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

Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome.Siege of Fiľakovo castle during the Long Turkish War

Tags: Catholicism, Military, Religious Violence, Heresy, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Inquisition, Martyrdom

On February 17 Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake by the Inquisition.

Tags: Renaissance, Inquisition, Heresy, Religious Violence, Martyrdom, Catholicism, Astronomy, Philosophy

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

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

Gunpowder Plot failed in England.

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

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

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

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

Maximilian of Bavaria establishes the Catholic League.

Tags: Religious Conflict, Catholicism, Holy Roman Empire, Thirty Years' War, Counter-Reformation, Christianity, League, Maximilian I

King Henry IV of France is assassinated by François Ravaillac.

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

The first publication of the King James Bible.

Tags: Bible, Christianity, Translation, English Literature, Religious Texts, Printing Press

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

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

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

The Defenestration of Prague.

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

The Brownist Pilgrims arrive in the Mayflower at Cape Cod.

Tags: Colonial America, Early American History, English Reformation, Massachusetts

Deposition and regicide of Ottoman sultan Osman II.

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

Maffeo Barberini is elected Pope Urban VIII at the Papal conclave of 1623.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious History, Counter-Reformation, Italian Renaissance

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

Tags: Monarchy, Absolutism, French History

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican completed.

Tags: Catholicism, Renaissance, Baroque, Vatican City, Architecture, Religious Buildings, Counter-Reformation, Art

Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Catholicism, Inquisition, Heliocentrism, Astronomy, Trial, Galileo Galilei, Religious Violence

Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul is formed.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Orders, Charity, Social Reform, Philanthropy

Dutch Bible published.

Tags: Religion, Bible, Translation, Christianity, Printing Press, Religious Texts

The first opera house, Teatro San Cassiano, opens in Venice.

Tags: Opera, Music, Theatre, Baroque, Entertainment, Artistic Innovation

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

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

Mezzotint engraving introduces grey tones to printed images.

Tags: Art History, Visual Arts, Artistic Innovation

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

Giovanni Battista Pamphili is elected Pope Innocent X at the Papal conclave of 1644.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Leadership, Counter-Reformation

Giacomo Torelli of Venice, Italy invents the first rotating stage.

Tags: Theater, Renaissance, Baroque, Performance Art

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

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

1661: Mehmed Köprülü is Grand Vizier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chateau de Versailles becomes the primary royal residence of Louis XIV; Saint-Gobain produced glass for the Hall of Mirrors.

Tags: French Monarchy, Louis XIV, Baroque, Architecture, Art History, Glassmaking, Royal Court, French History

Edict of Fontainebleau outlaws Protestantism in France. King Charles II dies.

Tags: Religious Violence, Christianity, Huguenots, Absolutism, Counter-Reformation

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

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

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

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

George Frideric Handel's first opera, Almira, premieres.

Tags: Opera, Baroque, Music, Handel, Theatre, German Culture, Musical Composition

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

Rinaldo, Handel's first opera for the London stage, premiered

Tags: Opera, Music, Baroque, Handel, Theatre, Performance Arts

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

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

Pope Clement XI declares Catholicism and Confucianism incompatible.

Tags: Catholicism, Confucianism, Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Missionary Work, Cultural Exchange

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 bans Christian missionaries because of Pope Clement XI's decree.

Tags: Christianity, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Emperor, Missionaries, Papal Authority, Religious Conflict, Cultural Exchange

Peter I reforms the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tags: Religious Reform, Peter the Great, Tsarist Russia, Church and State, Imperialism

Brandenburg Concertos by J.S. Bach

Tags: Baroque Music, Classical Music, Composition, Music History, Johann Sebastian Bach, Orchestral Music

The Four Seasons, violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, composed

Tags: Baroque, Music, Classical Music, Composition, Cultural Heritage, Orchestral Music

St John Passion by J.S. Bach

Tags: Baroque Music, Classical Music, Johann Sebastian Bach, Religious Music, Musical Composition, Christianity, Art History

Austro-Spanish alliance revived. Russia joins in 1726.

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

St Matthew Passion composed by J.S. Bach

Tags: Baroque Music, Classical Music, Religious Music, Oratorio, Christianity, Music Composition

Zadok the Priest is composed by Handel for the coronation of George II of Great Britain. It has been performed at every subsequent British coronation.

Tags: Music, Classical Music, Baroque Period, Coronation, Handel

1735: Charles Wesley and John Wesley begin Methodism in England.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Revival, Great Awakening

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

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

1760: The First Great Awakening takes place in Great Britain and North America.

Tags: Religious Revival, Christianity, Evangelicalism, Religious Reform, George Whitefield, Colonial America, Social Impact

Hippolyte et Aricie, first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau

Tags: Opera, Baroque, Music, Theatre, Performance Arts

Pope Clement XII issues In eminenti apostolatus, prohibiting Catholics from becoming Freemasons.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Doctrine, Excommunication, Secret Societies, Enlightenment, Religious History

Turlough O'Carolan, famous Irish harper, dies.

Tags: Music, Folk Music

Frederick the Great comes to power in Prussia.

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

Goldberg Variations for harpsichord published by Bach

Tags: Music, Baroque Period, Classical Music, Johann Sebastian Bach, Composition, Cultural Heritage

Messiah, oratorio by Handel premiered in Dublin

Tags: Baroque, Music, Oratorio, Handel, Dublin, Christianity, Performing Arts, Composition, Cultural Impact

Mass in B minor by J.S. Bach assembled in current form

Tags: Baroque, Music, Classical Music, Composition, Johann Sebastian Bach, Religious Music