Vimory and Auneau retreat under pressure from Henri I de Lorraine, 3rd duc de Guise.
Persia's half-blind Shah Mohammed Khudabanda dies after a 9-year reign. He is succeeded by his 30-year-old son, who will reign until 1629 as Abbas I, enlarging his realm considerably. Isfahan becomes capital of Persia by order of the new shah, who undertakes to make the city a showplace of the world; Abbas will give Isfahan so many palaces, mosques, gardens, bridges, and caravansaries that its 600,000 inhabitants will say, "Isfahan is half the world" ("Isfahan nesfe Jahan").
The Japanese civil dictator (kampaku) Toyotomi Hideyoshi invades Kyushu and subjugates the Shimazu family, completing his mastery over the nation's feudal barons (daimyo) (see 1586; unification, 1590).
Navigator John Davis passes through the strait that will bear his name on a third (and final) expedition in quest of a Northwest Passage to the Orient (see 1585). After entering what later will be called Baffin Bay and coasting along western Greenland, where he establishes friendly relations with the eskimos, he reaches Disko Island at about 70° North but still finds no westward opening (see Baffin, 1615).
Virginia Dare is born August 18 on Roanoke Island to the daughter of John White and is the first English child to be born in North America. White lands 150 new settlers including 17 women in the Virginia colony on orders from Sir Walter Raleigh, but the new arrivals land too late to plant crops for fall and winter, so White returns to England for supplies to see them through (see 1586; 1591).
Sir Francis Drake captures the Spanish treasure ship Sao Felipe with her rich cargo of bullion, silks, spices, Chinese porcelains, pearls, and gemstones.
Ergotism reaches endemic levels in the German states, bringing insanity and death to thousands who eat bread made from infected rye (see 1581; 1595).
"Many pregnant women in confinement and small children of noble as well as of common rank are often miserably neglected, injured, harmed, and crippled at the time of the birth or in the following weeks, all through the clumsiness, arrogance, and rashness of the midwives and assisting women," writes German medical practitioner Anna of Saxony (date approximate). "Few sensible midwives are to be found in this country."
Japan's civil dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi discovers the strength of Christianity in Kyushu when his request for a beautiful woman to sleep with is refused. He is told that all the women have embraced Christianity, which continues to gain Japanese converts, including Otama Hosokawa, daughter of the late Gen. Mitsuhido. Furious, Hideyoshi issues an edict July 25 banning Christianity and ordering all Jesuits to leave the country (but see 1593).
"An Epistle of Comfort to the Reverend Priests" by English Jesuit poet-priest Robert Southwell, 26, is a letter of encouragement to fellow Catholics, among them Philip Howard, 30, earl of Arundel, who became a Catholic 3 years ago through the influence of his wife but has been imprisoned for trying to escape from England.
Fiction: A small German chapbook containing the story of a scholarly Doctor Faust who has summoned up the Devil becomes a bestseller and will be translated into many languages. The legendary Faust has appeared as early as the 7th century in one form or another, striking a bargain with the Devil by renouncing his Christian faith in return for the Devil's agreement to answer his questions and comply with his wishes for 24 years; he thereupon takes up a wickedly luxurious life in which he enjoys a harem of beautiful women who include Helen of Troy, but on the last night of the 24 years a terrible storm blows up and the Devil tears the doctor's body apart, claiming his soul (see Theater [Marlowe], 1588; Poetry [Goethe], 1770; Oratorios [Berlioz], 1846; First Performances [Liszt], 1857; First Performances [Schuman], 1862; Opera [Gounod], 1859).
Painting: Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine by Sofonisba Anguissola.
Theater: Tamburlaine the Great by English playwright-poet Christopher Marlowe, 23, is presented in both its parts at London by the Admiral's Men, a theatrical company that was called Lord Howard's Men until 2 years ago. Headed by Philip Henslowe, the company changed its name when its patron, Charles Howard, 1st earl of Nottingham, became lord high admiral: "Threatening the world with high astounding terms/ And scourging kingdoms with his conquering sword" (see politics, 1405); The Spanish Tragedie, Containing the lamentable end of Don Horatio, and Bel-imperia: with the pittifull death of olde Hieronimo by English playwright Thomas Kyd, 29, whose aged Hieronomo is played by actor Edward Alleyn, the same man who plays Marlowe's Tamburlaine. Both plays are swashbuckling dramas that gratify the Elizabethan taste for bloody death, murder, and suicide.
Pope Sixtus V writes that Rome is swarming with vagabonds in search of food as work goes forward to make the city a showplace of baroque palaces and cathedrals (see 1586).
Eggplant is introduced into England (see food and drink [cookbook], 1520). The variety is small, light brown in color, and eggshaped, but the English will generally use the French name aubergine for the vegetable (see 1806).
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