In which year did Miguel de Cervantes die?

Miguel de Cervantes died in 1616. The Spanish writer is best known for Don Quixote, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, and his death came shortly after the second volume appeared.

Cervantes is generally believed to have died in Madrid on 22 April 1616, although 23 April was long listed as his death date because it was the day of his burial. That distinction explains why many commemorations connect Cervantes with 23 April, the date associated with World Book Day.

Cervantes’s final years followed a remarkably varied life. He had served as a soldier, fought at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, spent five years in captivity in Algiers, and later worked as a purchasing agent and tax collector. Another common mix-up involves William Shakespeare: both writers died in 1616, but England and Spain used different calendars at the time, so they did not die on the same calendar day.