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Contents: political eventshuman rights, social justice energy technology medicine religion literature art theater, film architecture, real estate environment food and drink |
France's queen mother Catherine de' Medici dies of pneumonia at Blois January 5 at age 69; her son Henri III reconciles himself with Henri de Navarre April 3, but nearly a century of civil and foreign war has left France close to ruin. The Catholic party has revolted at news that Henri I de Lorraine, 3rd duc de Guise, and his brother Louis the Cardinal have been murdered by Henri III (see 1588), the king has fled to the Huguenot camp of Henri de Navarre at St. Cloud, outside Paris, and the Dominican monk Jacques Clement murders him there July 31. Henri de Navarre forces recognition of his claims to the throne and will rule until 1610 as Henri IV, founding the Bourbon dynasty that will rule France until 1792 (the king is recklessly promiscuous; his wife, Marguerite d'Angoulême, has long since given up hope of regaining his affections).
The Battle of Arques September 21 ends in victory for Henri IV over the duc de Mayenne, a brother of the late Henri I de Lorraine, 3rd duc de Guise, and new head of the Catholic League (see 1590).
Portuguese pretender Antonio of Crato obtains support from the English and marches on Lisbon, but he is defeated by the Spanish, who struggle to regain their national confidence after the defeat last year of their great armada.
The Danish princess Anne of Denmark, 15, daughter of Frederik II, marries Scotland's James VI, 23.
The German town of Quedlinburg reportedly burns more than 130 witches in a single day. Encouraged by Church dignitaries, witch hunts in many of the German states create hysteria that will continue for much of the next decade.
Coal burning gains widespread popularity at London and other English cities as firewood becomes scarcer and more costly, forcing an end to the ban on burning coal that has existed since the early 14th century (see environment, 1306). Coal comes into the cities by way of ships and canal boats from mines at Newcastle-on-Tyne and in Wales.
English clergyman William Lee invents the first knitting machine. Elizabeth will refuse to grant a patent for his stocking frame, but he will set up his frames at Rouen (see flying shuttle, 1733).
Smallpox reaches East Africa, taking a heavy toll of life as it spreads from village to village.
The Russian Orthodox Church gains independence from Constantinople by the establishment of a separate Russian patriarchate in a move dictated by the swift decline of the Ottoman Empire through the degeneracy of its sultan Murad III and the corruption of its officials.
Theologian Michel de Bay (Michael Baius) dies at Louvain in Brabant Sepember 16 at age 76.
Nonfiction: The principall Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English nation is by geographer Richard Hakluyt, who returned to London from Paris last year upon the outbreak of war with Spain.
Printer Christophe Plantin of 1572 Antwerp Polyglot Bible fame dies at Antwerp July 1 at age 69 (approximate). Forced to pay a ransom to the Spaniards who plundered the city in 1576, he relocated to Leyden as a typographer, returned to Antwerp 4 years ago, and leaves his business to his sons-in-law.
Painting: Holy Family by Lavinia Fontana, who has been commissioned by Spain's Felipe II to paint it for the Escorial Palace that he is completing at Madrid.
Theater: The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe: "Thou has committed—/ Fornication—but that was in another country./ And besides, the wench is dead"; "Count religion but a childish toy,/ And hold there is no sin but ignorance" (x); Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay by English playwright Robert Greene, 31 (year approximate).
Kamurzell House is completed at Strasbourg.
England imports timber from western Norway because what later will be called the British Isles have been so deforested by the national effort to build ships for defense against the Spanish Armada of 1588 (see 1605).
Destruction of forests by the Spanish in New Spain will lead to a water crisis in that country.
Nicolas BruLart, chancellor to Henri IV, begins opening immense vineyards in Sillery-Champagne, north of the Marne. Grapes in the vineyards will be picked no later than 10 o'clock in the morning and the juice will be separated from the black grapes to keep the wine as light as possible. Within a century it will be the palest bronze pink and subjected to slow fermentation as soon as spring temperatures activate the yeast in its unfermented sugar (see Dom Perignon, 1699).
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