1585
Antwerp Falls to Parma
After a year-long siege punctuated by floating fire ships and a daring pontoon bridge across the Scheldt, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, took Antwerp for Philip II. Half the population fled north to Amsterdam, carrying their trade connections with them. Amsterdam's golden age began with Antwerp's funeral. The merchant exodus to Amsterdam transferred northern Europe's commercial infrastructure and initiated the Dutch Golden Age.
Roanoke Colony Founded
Walter Raleigh's first Roanoke colony was planted on a sandy island off the Carolina coast under the governor Ralph Lane. Relations with the Secotan soured within months over stolen food and smashed skulls. When Francis Drake sailed past the next spring, the entire colony begged to go home with him.
Akbar Shifts Capital to Lahore
Akbar moved his imperial capital from Fatehpur Sikri, abandoned for lack of water, to Lahore in the Punjab, closer to the northwestern frontier. For thirteen years Lahore would be the center of Mughal power, with massive construction projects transforming the city and the surrounding gardens. The abandoned Fatehpur Sikri, with its exquisite palaces and the Buland Darwaza, survives as one of the world's most haunting ghost cities.
England Treaty of Nonsuch
Elizabeth I signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch rebels, pledging troops and money to defend them against Spain. Philip II interpreted it, correctly, as an act of war. Spanish planners began compiling an inventory of ships and soldiers for a reckoning with England. Elizabeth's open intervention committed England to a continental war that escalated into the Armada crisis three years later.
Harriot Arrives in Virginia
The English mathematician Thomas Harriot accompanied Ralph Lane's colony to Roanoke Island and spent a year learning the Algonquian language, observing native plants, and testing the magnetic compass. His Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, published three years later, was the first English scientific account of North America.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1585?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1585. The most significant is Antwerp Falls to Parma: After a year-long siege punctuated by floating fire ships and a daring pontoon bridge across the Scheldt, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, took Antwerp…
What era was 1585 part of?
1585 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1585?
The curated events from 1585 span Europe, North America and South Asia.