1615

1615 was a year in the early modern period that saw significant political transformation in East Asia and ongoing realignments across the world. The most consequential event occurred in Japan, where the Siege of Osaka concluded with the fall of Osaka Castle and the death of Toyotomi Hideyori. The victory by Tokugawa Ieyasu's successors effectively ended the Toyotomi lineage and completed the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, establishing the long peace and isolation of the Edo period.

In Europe, monarchies and principalities continued to navigate the religious and political tensions that followed the Reformation. The year fell a few years before the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War in 1618, a conflict that would redraw the map of Central Europe and alter relations among Christian states. England under James I maintained a policy of cautious diplomacy and patronage of the arts during this period.

Around the world, European colonial powers continued to expand their networks. The Dutch, English, and Portuguese maintained and enlarged trading posts in Asia and the Atlantic, while governments in India, Africa, and the Americas pursued alliances and territorial ambitions characteristic of the early modern globalization.

Scholarly and cultural activity continued in centers of learning, navigation, and science; the era's ongoing exchange of ideas helped shape political and intellectual developments in the decades ahead. 1615 thus sits within a transitional period that set the stage for significant changes in the coming decades.