Events January–June February 1 – Queen Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, after Mary has been implicated in a plot to murder Elizabeth. Seven days later, on the orders of Elizabeth's privy council, Mary is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle. February 12–24 – Period of exceptionally severe cold in western Europe. April 29 – Singeing the King of Spain's Beard: On an expedition against Spain, English privateer Sir Francis Drake leads a raid in the Bay of Cádiz, sinking at least 23 ships of the Spanish fleet. May 19 – John Davis sets out from Dartmouth, Devon, for a third attempt to find the Northwest Passage. July–December July 22 – Roanoke Colony: A group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off North Carolina, to re-establish the deserted colony. August 18 – According to legend, Saul Wahl is named king of Poland; he is deposed the following day. August 19 – Polish and Lithuanian nobles elect Sigismund III Vasa as their king. August 27 – Governor John White leaves the Roanoke Colony to get more supplies from England. October 1 – Shāh ‘Abbās I "The Great" succeeds as Shahanshah of Iran. October 18 – Landing of the first Filipinos: The first Filipinos in North America land in Morro Bay, near San Luis Obispo in modern-day California. October 20 – Battle of Coutras: Huguenot forces under Henry of Navarre defeat Royalist forces under Anne de Joyeuse, favorite of King Henry; Joyeuse is killed. October 31 – Leiden University Library opens its doors, after its founding in 1575. Date unknown Toyotomi Hideyoshi becomes Daijō-daijin of Japan and concludes the Kyūshū Campaign with the Siege of Kagoshima at which most of Kyushu is surrendered to him; he banishes European Christian missionaries from the province. A severe famine breaks out in Ming dynasty China. The Rose (theatre) is founded in London by Philip Henslowe. The chapbook Historia von D. Johann Fausten, printed by Johann Spies in Frankfurt, is the first published version of the Faust story. Everard Digby's De Arte Natandi, the first treatise on swimming in England, is published. St. Dominic's Church, Macau is established. Hailuoto, an island in the Bothnian Bay, is separated from the grand parish of Saloinen into an independent parish. Births January 2 – Anders Arrebo, Danish writer (d. 1637) January 5 – Xu Xiake, Chinese adventurer and geographer (d. 1641)