Major Events
- Jan 31 Catholic League disbanded
- Apr 17 Albert VII Archduke of Austria occupies Calais
- Apr 24 Pacificatie of Ireland drawn
- May 18 Dutch explorer Willem Barents sets off from Amsterdam on his third expedition to try to find a Northwest passage through the Arctic
- May 26 England, France & Netherlands sign Drievoudig Covenant against Spain
- Jun 22 Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet reaches Bantam (Banten), Java
- Jun 30 English and Dutch fleet begin attack of the Spain fleet moored at Cádiz during the Anglo-Spanish war. Leads also to the looting and burning of the city of Cádiz.
- Jul 5 English fleet under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, captures Cadiz
- Jul 17 At 10:30AM Dutch explorer Willem Barents arrives at Novaya Zemlya (Artic Ocean)
- Aug 3 German astronomer and priest David Fabricius discovers the light variation of Mira (1st variable star)
- More 1596 Events
René Descartes
Francis Drake
William Shakespeare
Elizabeth I
Philip II of Spain