1596 to 1599

Society

1596. A Basque whaling captain Francois Sopite Zabrur devises the world's first factory ship. He builds a brick furnace on his deck and extracts whale oil from blubber which he has boiled down aboard ship, a procedure far more economical than dragging whale carcasses to shore factories.

Literature

Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare. British. 1596. Play. Lovers are victims of a deadly feud between their families, the Montagues and the Capulets.

The Famous History of the Seven Champions of Christendom. Richard Johnson. British? 1596. Romance. National patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain and Italy.

Henry IV, Part I. William Shakespeare. British. 1597/98. Play. Hotspur, Prince Hal, and Falstaff. Hal defeats the rebels and kills Hotspur, saving his father's life.

Henry IV, Part II. William Shakespeare. British. 1597/98. Play. Rebels, promised redressed grievances if they will disband, are killed by John of Lancaster, the king's second son. Hal is named king. He repudiates Falstaff and his misspent youth.

Society

1598. The Edict of Nantes issued April 15 by France's Henri IV gives Protestant Huguenots equal political rights with Catholics.

Literature

Titus Andronicus. William Shakespeare. British. 1598. Play. Based on Senecan models. Human sacrifice, rape, mayhem, tongue cut out, hands cut off. Everyone kills everyone else. The survivor is proclaimed emperor.

Much Ado About Nothing. William Shakespeare. British. 1598. Play. Conspiracy against Claudio. Attempt to discredit his betrothed. The warring Beatrice and Benedick become betrothed through the schemes of their friends.

Edict of Nantes. Henry IV of France. French. 1598. Decree. Decree establishing limited religious toleration in France. Revoked in 1685.

The Merry Wives of Windsor. William Shakespeare. British. 1598. Play. Falstaff tries to seduce two wealthy wives and they have great fun at his expense.

The Life of King Henry V. William Shakespeare. British. 1598/99. Play. Henry wins the battle of Agincourt in 1415. He wins Catherine of Valois and is recognized as the heir of the French throne.

Society

1599. The New World has an estimated 900,000 black slaves.

1599. The Globe Theatre is opened as a summer playhouse on London's Bankside by William Shakespeare and some partners.

Literature

Julius Caesar. William Shakespeare. British. 1599. Play. Conspiracy against Julius Caesar in which he is assassinated. Defeat of the conspirators by Antony and Octavius Caesar. The key is Antony's speech in which he pretends to be a friend of the conspirators but turns the crowd against them.

Old Fortunatus. Thomas Dekker. British. 1599. Play. The goddess Fortune offers a beggar inexhaustible riches. They bring nothing but trouble.

Crabbed Age and Youth. Anonymous. British. 1599. Poetry. Series of antitheses between youth and age. Elizabethan lyric.