1600

1600 was a leap year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In the historical timeline, it is commonly considered the first year of the 17th century.

One of the major events of 1600 was the Battle of Sekigahara in Japan (October 21), where Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Ishida Mitsunari, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate and paving the Edo period.

On the economic front, December 31, 1600, the English Parliament granted a royal charter to the English East India Company to trade with Asia, marking a key development in European expansion and global trade networks.

Culturally and scientifically, the early 1600s saw ongoing shifts from late Renaissance principles toward Baroque aesthetics and an intensifying scientific revolution, affecting art, architecture, navigation, and mapmaking, and contributing to an era of European overseas exploration and colonization.

While the year contained diverse regional events across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, it did not have a single unifying global event, but it is often cited for marking the consolidation of centralized powers in several regions and the expansion of international trade.