Major Events
- Jan 2 Spanish force in Ireland surrender to the English army at Kinsdale
- Mar 20 United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms
- May 15 Cape Cod discovered by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold
- May 21 Martha's Vineyard 1st sighted by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold
- Sep 20 Spanish held city of Grave surrenders to Maurice of Orange during Eighty Years' War
- Nov 8 The Bodleian Library at Oxford University is opened
- Dec 5 Giulio Caccini and Ottario Rinuccini's opera "Euridice" premieres at the Pitti Palace, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy)
- Dec 11 Surprise attack by forces of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain repelled by citizens of Geneva. Commemorated since as Fête de l'Escalade.
Did You Know?Born in 1602
- Jan 6 Carl von Rabenhaupt, Bohemian Hussite nobleman, born in Bohemia (d. 1675)
- Feb 9 Franciscus van de Enden, Flemish Jesuit and radical thinker (tutor of Baruch Spinoza), born in Antwerp (d. 1674)
- Feb 14 Pier Francesco Cavalli, Italian opera composer, born in Crema, Lombardy, Republic of Venice (d. 1676)
- Feb 18 Per Brahe (the younger), Swedish soldier (d. 1680)
- Mar 4 Kanō Tan'yū [Kanō Morinobu], Japanese painter (palaces, portraits), born in Kyōto, Japan (d. 1674)
More People Born in 1602
Who Died in 1602
- Feb 3 Paul Melissus [Paul Schede], German poet and composer, dies at 62
- Feb 13 Alexander Nowell, English churchman, dean of St Paul's, dies
- Feb 19 Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercoeur, French soldier, dies at 43
- Feb 25 Everard van Reyd, Dutch historian, dies at about 51
- Mar 11 Emilio de' Cavalieri, Italian composer
More 1602 Deaths
William Shakespeare
Elizabeth I