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
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Events this year
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
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
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
Ongoing
1351 – 1767★★★★★
Founding of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
King Ramathibodi I founds the capital of Ayutthaya, beginning a Siamese kingdom that lasts over four centuries.
DynastyPolitics· Thailand
c. 15th century – c. 1860s★★★★★
The transatlantic slave trade
From the 16th to the 19th century, an estimated 12.5 million enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas, with profound consequences for both continents.
Economy· Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Angola, Brazil, United States, Portugal, United Kingdom
1501 – 1736★★★★★
Ismail I founds the Safavid dynasty
Ismail I proclaims himself shah in Tabriz, founding the Safavid dynasty and making Twelver Shia Islam Iran's state religion.
DynastyReligion· Iran, Azerbaijan
1568 – 1648★★★★★
Eighty Years' War (Dutch Revolt)
The Dutch provinces revolt against Spanish rule; the war ends with Spain recognising the independence of the Dutch Republic.
WarRevolution· Netherlands, Belgium, Spain
1618 – 1648★★★★★
Thirty Years' War
Beginning with a revolt in Bohemia, the conflict spreads across Central Europe, drawing in the major European powers and causing enormous loss of life.
WarReligion· Germany, Czechia, Austria, Sweden, France, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands
1627 – 1672★★★★★
Trịnh–Nguyễn War
A protracted war between the Trịnh lords in the north and the Nguyễn lords in the south ends with the country divided at the Gianh River.
War· Vietnam
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
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