Major Events
- May 28 King Philip II dispatches the Spanish Armada under the Duke of Medina-Sidonia from Lisbon, Portugal to invade England
- Jul 29 The "Invincible" Spanish Armada is sighted approaching England, several skirmishes follow forcing the invading fleet to make a long and costly retreat around Scotland and Ireland
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More People Born in 1588
Who Died in 1588
- Jan 17 Qi Jiguang, Chinese general (Ming Dynasty general who led defense against Wokou pirates and the Great Wall), dies at 59
- Feb 9 Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz, most important Spanish admiral of his day, dies at 61
- Feb 10 Joost Sybrantsz Buyck, Amsterdam merchant and regent, dies at about 82
- Feb 24 Johann Weyer, Dutch physician and occultist
- Mar 10 Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar, dies at 54
More 1588 Deaths