On This Day
·

First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies

First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies

First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies

Events Before

  1. United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) is formed and granted a monopoly on all Dutch sea-borne trade with Asia

    United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) is formed and granted a monopoly on all Dutch sea-borne trade with Asia

  2. Spanish forces in Ireland surrender to the English army at Kinsale

    The Fourth Spanish Armada, also known as the Last Armada, was a military expedition sent to Ireland that took place between August 1601 and March 1602 towards the end of Anglo-Spanish war.

  3. Cape Cod discovered by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold

    Cape Cod discovered by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold

  4. Martha's Vineyard is first sighted by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold

    Martha's Vineyard is first sighted by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold

  5. Spanish held city of Grave surrenders to Maurice of Orange during Eighty Years' War

    The siege of Grave was a siege that took place between 18 July and 20 September 1602, as part of the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War.

Events After

  1. Siege of Ostend ends after Dutch and English forces surrender the city, allowing Ambrosio Spinola's Spanish army to reca

    Siege of Ostend ends after Dutch and English forces surrender the city, allowing Ambrosio Spinola's Spanish army to recapture the devastated city and end one of the bloodiest sieges in history that caused an estimated 100,000 casualties

  2. Count Maurits' army lands at Cadzand

    Count Maurits' army lands at Cadzand

  3. Leon VII Spanish poet's first poem is published: La Cocina

    Leon VII Spanish poet's first poem is published: La Cocina

  4. Pierre Dugua de Monts reaches Cap La Hève (La Have) on the Nova Scotia coast, on his way to establish Arcadia, the first

    Pierre Dugua de Monts reaches Cap La Hève (La Have) on the Nova Scotia coast, on his way to establish Arcadia, the first successful permanent settlement in New France

  5. Spanish garrison of Aardenburg surrenders to Mauritius

    Spanish garrison of Aardenburg surrenders to Mauritius

More from the 1600s

Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is pub

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid

English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia at the Safavid royal court

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across...

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster comma

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; the journey lasts nearly 16 months

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 18, 1603?
First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies

Explore More

December 18 in HistoryYear 1603