Dashed left edge = started before this timeline ·
Dashed right edge = still ongoing
Events in 1603 2
1603 – 1868Edo periodTokugawa peace, isolation and a flourishing cultureFor over two and a half centuries the Tokugawa shogunate ruled from Edo (Tokyo), enforcing rigid social order and near-total isolation from the outside world (sakoku). The long peace allowed cities, commerce and a vibrant popular culture to flourish — kabuki theatre, ukiyo-e woodblock prints and haiku poetry.
1603Union of the CrownsJames VI of Scotland becomes James I of EnglandThe crowns of England and Scotland were united under one monarch.