− | *The [[Dutch East India Company]], under [[Jan Pieterzoon Coen]], and with the help of 80-100 Japanese mercenaries, seizes the Banda Islands. Tired of negotiations with the islanders, Coen has his men slaughter or enslave some 15,000 inhabitants of the islands, and gives the islands, rich in nutmeg, over to Dutchmen and their slaves to work. | + | *The [[Dutch East India Company]], under [[Jan Pieterzoon Coen]], and with the help of 80-100 Japanese mercenaries, seizes the [[Banda Islands]]. Tired of negotiations with the islanders, Coen has his men slaughter or enslave some 15,000 inhabitants of the islands, and gives the islands, rich in nutmeg, over to Dutchmen and their slaves to work. |
| *The [[Taichang Emperor]] takes the throne in China, and reigns only briefly, being succeeded by the [[Tianqi Emperor]] before the end of the year. | | *The [[Taichang Emperor]] takes the throne in China, and reigns only briefly, being succeeded by the [[Tianqi Emperor]] before the end of the year. |