1616 facts for kids

This article is about the year 1616.

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	16th century – 17th century – 18th century
Decades:	1580s 1590s 1600s – 1610s – 1620s 1630s 1640s
Years:	1613 1614 1615 – 1616 – 1617 1618 1619

The year 1616 was a time of many important events around the world. People explored new lands, scientists made big discoveries, and famous writers created their best works. It was a year that shaped history in many ways, from new colonies being started to changes in how people understood the universe.

March 11: Galileo assures Pope Paul V that he will not teach Copernican theory

The Dutch establish the colony of Essequibo

1616 (MDCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 1616th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 616th year of the 2nd millennium, the 16th year of the 17th century, and the 7th year of the 1610s decade. As of the start of 1616, the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

Big Events of 1616
Ongoing Events
People Born in 1616
People Who Passed Away in 1616
Images for kids
See also

Big Events of 1616

January to March: New Discoveries and Decisions

January 1 – King James I of England watched a play called The Golden Age Restored. It was a funny play by Ben Jonson about a court favorite who had lost his power. The King liked it so much he asked to see it again on January 6.
January 3 – A new favorite of King James I, George Villiers, became the Master of the Horse. This helped improve horse breeding. He also received a special award and a lot of land later in the year.
January 10 – An English diplomat named Sir Thomas Roe met with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in India. This meeting helped open the door for the British to have a presence in India.
January 12 – The city of Belém, Brazil, was founded by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco. It was built on the Amazon River delta.
January 15 – Explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the Huron, Petun, and Ottawa Native American groups near the Great Lakes. This was his last trip in North America before going back to France. He helped establish New France (Canada).
January 29 – Dutch captain Willem Schouten sailed around the southern tip of South America. He named it Cape Horn after his hometown in Holland.
January – A young boy named António Vieira arrived in Brazil from Portugal. He would later become an important diplomat, writer, and a leader in the Catholic Church. He also protected indigenous peoples in Brazil.
February 1 – King James I of England gave Ben Jonson a yearly payment. This made Jonson the unofficial poet laureate (a special poet for the country).
February 17 – The Manchurian leader Nurhaci declared himself the emperor of China. He started the Later Jin dynasty.
February 19 – The Mayon Volcano in the Philippines had its first recorded eruption. It is the most active volcano in the Philippines.
February 24 – Some Catholic Church experts said that the idea of the Sun staying still was "foolish" and against the Bible.
February 26 – The famous astronomer Galileo Galilei was told by the Catholic Church not to teach that the Earth moves around the Sun. He was warned not to support this idea in any way.
February 28 – After a riot against Jewish people in Frankfurt, Germany, the leader of the mob was executed. Jewish people, who had been forced out of the city, were allowed to return thanks to the Holy Roman Emperor.
March 5 – The book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium by Nicolaus Copernicus, which said the Earth orbits the Sun, was put on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Catholic Church.
March 11
- Galileo Galilei met with Pope Paul V. The Pope promised Galileo protection, and Galileo agreed not to teach the Copernican ideas for several years.
- An English Catholic priest, Thomas Atkinson, was executed in York at age 70.
March 19
- Sir Walter Raleigh, an English explorer, was let out of prison. He was to lead another trip to South America to search for El Dorado.
- A comedy play called The Scornful Lady by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher was published.
March 26–August 30 – English explorer William Baffin explored Baffin Bay while looking for the Northwest Passage. His expedition discovered new areas and reached a record northern latitude.
March 31 – The Mughal Emperor Jahangir gave his wife the title Nur Jahan, meaning 'Light of the World'.
March – A Spanish fleet defeated a Tunisian fleet in Tunisia.

April to June: Treaties and Trials

May 3 – The Treaty of Loudun was signed, which ended a series of rebellions in France.
May 25 – The Earl of Somerset and his wife were found guilty of murder. They were sent to prison instead of being executed. This event made the King's court seem corrupt.
June 12 – Pocahontas (now named Rebecca) arrived in England with her husband, John Rolfe, and their son. They were brought by the colonial governor, Sir Thomas Dale, to help raise money for the Virginia colony.

July to September: Volcanoes and Trade Rules

July 6 – The Manam Volcano in Papua New Guinea had its first recorded eruption. It formed a large island.
July 20 – Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone, an Irish soldier, died in exile in Rome. This ended the "Flight of the Earls" from Ireland.
August 8 – The Tokugawa shogunate in Japan made new rules. They said that foreigners, except for Chinese, could not travel freely or trade outside of the ports of Nagasaki and Hirado.
September 15 – The first free public school in Europe for non-aristocratic children opened in Frascati, Italy.

October to December: Royal Events and New Ideas

October 25 – Dirk Hartog was the second European to land on Australian soil. He left a pewter plate to mark the spot.
October – John Donne became a Reader in Divinity at Lincoln's Inn in London.
November 4 – Prince Charles, the 15-year-old son of King James I of England, was officially made Prince of Wales in London.
November 6 – The collected works of Ben Jonson were published. This was the first time a collection of an English playwright's works was published.
November 13 – Italian artist Guido Reni's famous painting Pietà was placed in a church in Bologna.
November 14 – Sir Edward Coke was removed from his position as Chief Justice by the King.
November 16 – The Tepehuán Revolt began in Mexico. This was a rebellion by the Tepehuán people against Spanish rule.
November 30 – Cardinal Richelieu was named French Secretary of State by King Louis XIII. Richelieu would later make France a stronger, more unified country.
November – René Descartes, at age 20, finished his law studies. He became interested in finding truths from the "great book of the world" instead of just from books.
December 10 – A new law in Scotland created parish schools. The same law also encouraged getting rid of the Gaelic language.
December 22 – A young Indian man was baptized in London and named "Peter." He became the first convert to the Anglican Church from India and later returned as a missionary.
December 25
- "Father Christmas" was a main character in a play by Ben Jonson for King James I of England. This character was later banned by Puritans in England.
- Captain Nathaniel Courthope reached the island of Run in the Moluccas. He made a deal with the people there, making the island part of the English colonial empire.

Other Important Events of 1616

Abbas I of Persia fought against the Georgians and the Ottoman army. He captured Tbilisi and won a battle near Lake Gökçe.
The Collegium Musicum, a music group, was founded in Prague.
Ngawang Namgyal arrived in Bhutan after escaping Tibet. He became an important leader there.
The Swiss Guard became part of the household guard for King Louis XIII of France.
Captain John Smith published his book A description of New England. It described his travels to the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine.
A smallpox or leptospirosis epidemic began among the New England Indians. It sadly killed many people in the region.
The first African slaves were brought to Bermuda, an English colony. They were used to dive for pearls and later to plant tobacco and sugarcane.
Italian scientist Giulio Cesare Vanini published a book with new ideas about nature. He was later executed for his views.
Inigo Jones designed the Queen's House at Greenwich, near London.
William Harvey shared his ideas about the circulation of blood at the Royal College of Physicians. He would publish his ideas later.
The Dutch started their colony of Essequibo in South America (now Guyana). They grew sugar and tobacco there.
Croatian mathematician Faustus Verantius published his book Machinae novae. It showed many new mechanical and technological inventions.
English mathematician Henry Briggs met with John Napier to discuss an efficient way to find logarithms.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque) in Istanbul was completed.
Anti-Christian persecutions happened in Nanjing, China, and Nagasaki, Japan.
The first Thai embassy arrived in Japan.

Ongoing Events

The Uskok War (1615–1618) continued. This was a conflict between the Austrians and Spanish against the Venetians, Dutch, and English.

People Born in 1616

January to March

January 1 – Nabeshima Naozumi, a Japanese lord.
January 13 – Antoinette Bourignon, a French-Flemish mystic.
January 16 – François de Vendôme, Duke of Beaufort, a French soldier.
February 2 – Sébastien Bourdon, a French painter.
February 25 – Isaack Luttichuys, a Dutch painter.
March 1 – Maurizio Cazzati, an Italian composer.
March 13 – Joseph Beaumont, a British academic and poet.

April to June

April 24 – Gustav, Count of Vasaborg, an illegitimate son of King Gustavus Adolphus.
May 19 – Johann Jakob Froberger, a German composer.
May 24 – John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale.
May 25 – Carlo Dolci, an Italian painter.
June 24 – Ferdinand Bol, a Dutch painter and etcher.