On This Day

Historical Events in 1590

  • Feb 26 Mauritius of Nassaus sails to Breda
  • Mar 4 Mauritius of Nassau's ship reaches Breda
  • Mar 6 Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau captures heavily protected city of Breda using a small assault force hidden in a peat barge

Battle of Ivry

Mar 14 Battle of Ivry: French King Henry IV beats Catholic League during French Wars of Religion

King Henry IV of France at the Battle of Ivry
  • Apr 2 States-General appoints earl Mauritius, viceroy of Utrecht
  • May 17 Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.

Historic Event

Jul 6 English admiral Francis Drake takes Portuguese Forts at Taag

Francis Drake
Admiral and Navigator Francis Drake
  • Jul 19 King Philip II's secretary Antonio Perez escapes jail
  • Aug 14 Publication of Christopher Marlowe's play "Tamburlaine the Great" is recorded by Stationers' Company of London (likely first performed 1587)
  • Aug 17 Governor of Roanoke Island colony, John White, returns from England to find no trace of the colonists he had left there 3 years earlier [or Aug 18, 1591]

Historic Event

Aug 30 Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)

Tokugawa Ieyasu
Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

Historic Siege

Sep 5 Alexander Farnese's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris

Henry IV of France
King Henry IV of France
  • Sep 15 Giambattista Catagna elected as Pope Urban VII
  • Sep 27 Pope Urban VII dies 13 days after being chosen as the Pope, making his reign the shortest papacy in history.
  • Dec 5 Niccolo Sfondrati chosen as Pope Gregory XIV

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in history.