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The 1590s: 1590–1599
1590–1599 · worldwide, all places
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Shakespeare wrote most of his great comedies and histories in this decade for a London public that packed the new Globe. Henri IV took Paris in 1594 and issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, while in Korea Admiral Yi smashed Japanese fleets with turtle ships.
1597 was Yi Sun-sin's year at Myeongnyang, outnumbered thirteen ships to more than a hundred. The Admiral: Roaring Currents recreates that battle, and The Merchant of Venice stages its bond-and-courtroom plot in the 1596 of the play's first performance. Open the 1590s on the StoryTerra map and explore its stories by place.
9 famous stories set in the 1590s
Live snapshot of the top 9 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 12 books and 6 movies set in the 1590s (1590–1599).
The Merchant of Venice
Venice 1596. Bassanio begs his friend Antonio a prosperous merchant to lend him a large sum of money so that he can woo Portia a very wealthy heiress; but Antonio has invested his fortune abroad so they turn to Shylock…
The Admiral: Roaring Currents
The film mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea 1592-1598 where the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin managed to destroy a total of 133 Japanese warships with only 13…
King Henry IV, Part 1
David Scott Kastan lucidly explores the remarkable richness and the ambitious design of King Henry IV Part 1 and shows how these complicate any easy sense of what kind of play it is. Conventionally regarded as a history…
Hansan: Rising Dragon
In 1592 admiral Yi Sun-sin and his fleet face off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon the…
Henry IV, Part 2
The stirring continuation of the themes begun in Henry IV, Part One again pits a rebellion within the State and that master of misrule, Falstaff, against the maturing of Prince Hal. Alternating scenes between bawdy…
Much Ado About Nothing
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare includes two quite different stories of romantic love. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost at first sight, but an outsider, Don John, strikes out at their happiness. Beatrice and…
Sauna
It is 1595. Brutal wars have just ended in an uneasy peace between Protestant Sweden and Orthodox Russia. We focus on the spiritual defeats of two conquered Finnish brothers one a hardened near-psychopathic war hero the…
Warriors of the Dawn
A crown prince emerges as a leader during the war between Korea and Japan in 1592.
The Conspiracy of Torture
In 1599 Italy Beatrice Cenci is the teenage daughter of the crazed landowner and nobleman Francesco Cenci who keeps his daughter locked up in the dungeon of his castle and sexually abuses her as well. Beatrice then…
The 9 stories above are just a sample of the 18 in the catalogue for this entry. For the live 1590–1599 catalogue, use the button above — or browse the whole 16th century. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
Relevant picks from this decade
Elizabethan Britain: 1558–1603 — The vibrant and tumultuous era under Queen Elizabeth I — flourishing arts including Shakespeare's plays, bold sea voyages, and the dramatic defense… Explore Elizabethan Britain: 1558–1603
Renaissance Rome: 1400–1600 — The rebirth of art, culture, and power in Rome — figures like Michelangelo and Raphael shaping history and storytelling, Borgia popes and Sistine… Explore Renaissance Rome: 1400–1600
Renaissance Venice: 1400–1600 — The jewel of the Renaissance — Venice was a hub for art, politics, and trade, inspiring tales of intrigue, romance, and masked balls in canalside… Explore Renaissance Venice: 1400–1600
Spanish Golden Age: 1500–1700 — A flourishing era of art, literature, and maritime expansion that made Spain a global power — Quixote's windmills, Lope's Madrid stages, Velázquez's… Explore Spanish Golden Age: 1500–1700
Ming China: 1368–1644 — Known for its cultural achievements and exploration, the Ming dynasty influenced East Asia's history and folklore profoundly — treasure fleets,… Explore Ming China: 1368–1644
Mughal India: 1526–1857 — Step into the opulent world of the Mughal Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent for centuries — a golden age of art, architecture, and culture… Explore Mughal India: 1526–1857
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