1587
Abbas I Becomes Safavid Shah
A seventeen-year-old Safavid prince named Abbas, installed on the throne at Qazvin after palace intrigue and the blinding of his father, began cautiously rebuilding a Persia wracked by Uzbek and Ottoman invasions. He would reign for forty-two years and transform Isfahan into one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Mary Queen of Scots Beheaded
In the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle, Mary Stewart was beheaded after twenty years as Elizabeth's unwelcome guest. The first blow glanced off her skull. When the executioner held up her head, her auburn wig came off, revealing a close-cropped gray. Her little dog was discovered cowering under her skirts.
Second Roanoke Colony Lands
John White's colony of one hundred and fifteen settlers, including his pregnant daughter, landed at Roanoke Island to find the earlier fort in ruins. White's granddaughter Virginia Dare became the first English child born in the Americas. White sailed home for supplies. The colony would never be seen alive again.
Hideyoshi Conquers Kyushu
Toyotomi Hideyoshi led an enormous army into Kyushu and subdued the Shimazu clan, forcing them to submit and swear loyalty. Nearly all of Japan was now under his authority. On his way back he issued an expulsion order against Catholic missionaries, which was largely unenforced but ominous. His anti-Christian edict, though initially unenforced, signaled the shift culminating in savage persecutions under the Tokugawa.
Drake Singes the King's Beard
Francis Drake raided the Spanish port of Cadiz and burned dozens of ships being assembled for the invasion of England. He called it singeing the King of Spain's beard. The Armada's departure was delayed by a year. When it came, in 1588, it would come late and unprepared for Atlantic storms.
Drake Raids Cadiz Again
Francis Drake's fleet burned more than thirty Spanish ships at Cadiz and captured enormous quantities of supplies intended for the Armada. The raid delayed Spanish invasion plans by a year. English sailors, newly confident, now believed they could strike Spain itself with impunity. Drake cheerfully called it singeing the King of Spain's beard, and the raid bought England a crucial year to prepare for the Armada.