1590s1604

The period spanning the 1590s to 1604 was a transitional era in world history, marked by religious conflict, state-building, and expanding global exchange. In Europe, the religious wars that had dominated the late 16th century began to yield to political settlements. France moved toward consolidation after Henry of Navarre secured the throne and issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, granting limited rights to Huguenots. In England, the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 brought James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, while the long-running Anglo-Spanish War began to wind down, with the Peace of London concluded in 1604.

The era also marked a decisive shift in global commerce and organization. The English East India Company was formed in 1600, and the Dutch East India Company followed in 1602, signaling the rise of joint-stock finance and organized private investment in long-distance trade and the growth of European presence in Asia.

In Asia, military and political realignments accompanied shifting power structures. The Imjin War (1592–1598) saw Japan invade Korea with Ming China providing support to the Korean state, and the conflict ended with a withdrawal of Japanese forces. In Japan, the late Sengoku period culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, a decisive victory for Tokugawa Ieyasu that laid the groundwork for the Tokugawa shogunate and a long period of centralized governance from Edo beginning in 1603.

Across the Atlantic world, European colonization and missionary activity continued to expand, reshaping indigenous economies and cultures as new trade networks and imperial ambitions connected the continents.