First portable watch is created by Peter Henlein of Germany.The Iberian Union in 1598, under Philip II, King of Spain and Portugal

Tags: Timekeeping, Iberian Union, Renaissance, Mechanical Engineering, Portable Devices

in an effort to increase his power. Bolkiah founded the city of Selurong—later named Maynila, on the other side of the Pasig River shortly after takin...

Tags: Political Consolidation, City Founding, Colonialism, Power Struggles

Charles of Ghent (future Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor) was born.

Tags: Habsburg Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Spanish Empire, Renaissance, Monarchy, European Politics, Dynastic Succession, Imperialism

Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire

Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Portuguese Empire, Age of Discovery

Safavid dynasty reunifies Iran and rules over it until 1736. Safavids adopt a Shia branch of Islam.

Tags: Shia Islam, Safavid Dynasty, Dynasty, Religious Conversion, Political Unification, Islamic World, Shah

Death of Isabella I of Castile; Joanna of Castile becomes the Queen.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Castile, Spanish Empire, Isabella I of Castile, Political Transition

Foundation of the Sultanate of Sennar by Amara Dunqas, in what is modern Sudan

Tags: Sultanate, African History, Kingdom, Middle Ages, Nile Valley, Political Formation

Zhengde Emperor ascends the throne of Ming dynasty.

Tags: Ming Dynasty, Emperor, Succession, Chinese History, Imperial China

Sultan Trenggono builds the first Muslim kingdom in Java, called Demak, in Indonesia. Many other small kingdoms were established in other islands to f...

Tags: Islam, Colonialism, Sultanate, Kingdom, Portuguese Empire, Political Formation

Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Discovery, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, European Expansion, Atlantic World

Krishnadevaraya ascends the throne of Vijayanagara Empire.

Tags: Vijayanagara Empire, South India, Empire, Monarchy, Indian History, Succession, Governance

Qutb Shahi dynasty, founded by Quli Qutb Mulk, rules Golconda Sultanate until 1687.

Tags: Dynasty, Sultanate, Political History, Islamic Empires

Vasco Núñez de Balboa, in service of Spain arrives at the Pacific Ocean (which he called Mar del Sur) across the Isthmus of Panama. He was the first E...

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Panama, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, New World, Maritime History

Juan Ponce de León sights Florida and Vasco Núñez de Balboa sights the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Geography, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Conquest

Ascension of Francis I of France as King of France following the death of Louis XII.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Succession, Francis I, Monarchy, French History

The Treaty of London was a non-aggression pact between the major European nations. The signatories were Burgundy, France, England, the Holy Roman Empi...

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Renaissance, European Politics, Balance of Power, International Relations, Burgundy

Mir Chakar Khan Rind leaves Baluchistan and settles in Punjab.

Tags: Migration, Khanate, Regional Politics, Social Change

Death of Emperor Maximilian; Charles I of Austria, Spain, and the Low Countries becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, Emperor, Succession, Habsburgs, Monarchy, Imperialism

The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Foreign Relations

Jiajing Emperor ascended the throne of Ming dynasty, China.

Tags: Ming Dynasty, Emperor, Succession, Imperial China, Dynastic Rule, Rulers

August, Luso-Sundanese Treaty signed between Portugal and Sunda Kingdom granted Portuguese permit to build fortress in Sunda Kelapa.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, Trade, Fortification

Sweden gains independence from the Kalmar Union.

Tags: Independence, Denmark, Monarchy, Nationalism, Union

Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland.

Tags: Exploration, Age of Discovery, Cartography

Ismail I, the founder of Safavid dynasty, dies and Tahmasp I becomes king.Gun-wielding Ottoman Janissaries and defending Knights of Saint John at the ...

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Ottoman Empire, Persian Empire, Succession, Shah, Islamic World, Political Transition

Mughal Empire, founded by Babur.

Tags: Mughal Empire, Babur, Empire, Islamic Empires, Political Consolidation, Delhi Sultanate, Empire Building

The Majapahit Empire fell to Demak, with many fleeing to Bali while Demak, under Sultan Fatah, became the new center of power.

Tags: Majapahit, Sultanate, Majapahit Empire, Islamic Expansion, Political Transition, Succession

Treaty of Zaragoza defined the antimeridian of Tordesillas attributing the Moluccas to Portugal and Philippines to Spain.

Tags: Treaty, Exploration, Colonialism, Treaties, Spice Trade, Geopolitics, Moluccas

Foundation of São Vicente, the first permanent Portuguese settlement in the Americas.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Exploration, Colonialism, Atlantic World

Anne Boleyn becomes Queen of England.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII, Christianity, Marriage, English Reformation, Monarchy, Royal Court

Elizabeth Tudor is born.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, Monarchy, Succession, English Monarchy, Religious Reformation, Henry VIII

Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Colonialism, French Empire, New France, North American History, Political Expansion

The Portuguese in Ternate depose Sultan Tabariji (or Tabarija) and send him to Portuguese Goa where he converts to Christianity and bequeaths his Port...

Tags: Colonialism, Portuguese Empire, Sultanate of Ternate, Conversion, Political Intrigue, Spice Trade, Trade, Religious Conversion

Catherine of Aragon dies in Kimbolton Castle, in England.Territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman (in red and orange)

Tags: Tudor England, Ottoman Empire, Death, Suleiman the Magnificent, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Monarchy, Marriage, Divorce, Catholicism, Succession

In England, Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery and treason.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Adultery, Monarchy, Treason, Political Intrigue

Foundation of Buenos Aires (in present-day Argentina) by Pedro de Mendoza.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, New World

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founds Bogotá.

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, Settlement, Spanish Empire, Conquest

Hernando de Soto explores inland North America.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Age of Exploration, Conquest, Indigenous Peoples, Colonialism, Early American History

Sher Shah Suri founds the Suri dynasty in South Asia, an ethnic Pashtun (Pathan) of the house of Sur, who supplanted the Mughal dynasty as rulers of N...

Tags: Dynasty, Pashtun, Conquest, Mughal Empire, Dynastic Change, Political Transition

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado sights the Grand Canyon.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Geography, Spanish Empire, American Southwest, New World, Conquest, Indigenous Peoples

Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago in Chile.

Tags: Colonization, Chile, Spanish Empire, Conquest, Exploration, Colonialism, Imperialism

Amazon River is encountered and explored by Francisco de Orellana.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Amazon, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, Geography, Colonialism

Akbar The Great is born in the Rajput Umarkot Fort

Tags: Mughal Empire, Rajput, Emperor, Akbar the Great, Political History, Birth

Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the island of Samar and Leyte Las Islas Filipinas honoring Philip II of Spain and became the official n...

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Philip II, Political Geography

Henry VIII dies in the Palace of Whitehall on 28 January at the age of 55.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Renaissance, Christianity, Henry VIII, English History

Francis I dies in the Château de Rambouillet on 31 March at the age of 52.

Tags: French Monarchy, Francis I, French History, Royal Death, Renaissance, Succession, European History

Edward VI becomes King of England and Ireland on 28 January and is crowned on 20 February at the age of 9.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Christianity

Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible is crowned tsar of (All) Russia, thenceforth becoming the first Russian tsar.

Tags: Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, Monarchy, Russian History, Autocracy, Tsardom, Imperialism

Tomé de Sousa establishes Salvador in Bahia, north-east of Brazil.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, Foundation, Capital City, Exploration, Governance

Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London upon the orders of Mary I for suspicion of being involved in the Wyatt rebellion.

Tags: Tudor England, Elizabeth I, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Monarchy, Imprisonment, Succession, Political Intrigue

Camera obscura is first used in Europe by Giambattista della Porta of Italy.

Tags: Optics, Renaissance

Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen Elizabeth I at age 25.

Tags: Monarchy, Queen, Succession, Tudor Dynasty, English Monarchy, Christianity, Renaissance

Floating Dry Dock in Venice, Venetian Republic

Tags: Venetian Republic, Naval Technology, Shipbuilding, Renaissance, Maritime History

Invention of the graphite pencil (in a wooden holder) by Conrad Gesner. Modernized in 1812.

Tags: Writing, Art, Renaissance, Materials Science

Mir Chakar Khan Rind dies at aged 97.

Tags: Khanate, Death, Political Leaders, Governance

Estácio de Sá establishes Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Exploration, Colonialism, Urbanization

Miguel López de Legazpi establishes in Cebu the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines starting a period of Spanish colonization that would last ...

Tags: Colonization, Spanish Empire, Settlement, Spanish Colonization, Colonialism, Age of Exploration, Political Expansion

Spanish settlers outside New Spain (Mexico) colonize Florida's coastline at St. Augustine.

Tags: Colonization, Florida, Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Settlement, New World, Indigenous Peoples

After 45 years' reign, Jiajing Emperor died in the Forbidden City, Longqing Emperor ascended the throne of Ming dynasty.

Tags: Ming Dynasty, Emperor, Succession, Chinese History, Imperial China, Dynastic Cycle, Political Transition

Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Elizabeth I, Tudor Period, Scottish History, English History, Monarchy, Political Intrigue, Imprisonment, Religious Conflict

Gerardus Mercator creates the first Mercator projection map.

Tags: Cartography, Navigation, Geography, Mapping, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Global Trade

Mercator Projection map created by Gerardus Mercator

Tags: Cartography, Mapping, Navigation, Exploration, Maritime Trade, European Colonization

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is created with the Union of Lublin which lasts until 1795.

Tags: Commonwealth, Political Union, Monarchy

Peace treaty signed by Sultan Hairun of Ternate and Governor Lopez De Mesquita of Portugal.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, Ternate, Spice Trade, Sultanate of Ternate, Portuguese Empire

Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi establishes Manila, Philippines as the capital of the Spanish East Indies.

Tags: Colonialism, Spanish Empire, East Indies, Manila, Conquest, Political Expansion, Globalization

Jeanne d'Albret dies aged 43 and is succeeded by Henry of Navarre.

Tags: Succession, Huguenots, French Wars of Religion, Monarchy, Navarre, Religious Conflict

The 9 years old Taizi, Zhu Yijun ascended the throne of Ming dynasty, known as Wanli Emperor.

Tags: Ming Dynasty, Emperor, Succession, Imperial China, Dynastic Succession, Governance

Tahmasp I, Safavid shah, dies.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Shah, Death, Succession, Islamic World

Ki Ageng Pemanahan built his palace in Pasargede or Kotagede.

Tags: Mataram Sultanate, Political Founding, Javanese History

The Union of Arras unifies the southern Netherlands, a foundation for the later states of the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands and Belgiu...

Tags: Political Unification, Union, Habsburgs, Rebellion, Regionalism

The British navigator Sir Francis Drake passes through Maluku and transit in Ternate on his circumnavigation of the world. The Portuguese establish a ...

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Spice Trade, Age of Exploration, European Colonization, Maritime History, Portuguese Empire, Ternate, Ambon

Spain unifies with Portugal under Philip II. The struggle for the throne of Portugal ends the Portuguese Empire. The Spanish and Portuguese crowns are...

Tags: Philip II, Union, Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, Iberian Union, Colonialism, Political Union, Monarchy

Dutch Act of Abjuration, declaring abjuring allegiance to Philip II of Spain.

Tags: Dutch Revolt, Philip II, Independence, Rebellion, Christianity, Political Revolution, Sovereignty

Bayinnaung dies at the age of 65.

Tags: Burma, Monarchy, Burmese Empire, King, Political Leadership, Military Expansion, Succession

Death of Sultan Babullah of Ternate.

Tags: Ternate, Sultanate, Moluccas, Colonialism, Political Leadership

Ki Ageng Pemanahan died. Sultan Pajang raised Sutawijaya, son of Ki Ageng Pemanahan as the new ruler in Mataram, titled "Loring Ngabehi Market" (becau...

Tags: Mataram, Succession, Sultan, Javanese History, Mataram Sultanate, Political Power, Monarchy, Sutawijaya

earliest known reference to the 'sailing carriage' in China.

Tags: Transportation, Maritime History, Mechanical Engineering

Akbar annexes Kashmir and adds it to the Kabul SubahPortuguese fusta in India from a book by Jan Huygen van Linschoten

Tags: Mughal Empire, Kashmir, Expansion, Territorial Expansion, Imperialism, Political History

Colony at Roanoke founded in North America.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Early America, English Empire, Colonialism, English Colonization, Elizabeth I

Mary, Queen of Scots is executed by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Tudor England, Monarchy, Religious Conflict, Scottish History, Elizabeth I, Execution, Succession, English Reformation

The reign of Abbas I marks the zenith of the Safavid dynasty.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Abbas I, Political History, Persian Empire, Shah, Political Leadership, Imperialism, Rise of Empires

Mataram into the kingdom with Sutawijaya as Sultan, titled "Senapati Ingalaga Sayidin Panatagama" means the warlord and cleric Manager Religious Life.

Tags: Sutawijaya, Monarchy, Sultanate, Mataram, Political Formation, Javanese History, Religious Authority

William Lee invents the stocking frame.

Tags: Textile Industry, Industrial Revolution, Mechanization, Manufacturing

Catherine de' Medici dies at aged 69.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Religious Wars, Monarchy

First flush toilet is introduced by Sir John Harrington of England, the design published under the title 'The Metamorphosis of Ajax'.

Tags: Hygiene, Public Health

Galileo Galilei invents a thermometer.

Tags: Galileo Galilei, Scientific Revolution, Instrumentation, Measurement, Physics

Backstaff: Invented by Captain John Davis.

Tags: Navigation, Exploration, Maritime History, Age of Discovery

Abbas I moves Safavids capital from Qazvin to Isfahan in 1598.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Abbas I, Capital City, Governance, Urban Development

The province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México is established in Northern New Spain. The region would later become a territory of Mexico, the New Mexico Ter...

Tags: Colonization, New Mexico, Spanish Empire, Colonialism, Territorial Expansion, American Southwest, Indigenous Peoples

Death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, known as the unifier of Japan.

Tags: Sengoku Period, Unification, Power Struggle, Succession, Daimyo, Feudalism, Shogunate

Michael the Brave unifies the three Romanian countries: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania after the Battle of Șelimbăr from 1599.

Tags: Unification, Romanian History, Principality, Political Geography

Michael the Brave (first unifier of Romania), voivode of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, is assassinated by the order of the Habsburg general Gi...

Tags: Assassination, Romanian History, Habsburgs, Political Intrigue

Panembahan Senopati, first king of Mataram, dies and passes rule to his son Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak.

Tags: Mataram Sultanate, Succession, Monarchy

Two emissaries from the Aceh Sultanate visit the Dutch Republic.

Tags: Diplomacy, Trade, Sultanate, Dutch Republic, Colonialism

Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Tudor Dynasty, Elizabeth I, Political Union

Tokugawa Ieyasu takes the title of shōgun, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate. This begins the Edo period, which will last until 1868.

Tags: Shogunate, Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Feudalism, Samurai, Japanese History, Political Transition, Centralization, Military Dictatorship

1627: The reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir after the death of emperor Akbar.

Tags: Mughal Empire, Akbar the Great, Emperor, Succession, Imperialism

Tokugawa Ieyasu passes the title of shōgun to his son, Tokugawa Hidetada, and "retires" to Sunpu Domain.

Tags: Tokugawa Shogunate, Succession, Edo Period, Feudalism, Centralization, Military Dictatorship

Gunpowder Plot failed in England.

Tags: Political Intrigue, Religious Conflict, Catholicism, Christianity, Conspiracy, Treason

Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak of Mataram establishes control over Demak, former center of the Demak Sultanate.

Tags: Mataram Sultanate, Political Consolidation, Javanese History, Regional Power, Sultanate

Treaty of Vienna ends an anti-Habsburg uprising in Royal Hungary.

Tags: Treaty, Habsburg Monarchy, Rebellion, Religious Conflict, Diplomacy

Willem Janszoon captained the first recorded European landing on the Australian continent, sailing from Bantam, Java, in the Duyfken.

Tags: Age of Discovery, Exploration, Dutch East India Company, Colonialism, Maritime History

Assassination of Stephen Bocskay of Transylvania.

Tags: Assassination, Hungarian History, Habsburg Empire, Rebellion, Ottoman Empire, Nobility

Time of Troubles: Vasili IV becomes Tzar of Russia.

Tags: Time of Troubles, Russian History, Tsar, Monarchy, Succession, Political Instability, Romanov Dynasty, Crisis

Flight of the Earls (the fleeing of most of the native Gaelic aristocracy) occurs from County Donegal in the west of Ulster in Ireland.

Tags: Irish History, Aristocracy

Jamestown, Virginia, is settled as what would become the first permanent English colony in North America.

Tags: Colonialism, English Colonization, Early America, Virginia, British Empire, Exploration, Atlantic World

Telescope: Patent applied for by Hans Lippershey. Actual inventor unknown since it seemed to already be a common item being offered by the spectacle m...

Tags: Optics, Scientific Revolution, Hans Lippershey

Earliest record of an optical telescope.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Optics, Astronomy, Dutch Republic, Hans Lippershey, Telescope, Observation

Quebec City founded by Samuel de Champlain in New France (present-day Canada).

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, French Colonization, New France, Settlement, North American History

King Henry IV of France is assassinated by François Ravaillac.

Tags: Assassination, Monarchy, French History, Political Instability, Religious Conflict

Pedro de Peralta, governor of New Mexico, establishes the settlement of Santa Fe.

Tags: Colonialism, Spanish Empire, New Mexico, Settlement, Governance, Exploration, American Southwest

The Time of Troubles in Russia ends with the establishment of the House of Romanov, which rules until 1917.

Tags: Time of Troubles, Romanov Dynasty, Dynastic Change, Political Instability, Monarchy, Tsar, Ivan the Terrible

Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak of Mataram dies and is succeeded by his son.

Tags: Kingdom of Mataram, Javanese History, Succession, Monarchy, Political Leadership, Sultanate

The last remaining Moriscos (Moors who had nominally converted to Christianity) in Spain are expelled.

Tags: Religious Violence, Counter-Reformation, Spanish Empire, Conquest, Expulsion

Death of retired shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tags: Feudalism, Succession, Samurai

The Defenestration of Prague.

Tags: Thirty Years' War, Religious Conflict, Christianity, Holy Roman Empire, Habsburgs, Political Violence, Diplomacy

Cornelis Drebbel, funded by James I of England, builds the first 'submarine' made of wood and greased leather.

Tags: Naval Technology, Submarine

Compound microscopes, which combine an objective lens with an eyepiece to view a real image, first appear in Europe. Apparently derived from the teles...

Tags: Microscopy, Scientific Revolution, Optics

Appearance of the first compound microscopes in Europe.

Tags: Microscopy, Scientific Revolution, Optics, Scientific Instruments

Deposition and regicide of Ottoman sultan Osman II.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Regicide, Political Instability, Power Struggle, Military

In a notorious but disputed incident, known as the 'Amboyna massacre', ten English and ten Japanese traders are arrested, tried and beheaded for consp...

Tags: Colonialism, East Indies, Spice Trade, Dutch East India Company, British East India Company, Maritime History, Massacre

1642: As chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu centralises power in France.

Tags: Monarchy, Absolutism, French History

Abbas I, the Safavids king, died.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Shah, Succession, Islamic World

Slide rule: invented by William Oughtred

Tags: Mathematics, Scientific Revolution, Tools, Measurement

Birth of Shivaji at Shivneri fort, in present day Maharashtra, India, who later founded Maratha Empire in year 1674.

Tags: Maratha Empire, Shivaji Maharaj, Maharashtra, Political History, Indian History, Regional Power

1639: Japan transforms into "locked country".

Tags: Isolationism, Edo Period, Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Foreign Policy, Trade, Nationalism, Political Control

Emperor Fasilides founds the city of Gondar, which becomes the capital of Ethiopia for the next two centuries.

Tags: Capital City, Imperial History, Monarchy, Political Development

King Charles was compelled to summon Parliament due to the revolt of the Scots.

Tags: English Civil War, Parliament, Royal Authority, Political Crisis, Monarchy

Mechanical calculator. The Pascaline is built by Blaise Pascal.

Tags: Mathematics, Blaise Pascal, Scientific Revolution, Mechanical Devices

5th Dalai Lama swept power in Tibet, he established the theocratic state in Tibet after series battles against regional Kingdoms.

Tags: Tibet, Dalai Lama, Theocracy, Political Consolidation, Buddhism

Louis XIV is crowned King of France. He reigned over the Kingdom of France until his death in 1715, making his reign the longest of any monarch in his...

Tags: Monarchy, French Monarchy, Absolutism, King, Louis XIV, Succession

Sultan Agung of Mataram dies – and is buried at his graveyard at Imogiri.

Tags: Mataram Sultanate, Sultan, Royal Death, Succession, Javanese History

Seven-year-old Mehmed IV becomes sultan.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Monarchy, Succession, Islamic World

The Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War and marks the ends of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire as major European p...

Tags: Peace Treaty, Thirty Years' War, Eighty Years' War, Sovereignty, Balance of Power, Diplomacy, Religious Tolerance, Holy Roman Empire

King Charles I is executed for high treason, the first and only English king to be subjected to legal proceedings in a High Court of Justice and put t...

Tags: English Civil War, Monarchy, Republic, Treason, Execution, Charles I, Parliament, Commonwealth of England, Political Revolution

Vacuum pump: Invented by Otto von Guericke.

Tags: Physics, Experimentation, Scientific Revolution, Mechanics

Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament and replaces it with the Nominated Assembly (also called the Assembly of Saints or Barebones Parliament)...

Tags: English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, Protectorate, Republic, Parliament, Puritans, Political Transition

Pendulum clock: Invented by Christiaan Huygens. It was first conceptualized in 1637 by Galileo Galilei but he was unable to create a working model.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Timekeeping, Clockmaking, Mechanics, Christiaan Huygens, Galileo Galilei

1661: Mehmed Köprülü is Grand Vizier.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Grand Vizier, Administration, Turkish History

Christiaan Huygens develops the first functional pendulum clock based on the learnings of Galileo Galilei.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Timekeeping, Clockmaking, Physics, Mechanics, Galileo Galilei, Instrumentation, Precision

: Sambhaji, the second King of Maratha Empire and eldest son of King Shivaji was born at Purandar Fort on 14 May.

Tags: Maratha Empire, Shivaji, Indian History, Monarchy, Succession, Maharashtra

Birth of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj

Tags: Maratha Empire, Indian History, Political History, Monarchy, Maharashtra, Shivaji Maharaj

After his father Shah Jahan completes the Taj Mahal, his son Aurangzeb deposes him as ruler of the Mughal Empire.

Tags: Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb, Succession, Political Intrigue, Emperor, Imperial Power, Dynastic Conflict

Cromwell dies and his son Richard becomes Lord Protector.

Tags: English Civil War, Commonwealth of England, Monarchy, Republic, Political Transition

Richard Cromwell is pressured into dissolving the Protectorate; the Rump Parliament is restored.

Tags: English Civil War, Protectorate, Commonwealth of England, Monarchy, Republic, Political Instability, Restoration

The Commonwealth of England ends and the monarchy is brought back during the English Restoration.

Tags: Restoration, Monarchy, Commonwealth of England, Political Transition, Parliament, British History

The reign of the Kangxi Emperor of China begins.

Tags: Qing Dynasty, Emperor, Imperial Rule, Succession, Kangxi Emperor, Governance

Mehmed Köprülü dies and is succeeded by his son Ahmed.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Succession, Grand Vizier, Political Power, Military Campaign, Imperial Politics, Governance

Cardinal Mazarin, de facto ruler of France, dies.

Tags: French Monarchy, Louis XIV, Royal Authority, Absolutism, Succession, Regency

Blaise Pascal invents a horse-drawn public bus which has a regular route, schedule, and fare system.

Tags: Transportation, Public Transit, Urbanization, Blaise Pascal, Infrastructure

James Gregory publishes designs for a reflecting telescope.

Tags: Astronomy, Optics, Telescopes, Scientific Revolution, Instrumentation

Friction machine: Invented by Otto von Guericke.

Tags: Electricity, Physics, Experimentation, Scientific Revolution

France takes full political and military control over its colonial possessions in New France.

Tags: Colonialism, French Colonization, New France, French Empire, Royal Authority, Governance, Louis XIV

Maratha King Shivaji signed the Treaty of Purandar with Mughal general Jai Singh I after Battle of Purandar.

Tags: Treaty, Maratha Empire, Mughal Empire, Shivaji, Indian History, Conflict Resolution

The Great Shivaji-Agra Visit.

Tags: Maratha Empire, Mughal Empire, Shivaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb, Political Intrigue, Diplomacy, Military Strategy, Resistance, Indian History

First functional reflecting telescope constructed by Isaac Newton.

Tags: Optics, Isaac Newton, Scientific Revolution, Astronomy, Telescope, Instrumentation

Peace Treaty of Lisbon between Spain and Portugal recognizes Portugal as independent country.

Tags: Treaty, Independence, Diplomacy, European History, Colonialism

The first known operational reflecting telescope is built by Isaac Newton.

Tags: Optics, Telescopes, Isaac Newton, Scientific Revolution, Astronomy, Physics

Lynching of Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis de Witt in the Hague – William III of Orange takes power.

Tags: Political Assassination, Dutch Republic, Religious Conflict, Oligarchy, Regicide

Shivaji founded the Maratha Empire and crowned himself as first Chatrapati of the empire.

Tags: Empire Building, Maratha Empire, Shivaji Maharaj, Indian History, Political History, Monarchy

Kara Mustafa becomes Grand Vizier.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Grand Vizier, Sultanate, Government, Administration, Military Leadership

The Treaty of Nijmegen ends various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sweden, Denmark, the Prince-Bishopric of...

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Diplomacy, Balance of Power, Dutch Republic, Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV, Conflicts

Pressure-cooker: Invented by Denis Papin.

Christiaan Huygens provides the first known description of a piston engine.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Inventions, Engine

Prince Sambhaji crowned himself as the second Chatrapati of Maratha Empire 20 July.

Tags: Maratha Empire, Indian History, Monarchy, Succession, Empire Building

Peter the Great becomes joint ruler of Russia (sole tsar in 1696).

Tags: Russian Empire, Tsar, Monarchy, Succession, Romanov Dynasty, Political Power, Regency

La Salle explores the length of the Mississippi River and claims Louisiana for France.

Tags: Exploration, French Colonization, Louisiana, New France, Colonialism

Siamese revolution of 1688 ousted French influence and virtually severed all ties with the West until the 19th century.

Tags: Revolution, Foreign Relations, Colonialism, Diplomacy

1689: The Glorious Revolution starts with the Dutch Republic invading England, England becomes a constitutional monarchy.

Tags: Glorious Revolution, Constitutional Monarchy, Dutch Republic, William of Orange, James II, Monarchy, Parliament, Political Reform

Bill of Rights gains royal consent.

Tags: Bill of Rights, Monarchy, Parliament, Constitutionalism, Glorious Revolution, Limited Government, Political Reform

William and Mary ascend to the throne over England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Tags: Glorious Revolution, Monarchy, William of Orange, Parliament, Constitutional Monarchy, Succession

The Treaty of Nerchinsk established a border between Russia and China.

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Border Dispute, Qing Dynasty, Geopolitics

Mary II of England dies.

Tags: Queen, Succession, William III, Glorious Revolution, Monarchy

1699: Grand Embassy of Peter the Great to Western Europe.

Tags: Peter the Great, Diplomacy, Westernization, Modernization, Foreign Policy, Travel, European History

Thomas Savery develops a steam-powered water pump: for draining mines

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, Mining, Mechanical Engineering, Energy

Thomas Savery demonstrates his first steam engine to the Royal Society.

Tags: Steam Engine, Industrial Revolution, Scientific Revolution, Royal Society, Energy

The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the Great Turkish War.

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Territorial Changes

Kingdom of Prussia declared under King Frederick I.

Tags: Kingdom, Monarchy, Frederick I, Holy Roman Empire, German History, Political Transformation

Ashanti Empire is formed under Osei Kofi Tutu I.

Tags: Empire, Kingdom, Political Formation, Centralization

Saint Petersburg is founded by Peter the Great; it is the Russian capital until 1918.

Tags: Peter the Great, Capital City, Imperial Russia, Modernization, Tsardom, Empire Building, Urban Planning

The Act of Union is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Tags: Union, Political History, British Isles, Parliament, Monarchy, Governance

After Aurangzeb's death, the Mughal Empire enters a long decline and the Maratha Empire slowly replaces it.

Tags: Mughal Empire, Maratha Empire, Aurangzeb, Decline of Empires, Political Transition, Indian History, Empire Building

The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori

Tags: Music, Musical Instruments, Italian Renaissance, Development, Cultural Impact

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the alcohol thermometer.

Tags: Measurement, Temperature, Scientific Revolution, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Instrumentation

Foundation of the Hotak Empire.

Tags: Empire, Political History, Iranian History, Regional Power

Tuning fork was invented by John Shore

Tags: Inventions, Music, Sound, Instrumentation

Bukhara Khanate dissolves as local begs seize power.

Tags: Khanate, Decentralization, Political Fragmentation, Regional Power

Steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Power, Mining, Energy

Thomas Newcomen builds the first commercial steam engine to pump water out of mines. Newcomen's engine, unlike Thomas Savery's, uses a piston.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, Mining, Energy

The Treaty of Utrecht until War of the Spanish Succession ended after treaties of Rastatt and Baden were established in 1913 after a new British Gover...

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Succession, Diplomacy, European History, Balance of Power, Spanish Empire

1714: Tarabai establishes the rival Maratha Empire government in Kolhapur against Chattrapati Shahu.

Tags: Maratha Empire, Succession, Political Division, Indian History, Regional Power

In Amsterdam, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the mercury-in-glass thermometer, which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the e...

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Measurement, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Mercury thermometer by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Measurement, Temperature, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Physics

Accession of George I, Elector of Hanover, to the throne of Great Britain.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, British History, Constitutional Monarchy, Political Transition

Louis XIV dies, leaving France greatly enlarged but deep in debt; The Regency takes power under Philippe d'Orleans.

Tags: French Monarchy, Regency, Louis XIV, Succession, European History

Establishment of the Sikh Confederacy along the present-day India-Pakistan border.

Tags: Sikhism, Political Fragmentation, Indian History, Mughal Empire, Regional Power

Diving bell was successfully tested by Edmond Halley, sustainable to a depth of 55 ft

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Oceanography

The Netherlands, Britain and France sign the Triple Alliance.

Tags: Alliance, Diplomacy, International Relations, European History, Political Alliances, War of the Quadruple Alliance

Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain (de facto).

Tags: Prime Minister, British Politics, Constitutional Monarchy, Political Development

Kangxi Emperor of China dies.

Tags: Qing Dynasty, Emperor, Imperialism, Succession, Governance

The Treaty of Constantinople is signed, partitioning Persia between the Ottoman Empire and Russia.

Tags: Treaty, Imperialism, Ottoman Empire, Russian Empire, Geopolitics, Partition, Territorial Disputes

Austro-Spanish alliance revived. Russia joins in 1726.

Tags: Alliance, Diplomacy, Great Powers, European Politics, Balance of Power, Treaty, Habsburgs

The Fulani nomads take complete control of Futa Jallon and set up the first of many Fulani jihad states to come.

Tags: Fulani, Jihad, State Formation, Political Islam, Religious Conflict, Nomadic Peoples

The enormous Chinese encyclopedia Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China of over 100 million written Chinese characters in over 800,000 pages i...

Tags: Printing, Movable Type, Encyclopedia, Chinese History, Qing Dynasty, Information Dissemination

Thomas Godfrey and John Hadley independently develop the octant

Tags: Navigation, Astronomy, Scientific Revolution, Maritime History, Exploration

Mahmud I takes over Ottoman Empire after the Patrona Halil revolt, ending the Tulip period.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Succession, Regime Change, Imperial History

Flying shuttle invented by John Kay

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

1799: The Qianlong Emperor of China oversees a huge expansion in territory.

Tags: Qing Dynasty, Emperor, Governance, Expansion, Imperialism, Political History

Governor-General Dirck van Cloon dies, one of many victims of malaria in Batavia.

Tags: Colonialism, Dutch East India Company, VOC, Batavia, Governance, Public Health, Dutch Empire

Nader Shah assumes the title of Shah of Persia and founds the Afsharid dynasty; he rules until his death in 1747.

Tags: Monarchy, Dynasty, Shah, Political Transition, Nader Shah, Iranian History

Lewis Paul and John Wyatt invent the first mechanized cotton spinning machine.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

Frederick the Great comes to power in Prussia.

Tags: Monarchy, Enlightened Absolutism, Frederick the Great, Kingdom, European History, Habsburgs, Military Reform

Marvel's Mill, the first water-powered cotton mill, begins operation in England.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing, Economy

Benjamin Franklin invents the Franklin stove.

Tags: Inventions, Colonial America, Benjamin Franklin, Domestic Life

The First Saudi State is founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud.

Tags: Wahhabism, Political Formation, Islam

17 February, Pakubuwono II establishes a new kraton in Sala village, along with Surakarta Sunanate.

Tags: Political History

John Roebuck invents the lead chamber process.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Chemistry, Manufacturing, Early Technology

Ahmed Shah Durrani founds the Durrani Empire in modern-day Afghanistan.

Tags: Empire, Political Founding, Pashtun

Jacques de Vaucanson perfects the first precision lathe

Tags: Precision Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering

The first clock to be built in the New World (North America) was invented by Benjamin Banneker.

Tags: Clockmaking, Early America, African American History

The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah as Nawab of the Carnatic.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, British Empire, French East India Company, Carnatic Wars, Political Settlement

William Cullen invents the first artificial refrigeration machine.

Tags: Mechanical Engineering

13 February, the Treaty of Giyanti is signed, effectively partitioning the Mataram Sultanate; the VOC recognizes Mangkubumi as Sultan Hamengkubuwana I...

Tags: Treaty, Partition, Sultanate, Colonialism, VOC, Political Division

17 March, Salatiga treaty between Prince Sambernyawa with Pakubuwono III and Hamengkubuwono I further partitions the remnant of Mataram Sultanate; the...

Tags: Treaty, Partition, Sultanate, Colonialism, Javanese History, Mataram Sultanate

John Joseph Merlin invents the first Roller skates.

Tags: Transportation, Recreation, Sport

George III becomes King of Britain.

Tags: Monarchy, British Empire, Succession, American Revolution

Zand dynasty is founded in Iran.

Tags: Dynasty, Iranian History, Political History, Zand Dynasty, Shia Islam

The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth chronometer of John Harrison

Tags: Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Innovation, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Measurement

Marine chronometer invented.

Tags: Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Revolution, Exploration, Clockmaking, Age of Discovery, Precision Engineering

1796: Reign of Catherine the Great of Russia.

Tags: Monarchy, Tsardom, Enlightened Absolutism, Imperialism, Catherine the Great, Romanov Dynasty

James Hargreaves invents the spinning jenny.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing, Mechanization

James Watt enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new steel technologies

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Steel Production, Manufacturing

James Watt invents the improved steam engine utilizing a separate condenser.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Manufacturing, Energy

The Stamp Act is introduced into the American colonies by the British Parliament.

Tags: Colonialism, Taxation, British Empire, American Revolution, Parliament, Protest, Representation

Christian VII becomes king of Denmark. He was king of Denmark to 1808.

Tags: Monarchy, Danish History, Succession, Political History

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invents the first steam-powered vehicle capable of carrying passengers, an early car.

Tags: Steam Engine, Automobile, Transportation, Industrial Revolution

Richard Salter invents the earliest known design for a weighing scale.

Tags: Measurement, Industrial Revolution, Trade

James Cook claims the East Coast of Australia (New South Wales) for Great Britain.

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, British Empire, New South Wales, James Cook, Imperialism, Indigenous Australians

Richard Arkwright and his partners build the world's first water-powered mill at Cromford.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

The Kalmyk Khanate dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand Kalmyks migrate back to Qing Dzungaria.

Tags: Migration, Imperialism, Colonization, Khanate, Qing Dynasty, Russian Empire, Nomadic Peoples

Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.

Tags: Monarchy, Coup d'état, Political Reform, Enlightened Absolutism, Gustav III, Absolutism, Royal Power

1795: The Partitions of Poland end the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.

Tags: Partition, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Territorial Division, Geopolitics

Reformer Johann Friedrich Struensee executed in Denmark.

Tags: Enlightenment, Denmark, Monarchy, Execution, Royal Court, Reform

16 December, the Boston Tea Party.

Tags: American Revolution, Colonialism, Protest, Taxation, British Empire, Independence, Revolution

John Wilkinson invents his boring machine, considered by some to be the first machine tool.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Machine Tools, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering

John Harrison H4 and Larcum Kendall K1 marine chronometers are used to measure longitude by James Cook on his second voyage (1772–1775).

Tags: Exploration, Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Instruments, James Cook, Age of Exploration

Jesse Ramsden invents the modern screw-cutting lathe.

Tags: Manufacturing, Industrial Revolution, Precision, Machine Tools, Mechanization

Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the Zaporizhian Cossacks of Ukraine.

Tags: Russian Empire, Cossacks, Autonomy, Imperialism, Sovereignty

First improved steam engines installed by James Watt

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Manufacturing, Energy

Steamboat invented by Claude de Jouffroy

Tags: Transportation, Steam Power

John Wilkinson invents a mechanical air compressor that would become the prototype for all later mechanical compressors.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering, Inventions, Mining, Manufacturing

Several kongsi republics are founded by Chinese settlers in the island of Borneo. They are some of the first democracies in Asia.

Tags: Republic, Democracy, Governance

The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Tags: American Revolution, Independence, Declaration, Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson

Circular saw invented by Samuel Miller

Tags: Woodworking, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, American History

Robert Barron invents the first lever tumbler lock.

Tags: Security, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Revolution

James Cook becomes the first European to land on the Hawaiian Islands.

Tags: Exploration, European Colonization, Indigenous Peoples, British Empire, Hawaii, James Cook, Discovery, Maritime History

Franco-American alliance signed.

Tags: American Revolution, Diplomacy, International Relations, Warfare, Treaty

Spain acquires its first permanent holding in Africa from the Portuguese, which is administered by the newly-established La Plata Viceroyalty.

Tags: Colonialism, Imperialism, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, Territorial Acquisition, Political Administration

Vietnam is reunified for the first time in 200 years by the Tay Son brothers. The Tây Sơn dynasty has been established, terminating the Lê dynasty.

Tags: Dynasty, Unification, Political Transition, Civil War

Tây Sơn dynasty was established in Vietnam.

Tags: Dynasty, Monarchy, Civil War

The Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand is dissolved after a palace coup.

Tags: Political History, Monarchy, Thai History, Succession, Military

Claude de Jouffroy builds the first steamboat.

Tags: Steam Power, Transportation, French Revolution

Joseph-Ralf and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier build the first manned hot air balloon.

Tags: Aeronautics, Flight, Transportation

Louis-Sébastien Lenormand invents and uses the first modern parachute.

Tags: Flight

The Treaty of Paris formally ends the American Revolutionary War.

Tags: American Revolution, Treaties, Diplomacy, Independence, Warfare, Nationalism

Russian Empire annexes the Crimean Khanate.

Tags: Imperialism, Expansionism, Geopolitics, Russian Empire, Ottoman Empire, Annexation, Catherine the Great

Bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin

Tags: Inventions, Optics, Benjamin Franklin, Medicine, American History

Argand lamp invented by Aimé Argand

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Lighting

Power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Mechanization, Manufacturing, Economic History

Automatic flour mill invented by Oliver Evans

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Automation, American History

Threshing machine invented by Andrew Meikle

Tags: Agriculture, Industrial Revolution

Frederick the Great dies without issue and is succeeded as King of Prussia by his nephew, Frederick William II.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Frederick the Great, German History, Dynasty

The Tuareg occupy Timbuktu until the 19th century.

Tags: Timbuktu, Political Control, Pre-Colonial Africa, City-State, Governance

1788: The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Tags: Political Theory, American Revolution, United States Constitution, Federalism, Political Philosophy, Early Republic, Founding Fathers

The United States Constitution is written in Philadelphia and submitted to the states for ratification.

Tags: Constitution, Founding Fathers, Federalism, Republicanism, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, American Revolution, Political Philosophy

Kansei Reforms instituted in Japan by Matsudaira Sadanobu.

Tags: Edo Period, Shogunate, Political Reform, Economic Policy, Social Order, Feudalism, Japanese History, Governance

First permanent European settlement established in Australia by Britain at Sydney.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Exploration, Settlement, New South Wales, Indigenous Australians

New Hampshire becomes the 9th state to ratify the United States Constitution, and by the terms of Article VII it takes effect.

Tags: Constitution, Federalism, American Revolution, Political History, Early Republic, Founding Fathers

1789: Inconfidência Mineira, conspiracy against the colonial authorities in Brazil.

Tags: Colonialism, Independence Movements, Conspiracy, Portuguese Empire, Taxation, Mining, Political Instability

George Washington is elected the first President of the United States; he serves until 1797.

Tags: American Revolution, Presidency, George Washington, Founding Fathers, Federalism, Early Republic, Political Leadership, Constitution

The Liège Revolution.

Tags: Revolution, Enlightenment, Political Reform, French Revolution, Absolutism

The Brabant Revolution.

Tags: Revolution, Independence, Enlightenment, Political Upheaval, Monarchy, Republic

The Inconfidência Mineira, an unsuccessful separatist movement in central Brazil led by Tiradentes

Tags: Colonialism, Independence Movements, Separatism, Portuguese Empire

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen adopted.

Tags: French Revolution, Human Rights, Enlightenment, Natural Rights, Liberty, Equality

Great Britain and Spain dispute the Nootka Sound during the Nootka Crisis.

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Territorial Disputes, Diplomacy, Pacific Northwest, Trade, British Empire, Spanish Empire, Exploration

Thomas Saint invents the sewing machine.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Inventions, Textiles, Manufacturing, Patents

The United States of Belgium is proclaimed following the Brabant Revolution.

Tags: Revolution, Independence, Political Upheaval, Confederation, Failed State

Establishment of the Polish-Prussian Pact.

Tags: Alliance, Diplomacy, European Politics, Military Alliance

The Constitutional Act (or Canada Act) creates the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada in British North America.

Tags: British Empire, Constitutionalism, Colonialism, Governance, Upper Canada, Lower Canada

The United States Bill of Rights is ratified.

Tags: Bill of Rights, Constitution, Civil Liberties, Human Rights, Political History, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Legal History, Federalism

Claude Chappe invents the modern semaphore telegraph.

Tags: Communication, Telegraphy, French Revolution

King Gustav III of Sweden is assassinated by a conspiracy of noblemen.

Tags: Monarchy, Assassination, Political Intrigue, Gustav III, Nobility, Conspiracy, Enlightened Absolutism

March, Hamengkubuwana I dies.

Tags: Javanese History, Monarchy

Eli Whitney invents the modern cotton gin.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Slavery, Textile Industry, Economy, Agriculture, United States History

Former King Louis XVI of France and his wife Marie Antoinette are guillotined. Louis is executed in January, Marie Antoinette in October.

Tags: French Revolution, Regicide, Monarchy, Republic, Radicalism

Jay's Treaty is concluded between Great Britain and the United States, by which the Western outposts in the Great Lakes are returned to the U.S. and c...

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, International Relations, Commerce, Territorial Disputes, Early Republic, George Washington

Qajar dynasty founded in Iran after replacing the Zand dynasty.

Tags: Dynasty, Monarchy, Political Transition, Zand Dynasty

Joseph Bramah invents the hydraulic press.

Tags: Manufacturing, Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering

Establishment of the French-backed Batavian Republic in present-day Netherlands.

Tags: French Revolution, Republic, Napoleonic Wars, Political Transformation, Nationalism, Enlightenment

Pinckney's Treaty between the United States and Spain grants the Mississippi Territory to the U.S.

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Territorial Expansion, Foreign Policy

Alois Senefelder invents the lithography printing technique.

Tags: Printing, Communication, Art, Mass Production

Trinidad put under British rule.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Imperialism, Territorial Expansion, Napoleonic Wars, Geopolitics

Samuel Bentham invents plywood.

Tags: Woodworking, Manufacturing, Industrial Revolution

John Adams is inaugurated on March 4 as President of the United States following the 1796 United States presidential election. The peaceful transfer o...

Tags: Presidency, Inauguration, Political Transition, Federal Government, George Washington, Early Republic

Napoleon's invasion and partition of the Republic of Venice ends over 1,000 years of independence for the Serene Republic.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Revolution, Republic, Annexation, Political Transition, European History

The Lithographic printing process invented by Alois Senefelder

Tags: Printing, Communication, Industrial Revolution, Mass Production, Art

George Medhurst invents the first motorized air compressor.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing

The first paper machine is invented by Louis-Nicolas Robert.

Tags: Paper, Printing, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Communication, Mass Production

Coup of 18 Brumaire - Napoleon's coup d'etat brings the end of the French Revolution.

Tags: Coup d'état, French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, Military, Dictatorship, Consulate

Death of the Qianlong Emperor after 60 years of rule over China. His favorite official, Heshen, is ordered to commit suicide.

Tags: Qing Dynasty, Emperor, Imperial China, Corruption, Succession, Political Intrigue

Napoleon stages a coup d'état and becomes First Consul of France.

Tags: French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, Coup d'état, Consulate, Dictatorship

Alessandro Volta invents the voltaic pile, an early form of battery in Italy, based on previous works by Luigi Galvani.

Tags: Electricity, Battery, Physics

On 1 January, the bankrupt VOC is formally dissolved and the nationalized Dutch East Indies are established.

Tags: Colonialism, Dutch Empire, VOC, East Indies, Nationalization, Political Transition, Global Trade, Imperialism

American politician Alexander Hamilton begins publishing the New York Evening Post as the Federalist "Vehicle" for their news.

Tags: Media, Early Republic, Freedom of the Press

Thomas Jefferson elected President of the United States by the House of Representatives, following a tie in the Electoral College.

Tags: Presidential Election, Thomas Jefferson, Early Republic, Legislative Branch

The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merge to form the United Kingdom.

Tags: British Empire, Nationalism, Political Consolidation, Irish History, Legislation

Ranjit Singh crowned as the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.

Tags: Sikh Empire, Indian History, Monarchy, Political Consolidation

Alexander I of Russia becomes tsar after the assassination of his father.

Tags: Russian Empire, Tsar, Monarchy, Succession, Imperialism, Political Instability

Humphry Davy invents the arc lamp (exact date unclear; not practical as a light source until the invention of efficient electric generators).

Tags: Electricity, Lighting, Experimentation, Industrial Revolution

William Cobbett begins weekly Political Register

Tags: Journalism, Radicalism, Freedom of the Press

William Symington demonstrates his Charlotte Dundas, the "first practical steamboat".

Tags: Transportation, Industrial Revolution

The United States almost doubles in size when it buys out France's territorial claims in North America in the Louisiana Purchase. This begins the Amer...

Tags: Westward Expansion, Territorial Acquisition, Manifest Destiny, American History, Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Thomas Jefferson

First steam locomotive begins operation.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Transportation, Steam Power

Joseph Marie Jacquard develops his automated Jacquard loom.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Automation, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering

Richard Trevithick invents the steam locomotive.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Power, Transportation

Haiti gains independence from France and becomes the first black republic.

Tags: Independence, Revolution, Colonialism, French Revolution, Toussaint Louverture, Self-determination

Austrian Empire founded by Francis I.

Tags: Austrian Empire, Francis I, Holy Roman Empire, Monarchy, Political Consolidation, Habsburgs, Empire

Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Empire, Coronation, French Revolution, Monarchy, European History, Imperialism

1805–1848: Muhammad Ali modernizes Egypt.

Tags: Modernization, Ottoman Empire, Muhammad Ali, Political Reform, Military Reform, Nation Building, Imperialism

Holy Roman Empire dissolved as a consequence of the Treaty of Pressburg.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon Bonaparte, German Confederation, Political Transformation, European History, Sovereignty

Napoleon makes brother Joseph Bonaparte king of Naples & brother Louis Bonaparte king of Holland.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Wars, French Empire, Monarchy, European Politics, Political Restructuring, Imperialism

Cape Colony becomes part of the British Empire.

Tags: British Empire, Colonialism, Expansionism, Imperialism, Napoleonic Wars, Cape Colony, Political Control

Nicéphore Niépce invents an early internal combustion engine capable of doing useful work.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Engine, Mechanization, Energy

François Isaac de Rivaz designs the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine fuelled by hydrogen.

Tags: Transportation, Automobile, Internal Combustion Engine

Robert Fulton expands water transportation and trade with the workable steamboat.

Tags: Transportation, Steam Power, Trade, Industrial Revolution

Britain and the United States separately make the Slave Trade a criminal act.

Tags: Slavery, Abolition, Transatlantic Slave Trade, Legislation, Human Rights

First treaty of Tilsit: Russia allies with France against Britain in the War of the Fourth Coalition

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, Treaty, Alliance, Diplomacy, Napoleon Bonaparte

Second treaty of Tilsit: Napoleon reorganizes Eastern Europe; rump Prussia becomes ally.

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, Treaty, Diplomacy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Geopolitics, Alliances

Herman Willem Daendels the Governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (1808–1811) begin the construction of Java Great Post Road.

Tags: Infrastructure, Dutch East Indies, Colonialism, Transportation

Sierra Leone becomes British colony.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Imperialism, Political History, Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery, Governance, Sierra Leone

Napoleon invades the Papal States and adds it to French Empire, making his young son the King of Rome.

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, French Empire, Catholicism, Annexation, Political Intrigue, European History, Expansionism, Continental System

Napoleon strips the Teutonic Knights of their last holdings in Bad Mergentheim.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Wars, Teutonic Order, Holy Roman Empire, Territorial Changes, German History, Political Reform, Military Occupation

Nicolas Appert invents the canning process for food.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Logistics

Abraham-Louis Breguet creates the first wristwatch.

Tags: Luxury Goods

Friedrich Koenig invents the first powered printing press, which was also the first to use a cylinder.

Tags: Printing, Industrial Revolution, Mass Production, Communication

May 14: Paraguay declares independence from the Spanish empire (recognized May 15).

Tags: Independence, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Nation Building, South American History

William Reid Clanny pioneered the invention of the safety lamp which he improved in later years. Safety lamps based on Clanny's improved design were u...

Tags: Mining, Safety, Industrial Revolution

British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated.

Tags: Assassination, British Politics, Prime Minister, Political Violence, Napoleonic Wars

William Hedley's Puffing Billy demonstrates power of steam locomotives.

Tags: Steam Engine, Transportation, Industrial Revolution, Mining

James Fox invents the modern planing machine, though Matthew Murray of Leeds and Richard Roberts of Manchester have also been credited at times with i...

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing

Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Empire, Abdication, Exile, Monarchy, Coalition Wars, European History, Political Transition

The Congress of Vienna redraws the European map. Reaction and conservatism dominate all of Europe. The Concert of Europe attempts to preserve this set...

Tags: Restoration, Conservatism, Nationalism, Liberalism, Geopolitics, European History