World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

17th century

  2. 1632 – c. 1653★★★★★

    Construction of the Taj Mahal

    Mughal emperor Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal at Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it becomes the emblem of Mughal architecture.

    ArtCulture· India
  3. 1639 – 1853★★★★★

    Japan's sakoku isolation policy

    The shogunate expels the Portuguese and severely restricts foreign contact, allowing only Dutch and Chinese trade at Nagasaki.

    PoliticsEconomy· Japan
  4. 1642 – 1651★★★★★

    English Civil War

    A series of conflicts between the Royalists of Charles I and the Parliamentarians, ending in victory for Parliament under Oliver Cromwell.

    WarRevolution· United Kingdom, Ireland
  5. January 8, 1642★★★★★

    Death of Galileo Galilei

    Galileo dies at Arcetri near Florence, where he had been under house arrest since his trial by the Inquisition in 1633.

    DeathScience· Italy
  6. November 1642 – December 1642★★★★★

    Abel Tasman reaches Tasmania and New Zealand

    The Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first known European to reach Tasmania and New Zealand.

    Exploration· Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands
  7. December 25, 1642★★★★★

    Birth of Isaac Newton

    Isaac Newton, founder of classical mechanics and co-inventor of calculus, is born at Woolsthorpe, England.

    BirthScience· United Kingdom
  8. April 1644★★★★★

    Fall of the Ming; Qing enters Beijing

    Li Zicheng's rebels take Beijing and the Chongzhen Emperor dies by suicide; weeks later Qing forces enter the city and begin their rule of China.

    WarDynasty· China
  9. October 24, 1648★★★★★

    Peace of Westphalia

    The treaties of Westphalia end the Thirty Years' War and lay foundations for the modern concept of state sovereignty.

    Treaty· Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, France
  10. January 30, 1649★★★★★

    Execution of Charles I

    Convicted of high treason, King Charles I is beheaded at Whitehall, London, and England becomes a republic.

    PoliticsDeathRevolution· United Kingdom
  12. May 29, 1660★★★★★

    Stuart Restoration

    The monarchy is restored in England, Scotland and Ireland as Charles II returns to London to take the throne.

    PoliticsDynasty· United Kingdom
  13. 1662★★★★★

    Koxinga expels the Dutch from Taiwan

    After besieging Fort Zeelandia, Koxinga forces the Dutch East India Company to surrender and establishes the Kingdom of Tungning.

    War· Taiwan, Netherlands
  14. September 2, 1666 – September 6, 1666★★★★★

    Great Fire of London

    A fire starting in a bakery on Pudding Lane destroys much of the medieval City of London, including Old St Paul's Cathedral.

    Disaster· United Kingdom
  16. 1676★★★★★

    Leeuwenhoek observes microorganisms

    Using microscopes of his own making, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek describes single-celled organisms in water and reports them to the Royal Society.

    Science· Netherlands
  17. 1683★★★★★

    Qing annexes Taiwan

    After the Battle of Penghu, the Kingdom of Tungning surrenders and Taiwan is incorporated into the Qing empire.

    WarPolitics· Taiwan, China
  18. September 12, 1683★★★★★

    Battle of Vienna

    A coalition army led by King John III Sobieski of Poland relieves the siege of Vienna, defeating the Ottomans and halting their advance into Central Europe.

    War· Austria, Poland, Turkey, Germany
  19. July 5, 1687★★★★★

    Newton publishes the Principia

    Isaac Newton publishes "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", setting out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

    Science· United Kingdom
  20. 1688 – 1689★★★★★

    Glorious Revolution

    James II is deposed and William III and Mary II take the throne; the Bill of Rights of 1689 limits royal power and strengthens Parliament.

    RevolutionPolitics· United Kingdom, Netherlands
  21. 1689★★★★★

    Treaty of Nerchinsk

    The first treaty between Qing China and Tsarist Russia sets their border along the Amur River region.

    Treaty· China, Russia
  22. 1692 – 1693★★★★★

    Salem witch trials

    In colonial Massachusetts, more than 200 people are accused of witchcraft and 19 are hanged.

    ReligionPolitics· United States
  23. 1698★★★★★

    Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh establishes Gia Định

    Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, sent by the Nguyễn lord, organises the administration of Gia Định; the year is often taken as the founding of Saigon.

    Politics· Vietnam

18th century

  1. 1701 – 1714★★★★★

    War of the Spanish Succession

    European powers fight over the succession to the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II; the war ends with the treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt.

    WarDynasty· Spain, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands
  2. May 27, 1703★★★★★

    Peter the Great founds Saint Petersburg

    Tsar Peter I lays the foundations of Saint Petersburg at the mouth of the Neva; the city becomes Russia's capital in 1712.

    Politics· Russia
  3. 1707★★★★★

    Death of Aurangzeb

    The death of Aurangzeb, under whom the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, begins the empire's rapid decline.

    DeathPolitics· India
  5. July 8, 1709★★★★★

    Battle of Poltava

    Peter the Great's Russian army crushes the Swedish army of Charles XII, ending Sweden's great-power status and raising Russia's standing in Eastern Europe.

    War· Ukraine, Russia, Sweden
  6. 1721★★★★★

    Russian Empire proclaimed

    After victory in the Great Northern War, confirmed by the Treaty of Nystad, Peter I takes the title of Emperor and Russia becomes the Russian Empire.

    PoliticsTreaty· Russia, Sweden
  7. February 22, 1732★★★★★

    Birth of George Washington

    George Washington, commander of the Continental Army and first President of the United States, is born in Virginia.

    Birth· United States
  8. 1735★★★★★

    Linnaeus publishes Systema Naturae

    Carl Linnaeus publishes his system for classifying living things, the basis of modern binomial nomenclature.

    Science· Netherlands, Sweden
  9. 1739★★★★★

    Nader Shah sacks Delhi

    Nader Shah of Persia defeats the Mughals at Karnal and sacks Delhi, carrying off treasures including the Peacock Throne.

    War· India, Iran
  11. 1751★★★★★

    First volume of the Encyclopédie

    Diderot and d'Alembert publish the first volume of the Encyclopédie, a defining work of the Enlightenment.

    CultureScience· France
  12. 1754 – 1763★★★★★

    French and Indian War

    Britain and France, with their Indigenous allies, fight for control of North America; France is defeated and loses most of its territory on the continent.

    War· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France
  13. November 1, 1755★★★★★

    1755 Lisbon earthquake

    A massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, devastates Lisbon, killing tens of thousands and deeply influencing Enlightenment thought.

    Disaster· Portugal, Spain, Morocco
  14. 1756 – 1763★★★★★

    Seven Years' War

    A global conflict among the European powers fought in Europe, North America and India; Britain gains colonial supremacy and Prussia confirms its great-power status.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Spain, United States, Canada, India
  16. June 23, 1757★★★★★

    Battle of Plassey

    The East India Company under Robert Clive defeats Siraj ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, beginning British dominance in India.

    War· India, United Kingdom
  17. January 14, 1761★★★★★

    Third Battle of Panipat

    Ahmad Shah Durrani's Afghan army defeats the Maratha Empire in one of the bloodiest battles of the 18th century.

    War· India, Afghanistan
  18. 1766★★★★★

    Birth of Nguyễn Du

    Nguyễn Du, author of The Tale of Kiều, is born.

    Birth· Vietnam
  19. 1767★★★★★

    Fall of Ayutthaya to Burma

    Konbaung Burmese forces capture and destroy Ayutthaya, ending the Siamese kingdom after more than four centuries.

    War· Thailand, Myanmar
  21. January 5, 1769★★★★★

    James Watt patents his steam engine

    James Watt's patent for a separate condenser makes steam engines far more efficient, driving the Industrial Revolution.

    TechnologyEconomy· United Kingdom
  22. August 15, 1769★★★★★

    Birth of Napoleon Bonaparte

    Napoleon Bonaparte is born in Ajaccio, Corsica; he will later become Emperor of the French.

    Birth· France
  23. March 5, 1770★★★★★

    Boston Massacre

    British soldiers fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five people and heightening tensions between the colonies and Britain.

    Politics· United States, United Kingdom
  24. April 29, 1770★★★★★

    James Cook lands at Botany Bay

    On his first voyage, Captain James Cook of HMS Endeavour landed at Botany Bay, then charted Australia's east coast and claimed it for Britain.

    Exploration· Australia, United Kingdom
  25. 1771★★★★★

    Tây Sơn rebellion begins

    The brothers Nguyễn Nhạc, Nguyễn Huệ and Nguyễn Lữ rise in revolt at Tây Sơn (Bình Định), eventually overthrowing both the Nguyễn and Trịnh lords.

    RevolutionWar· Vietnam
  26. 1772 – 1795★★★★★

    Partitions of Poland

    Russia, Prussia and Austria carve up the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in three partitions, erasing it from the map of Europe by 1795.

    PoliticsTreaty· Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Austria
Timeline · World History Timeline