1597

1597 was a common year in the late Renaissance and the early modern period, marked by ongoing military conflicts, expanding overseas trade networks, and notable cultural production.

In Korea, during the Imjin War, the Battle of Myeongnyang occurred on 26 October 1597, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin, with a much smaller fleet, defeated a larger Japanese navy, a significant turning point in the war.

In England, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was published in 1597 in a quarto edition, contributing to the playwright’s reputation and the popularity of his works in the era.

In the Dutch Republic, the first expedition to the East Indies completed in 1597 under Cornelis de Houtman demonstrated the viability of a northern sea route for spices and spurred further Dutch ventures that would lead to the creation of the Dutch East India Company in 1602.

In the Arctic, Willem Barentsz’s 1596–1597 voyage to find the Northeast Passage returned to the Netherlands in 1597, marking an early milestone in Arctic exploration.