1596 deaths

English sailor and privateer (c. 1540 – 1596)

French jurist, witchcraft theorist and political philosopher (1529 or 1530–1596)

Queen regnant of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania

French cryptographer (1523-1596)

Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (1580–82, 1589–91, 1593–95, 1595–96)

Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1547 to 1596

Italian painter and architect (1527-1596)

English poet and dramatist (1556-1596)

French lawyer and scholar (1539-1596)

Hamnet Shakespeare was the only son of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and the fraternal twin of Judith Shakespeare. Hamnet died at the age of 11. Some Shakespearean scholars speculate on the relationship between Hamnet and his father's later play Hamlet, as well as on possible connections between Hamnet's death and the writing of King John, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and Twelfth Night.

Franco-Flemish composer

Spanish academic

Dutch navigator and astronomer

Catholic cardinal (1532-1596)

German botanist and writer

English painter (1540-1596)

British nobleman

daimyo

consort duchess of Montpensier

Italian cardinal (1537-1596)

Last duke of the Principality of Grubenhagen

Spanish general

Franco-Flemish composer

Flemish-Italian painter (1540-1596)

leader of the 1595 slave rebellion in São Tomé and Príncipe, crowned king of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Hetman of Ukrainian Cossack

Scottish bishop (1527–1596)

Ming Dynasty empress

German classical scholar

Cambodian king (1594-1596)

King of the Karkiya dynasty (1537-1596) (r. 1538-1592)

Count of Nassau-Idstein (1568-1596)

Madhavdev (May 1489–1596) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a shakta worshipper, he was converted to Ekasarana Dharma by Sankardev and became his most prominent disciple. He became the religious as well as artistic successor of Sankardeva after the latter's death in 1568. He is known particularly for his book of hymns, the Naam Ghosa, as well as a large selection of songs called Borgeets.

German noble

Cambodian king (1576-1584)

samurai

Portuguese theologist

king of Lan Xang

French writer (1540-1596)

Italian artist (1550-1596)

painter from Italy (1539-1596)

Mistress of Duke of Sweden

English countess

Spanish writer

muslim writer

Italian artist (1570–1596)

poet, wife of Yang Shen

French aristocrat, lady in waiting to Catherine de Medicis, poet, and literary patron

daimyo

Italian agronomist

Italian cardinal

Björn Pétursson (c. 1555–1596) was the only known serial killer in the history of Iceland. He was nicknamed Axlar-Björn, with Axlar being genitive of Öxl, his place of residence.

Italian painter and architect (1526-1596)

Italian humanist (1517-1596)

architect and military engineering (died 1596)

French archbishop

German non-fiction writer (15__-1596)

French noblewoman

Samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period

Portuguese composer