May - August - An unsuccessful siege of Paris was laid by Henry IV of France. Henry was forced to raise the siege when the Duke of Parma came to the city's relief with a Spanish army.
The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China began to neglect court affairs and granted his court eunuchs unprecedented power by allowing their bureaus the privilege to collect federal taxes from the provinces of China. Court eunuch leaders of the Directorate of Ceremonial would act as virtual, de facto dictators of the state, such as Wei Zhongxian in the 1620s.
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