History
1617
General
Population: 542 Million*
- Entertainment: Writers include Theophile de Viau Pyramus et Thisbe tragedy, Thomas Middleton and William Rowley (comedy), John Calvin (posthumous - collected works)
Art includes Domenichino "Diana's Hunt", Guido Reni "The Deeds of Hercules", Anthony Van Dyck "A Study of Four Negro Heads"
Music includes Biagio Marini (sonata for violin), J.H. Schein (dance suite),
- Fashion: Stuart collars become fashion for men and women
- Food: Improved method for curing tobacco discovered
- Religion: Papal Bull of Leo X
- Science: Willebrord Snellius establishes technique of trigonometrical calculations for cartography
- Deaths: Philosopher Francisco Suarez, Sultan Ahmad I of Turkey, Mathematician Bernardino Baldi, Mathematician John Napier, Pochahontas (smallpox),
Dramatist T'ang Hsien-tsu
Africa
- Dutch buy Goree Island off Cape Verde from the natives
Americas
- Sir Walter Raleigh leaves England on expedition to Guiana and reaches mouth of Orinoco River – searching for El Dorado
Europe
- General: Peace of Stolbovo ends war between Russia and Sweden – Gustavus Adolphus recognizes Czar Michael - returns Novgorod and obtains Karelia
- England: James I makes George Villiers Earl and Duke of Buckingham
Francis Bacon made Lord Keeper
George Villiers earl of Buckingham
James I makes Ben Johnson poet Laureate
- France: End of regency of Maria dé Medici in France as son comes of age
- German States: Martin Opitz founds literary society at Weimar
Heinrich Schutz made Kapellmeister of electoral chapel in Dresden
- Holy Roman Empire: Roman Catholic Ferdinand K of Bohemia elected HRE
- Netherlands: Duytche Academie founded in Amsterdam by Samuel Coster
- Scotland: James I revisits Scotland and meets Scottish parliament
- Spain: Catalonia (Spain) iniundated killing 35,000
- Sweden: Sweden gains Karelia
Middle East
- Ottoman Empire: Death of Ahmad I Sultan of Turkey
General
- Natives: Pochahontas dies of smallpox
East
- Massachusetts: Smallpox outbreak ravages colonies - about 80-90 percent killed of Wampanog tribe - Massasoit survives