The Yoruba develop an extensive empire centred on Oyo in southern Nigeria
William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth, concludes that the earth is a magnet and coins the term 'magnetic pole'
Britain's East India Company is established when Elizabeth I grants a charter to a 'Company of Merchants trading into the East Indies'
Electricity is given its name (in the Latin phrase vis electrica) by the English physician, William Gilbert
Shakespeare's central character in Hamlet expresses both the ideals of the Renaissance and the disillusion of a less confident age
The Dutch East India Company is founded, with a tax-free monopoly of the eastern trade for twenty-one years
Geneva wins independence from the duchy of Savoy, in the treaty of St Julien, after repelling a midnight assault on the city
The warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu is awarded the title of shogun, beginning nearly three centuries of the Tokugawa shogunate
James VI of Scotland inherits peacefully the crown of his English cousin Elizabeth, and becomes James I of England
The accession of James I and VI to the throne of England brings the union of the crowns of England and Scotland
The Jamestown settlers meet an unfriendly reception from the local Powhatan Indians, having to use their muskets to beat off an attack within two weeks of their arrival
The British king James I launches a blistering attack on the smoking of tobacco, which he considers a loathsome custom
The first false Dmitry marches into Russia with a Polish army to claim the throne
The British king James I launches a blistering attack on the smoking of tobacco
Annibale Carracci completes an influential ceiling fresco in the Farnese palace in Rome
James I commissions the Authorized version of the Bible, which is completed by forty-seven scholars in seven years
William Shakespeare's name appears among the actors in a list of the King's Men
Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes publishes the first part of his satirically romantic novel Don Quixote
Ben Jonson writes The Masque of Blackness, the first of his many masques for the court of James I
On the death of Akbar, his son Jahangir succeeds to the Mughal throne
The Gunpowder Plot, attempting murder and treason, severely damages the Catholic cause in Britain
The satirical voice of the English playwright Ben Jonson is heard to powerful effect in Volpone
Claudio Monteverdi presents Orfeo, the first opera to win a lasting place in the international repertory
The earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnel sail from Ireland with their families, in the event known as the Flight of the Earls
Colonists establish the first lasting British settlement in the new world, at Jamestown
The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens completes an altarpiece in Rome which is an early masterpiece of the baroque
A lucky accident reveals the principle of the telescope to a spectacle maker, Hans Lippershey. In the Dutch town of Middelburg
A second false Dmitry marches on Moscow, to be followed by a third in 1612
Quebec is founded by Samuel de Champlain as a centre for the French fur trade
Rubens returns from Italy to Antwerp, where he soon establishes Europe's most successful and prolific studio
A shipload of Puritans, among them some of the future Pilgrim Fathers, sail from Boston in Lincolnshire to seek religious freedom in Holland
John Smith claims (many years later) that when captured by Indians he was saved from execution by Pocahontas, daughter of the chief
Henry Hudson reaches the inlet of New York Bay and explores the river now known by his name
Johannes Kepler, in Prague, puts forward the radical proposition that the planets move in elliptical rather than circular orbits
Galileo improves on the Dutch telescope (and doubles his salary by presenting one to his employer)
The Blue Mosque, commissioned by Ahmed I, begins to rise in Istanbul like a twin to the nearby Santa Sophia
A law is passed expelling the Moriscos from Spain, with the result that some 300,000 are shipped to north Africa
Castaways from an English vessel reach Bermuda, which becomes the first British island in the new world
News sheets published in Augsburg and Strasbourg become the first known newspapers
Shakespeare's sonnets, written ten years previously, are published
A flintlock designed in France (possibly by Marin Le Bourgeoys) becomes the standard firing mechanism for muskets
Galileo, with his new powerful telescope, observes the moons of Jupiter and spots moving on the surface of the sun
Henry IV is assassinated in a Paris street by a Roman Catholic, François Ravaillac
After the assassination of Henry IV, his wife Marie de Médicis becomes regent for the 9-year-old Louis XIII
The first documented Caesarean section in which the mother survives
Henry Hudson, after wintering in Hudson Bay, is set adrift in an open boat by his mutinous crew
Shakespeare's last completed play, The Tempest, is performed
The establishment of a Baptist church in London is a defining moment for the Baptist sect within Christianity
Michael Romanov is elected tsar, beginning a new dynasty on the Russian throne
Galileo publishes his evidence, from sun spots, proving Copernicus right and Ptolemy wrong on the solar system
The Globe catches fire during a performance of Shakespeare's last play, Henry VIII
The British East India establishes a 'factory' (a secure warehouse for the storing of Indian goods) at Surat, on the west coast
The American Indian princess Pocahontas is taken hostage by Jamestown colonists in the first Anglo-Powhatan war
An edict is passed expelling Jesuit missionaries from Japan, and ordering their converts to revert to Buddhism
Pocahontas is baptized a Christian and marries John Rolfe, one of the Jamestown colonists
Sir Thomas Roe, the first British ambassador to India, arrives at the court of the Mughal emperor Jahangir
The Mughal school of painting reaches a peak of perfection in the reign of Jahangir
Richelieu begins his public career, becoming a secretary of state to Marie de Médicis
Pocahontas fascinates Londoners when she arrives with her husband to publicize Jamestown
John Smith publishes A Description of New England, an account of his exploration of the region in 1614
William Shakespeare dies at New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is buried in Holy Trinity Church
The treaty of Stolbova brings into Swedish hands the coast round the Gulf of Finland, ending Russian access to the Baltic
Albrecht von Wallenstein uses his wife's fortune to mobilize a private army in support of the emperor Ferdinand II
Bohemian nobles throw the Habsburg regents out of a window in the castle in Prague, thus triggering the Thirty Years' War
The Teatro Farnese in Parma is the first to have a proscenium arch, framing perspective scenery painted on flat wings
The 19-year-old Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck is employed by Rubens in Antwerp as his chief assistant
The Protestant Frederick V (elector palatine of the Rhine) is elected king by the rebellious Bohemian nobles
Jan Pieterszoon Coen destroys the town of Jakarta, on the coast of Java, and rebuilds it as a Dutch trading centre under the name Batavia
The battle of the White Mountain, to the west of Prague, ends the brief reign of Frederick V in Bohemia
The Dutch painter Frans Hals displays exceptional brilliance in his group portraits, including several of the civic guards of Haarlem
Delft becomes the centre for tin-glazed earthenware in northern Europe, specializing in the blue-and-white Chinese style
In his Novum Organum Francis Bacon introduces a modern philosophy of experimental science
William Bradford begins a journal of the Pilgrims' experience in New England, subsequently published (in 1856) as History of Plymouth Plantation
The Pilgrims (or Pilgrim Fathers), a group of 102 English settlers, sail in the Mayflower to the new world
Ten days after their first landfall, at Cape Cod, the adult males on the Mayflower agree a form of government for their new colony
The Pilgrims on the Mayflower select a place for their settlement, and give it the name of Plymouth, their port of departure in England
The Mayflower settlers in Plymouth offer thanksgiving for their first harvest, eating turkeys in a celebration shared by local Indians
The first English newspaper (Corante) appears, promising reports 'from Italy, Germany, Hungarie, Spaine and France
William Bradford, one of the Pilgrims from the Mayflower, is elected governor of the new Plymouth Colony
The Dutch West India Company is chartered to trade and found colonies anywhere along the entire American coast
John Donne, England's leading Metaphysical poet, becomes dean of St Paul's
A sudden attack by Powhatan Indians, led by their chieftain Opechancanough against the English colony at Jamestown, results in the death of more than 300 settlers
Bernini's youthful Pluto and Proserpina, suggesting soft flesh in cold marble, introduces the lively tradition of baroque sculpture
The Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck begins a five-year stay, and a successful career as a portrait painter, in Genoa
The English settlers in Virginia arrange a peace conference with the Powhatan Indians, using it as an opportunity to murder the Powhatan delegates
John Heminge and Henry Condell publish thirty-six Shakespeare plays in the First Folio
Diego Velazquez becomes court painter to the king of Spain - a post which he will hold for the remaining thirty-seven years of his life
The Japanese are forbidden to leave their country, or foreigners to enter, at the start of more than two centuries of almost total isolation
Nicolas Poussin arrives in Rome, where he develops the tradition of French classicism
Gustavus II, king of Sweden, conscripts and trains an army far more mobile than those of his rivals
Ordnance factories in Sweden begin producing light but powerful field artillery, easy to move on the battlefield
Rubens completes a great narrative sequence of twenty-one paintings to celebrate the achievements of Marie de Médicis
Three brothers among the Dahomey people establish a long-lasting kingdom in the Bight of Benin
The Dutch gradually exclude the Portuguese from the immensely lucrative trade in cloves from the Spice Islands (or Moluccas)
On the death of his father, James VI and I, Charles I becomes king of England and Scotland
The English parliament attempts to clip the wings of the new king, Charles I, by placing an annual limit on his power to raise taxes
Peter Minuit purchases the island of Manhattan from local Indians and calls the place New Amsterdam
Charles I frustrates the English parliament's restrictions by raising taxes without summoning parliament for renewed approval
A British colony is founded in Barbados and within fifteen years has 18,000 settlers
Claude Lorrain, basing himself like Poussin in Rome, paints classical landscapes suffused in light
William Harvey publishes a short book, De Motu Cordis, proving the circulation of the blood
The English parliament's Petition of Right emphasizes the right of the citizen to be protected from royal tyranny
The Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn develops a life-long interest in self-portraiture
After years of warfare, the truce of Altmark gives Estonia and most of Latvia to Sweden
The sculptor and architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini is given the task of adding the drama of baroque to the newly completed St Peter's in Rome
Charles I dismisses his parliament in Westminster, and fails to summon another in the following eleven years
Rival Dutch, English and French colonies are established in Guiana, the northeast coast of south America
John Winthrop, appointed governor of the new Massachusetts Bay Company, sails from England with 700 settlers
John Winthrop selects the site of Boston for the first Massachusetts settlement
John Winthrop, arriving in Massachusetts, begins the journal that is eventually published as The History Of New England
Gustavus II and the Swedish army win a conclusive victory over the imperial forces at Breitenfeld
Rembrandt moves from his home town of Leiden to set up a studio in Amsterdam
A Passion play is performed for the first time at Oberammergau, in the spirit of the Counter-Reformation
The Inquisition convicts Galileo of heresy and he denies the truth of Copernicus - on being shown the instruments of torture
Shah Jahan orders that all recently built Hindu temples shall be destroyed, ending the Mughal tradition of religious tolerance
The Swedish army wins another convincing victory at Lützen, but Gustavus II dies leading a cavalry charge
Maryland is granted to Lord Baltimore as a haven for English Roman Catholics
Van Dyck moves to London and becomes portrait painter to the British court and aristocracy
Shah Jahan begins building the Taj Mahal as a memorial for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal
Williamsburg, first known as Middle Plantation, is founded in Virginia
The four years of tulip mania in Holland provide the first example of speculative frenzy in a capitalist market
George Herbert's only volume of poems, The Temple, is published posthumously
Francesco Borromini begins work on his intricate baroque masterpiece, the Monastery of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1634-43), in Rome
Charles I demands ship money to increase his revenue, albeit in the absence of its conventional justification - a crisis of national defence
Rembrandt marries Saskia van Uylenburgh, who will feature in many of his paintings
Charles I establishes Britain's Royal Mail, employing Thomas Witherings to set it up
North America's first university is founded at Cambridge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and soon receives a large bequest from John Harvard
North America's first university is founded at Cambridge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and soon receives a large bequest from John Harvard Rhode Island is founded by Roger Williams as a colony based on the principle of religious tolerance
A painted ceiling by Rubens, celebrating the Stuart dynasty, is installed in the Banqueting House in Whitehall
John Hampden refuses to pay ship money to Charles I, beginning a campaign that gradually wins wide support
The first public opera house, the Teatro San Cassiano, opens in Venice
Pierre Corneille's play Le Cid, popular with Paris audiences, hinges on the conflict between duty and love
Charles I and his archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, attempt to impose the full Anglican hierarchy on presbyterian Scotland
John Milton's Lycidas is published in memory of a Cambridge friend, Edward King
War between English colonists and Pequot Indians brings disaster to the Pequots but safeguards the settlement of Connecticut
The French build a trading station on the estuary of the Senegal river in west Africa
A National Covenant, first signed in an Edinburgh churchyard, commits the Covenanters to oppose Charles I's reforms of the Church of Scotland
Galileo's Discorsi, published in Leiden, lays the groundwork for mathematical physics
Riots erupt in Edinburgh, in response to the attempt by Charles I and Laud to impose a hierarchy of Anglican bishops
Parliament denies Charles I's request for funds and is dismissed after three weeks (the Short Parliament)
Richard Fairbanks, given responsibility for delivering mail in Massachusetts, is allowed to charge a penny per letter
The finances of the English king, Charles I, are in crisis, with his agents able to collect each year only a fraction of his demands
Covenanters seize control of Edinburgh and other Scottish towns, launching the conflict with England known as the Bishops' War
The Dutch artist Gerrit Dou paints with exquisite precision and becomes leader of a group known as the 'fine painters'
In need of funds for the Bishops' War in Scotland, Charles I summons parliament to Westminster
The first book published in England's American colonies is Bay Psalm Book, a revised translation of the psalms
Charles I's financial crisis causes him to summon another parliament to Westminster (the Long Parliament, not dissolved until 1660)
The new parliament immediately impeaches Charles I's two closest advisers, the earl of Strafford and archbishop William Laud
Abel Tasman makes landfall in the Macquarie Harbour area in the island now known after him, Tasmania
Cavalier is now in use as a term of abuse for supporters of the royal cause
Roundhead is now in use as a term of abuse for supporters of parliament
Under pressure from parliament, Charles I signs the death warrant of his most powerful supporter, the earl of Strafford
The profusion of paintings on sale in Holland astonishes an English visitor, John Evelyn
The Dutch expel the Portuguese from their trading posts in Malacca
Parliament presents Charles I with the Grand Remonstrance, a long list of grievances against his conduct of the realm
Charles I comes in person to the House of Commons, but fails in his attempt to arrest the Five Members whom he accuses of treason
Charles I leaves London and heads for the north of England, where his support is the strongest
Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I, travels to Holland, taking with her the English crown jewels
The Mongols depose the ruling dynasty of Tibet and offer the country to the Dalai Lama, to be ruled by him with Mongol military support
The Briare canal, joining the Seine to the Loire, has a staircase of six consecutive locks
Abel Tasman makes landfall in the Macquarie Harbour area in the island now known after him, Tasmania
Parliament sends Charles I a list of political demands, the Nineteen Propositions, which it would be impossible for him to accept
The Mongols depose the ruling dynasty of Tibet and offer the country to the Dalai Lama, to be ruled by him with Mongol military support
The Briare canal, joining the Seine to the Loire, has a staircase of six consecutive locks
Parliament sends Charles I a list of political demands, the Nineteen Propositions, which it would be impossible for him to accept
Charles I, at Nottingham, raises the royal standard - signalling that he considers himself at war
Charles I leads his army into action at Edgehill - the first, but inconclusive, battle in the English Civil War
Charles I marches to within a few miles of Westminster (to Turnham Green), but withdraws without engaging the enemy
Charles I withdraws to Oxford, where he establishes his court for the rest of the war
The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman attempts to land in Golden Bay, New Zealand, resulting in a clash with the Maoris
Louis XIV inherits the throne of France at the age of four
Mazarin becomes principal minister in France, selected by the queen regent on the death of Louis XIII
Abel Tasman reaches yet more islands previously unknown to Europeans – Tonga and Fiji
Evangelista Torricelli, observing variations in a column of mercury, discovers the principle of the barometer
The Prince de Condé and the Vicomte de Turenne emerge as brilliant generals in France's wars
The British East India Company completes the construction of Fort St George in Madras
The Powhatan leader Opechancanough launches another surprise attack on the Virginia settlements, killing about 500 colonists
The last Ming emperor hangs himself, and China acquires a new and final dynasty - the Qing
In his Principles of Philosophy Descartes gives priority to reason, summed up in his famous phrase cogito ergo sum
In the first decisive battle of the English Civil War the king's nephew, Rupert of the Rhine, is heavily defeated at Marston Moor
Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell form England's first professional army, calling it the New Model Army
The Dutch artist Aelbert Cuyp paints landscapes that glow with the warmth of gentle sunlight
The royalist forces, again under the command of Rupert of the Rhine, suffer another major defeat at Naseby
Charles I puts himself in the hands of a Scottish army, opposed at the time to the English parliament
The aged Powhatan leader Opechancanough is captured by the English and executed, ending the last significant Indian threat to Virginia
With a parliamentary army surrounding royalist Oxford, Charles I escapes in disguise and heads north
With the help of his more robust brother-in-law, Blaise Pascal provides physical proof that atmospheric pressure varies with altitude
A young Hindu prince, Shivaji, captures Bijapur in a campaign against Muslim rulers that will result in his establishing a Maratha empire
The Swiss cantons agree on joint action to defend their external borders, in the pact known as the Defensionale of Wyl
The Scottish army holding Charles I makes peace with parliament, and hands the king to parliamentary commissioners
Peter Stuyvesant begins a 17-year spell as director-general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America
Charles I is held at his palace of Hampton Court, as a prisoner of Cromwell and parliament
Charles I comes to a secret arrangement with a group of Covenanters in Scotland, winning their support
Japan's popular theatre, kabuki, develops as a form of café entertainment
Scottish Covenanters invade England in support of the English king, Charles I, in his struggle against parliament
A Cossack rebellion leads to the eventual transfer of their territory from Poland to Russia
Iroquois raids drive the Huron west to the Great Lakes
A rebellion of nobles against Mazarin, the principal minister of the young Louis XIV, becomes known as the Fronde
The Dutch chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont suggests that there are insubstantial substances other than air, and coins a name for them - gases
The Peace of Westphalia finally brings to an end the Thirty Years' War
Parliamentary forces defeat the Scottish invaders and suppress other new outbreaks of royalist support
Spain recognizes the independence of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
Colonel Thomas Pride denies entrance to the House of Commons to about 140 opponents of Cromwell's policies
The poems of Massachusetts author Anne Bradstreet are published in London under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America
Charles I, brought to trial before 135 commissioners in Westminster Hall, refuses to recognise the court's validity
Cromwell persuades the House of Commons, purged now of all opposition, that it is treason for a king to wage war against parliament
After a trial lasting a week in Westminster Hall, Charles I is convicted of treason for fighting a war against parliament
Charles I is beheaded on a scaffold erected in the street in London's Whitehall
Charles II, in the Hague, inherits the English and Scottish thrones of his executed father, Charles I
Parliament in London abolishes the monarchy in England, as 'unnecessary, burdensome, and dangerous'
Parliament chooses Oliver Cromwell to chair the new English Commonwealth's council of state
Rembrandt creates an etching so desirable that it becomes known as the Hundred Guilder Print
John Milton becomes Latin secretary in Cromwell's council of state
The Russian empire, expanding eastwards through Siberia, reaches the Pacific coast
The Russian empire, expanding eastwards through Siberia, reaches the Pacific coast
Cromwell captures the royalist stronghold of Drogheda and massacres some 2800 people
A German burgomaster, Otto von Guericke, devises an air pump capable of creating a vacuum
The pleasure districts of Edo and Kyoto provide the delights of ukiyo-e, the 'floating world'
Descartes catches a fatal chill, returning home in midwinter from pre-dawn instruction of Queen Christina of Sweden
Hindu princes and brahmin priests withdraw from Java to Bali, turning the island into the last outpost of Hinduism in southeast Asia
James Ussher, archbishop of Armagh, calculates that creation began on Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC
To protect their market, the Dutch destroy all clove trees in the Moluccas except on two islands, Amboina and Ternate
The Dalai Lama declares that his teacher is also an incarnation of a future Buddha, and that he is to be known as Panchen
Charles II returns to Scotland and is crowned king of Scots in the traditional manner at Scone
Parliament in England passes the first of several Navigation Acts designed to reserve international trade for English ships
Charles II is defeated by Cromwell at Worcester and escapes in disguise to France
Jan Vermeer marries and begins a quiet career as a painter and art dealer in his home town of Delft
Nikon becomes patriarch of all Russia and introduces reforms which cause the Old Believers to form a breakaway sect
Scotland and England are merged under English parliamentary rule, in a forced union which lasts eight years
Jan van Riebeeck establishes a Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope
A clash at sea between English and Dutch fleets begins the first of three Anglo-Dutch wars
The first coffee house opens In London and Londoners soon find such places useful to meet in and do business
Turenne defeats Condé in a battle in the Paris suburbs, hastening the decline of the Fronde
Cromwell uses troops to turn the members out of the House of Commons and locks the door behind them
The 14-year-old Louis XIV dances in a court ballet as Apollo, wearing a glorious sun costume, and finds that he likes the role
Cromwell is appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth for life, under legislation entitled the Instrument of Government
Jan Vermeer marries and begins a quiet career as a painter and art dealer in his home town of Delft
The English admiral Robert Blake introduces a system of signalling at sea by means of flags
John Bunyan joins a Nonconformist church in Bedford and becomes one of their preachers
Devoted fisherman Izaak Walton publishes the classic work on the subject, The Compleat Angler
Queen Christina, a secret convert to Catholicism, abdicates in Sweden and travels to Rome
Otto von Guericke uses sixteen horses to demonstrate in Regensburg the power of a vacuum
The painter Pieter de Hooch is a friendly guide through the welcoming spaces of the seventeenth-century Dutch courtyard and home
Diego Velazquez paints his only surviving female nude, The Toilet of Venus (known as the Rokeby Venus)
George Fox begins preaching in England, in a movement which develops into the Society of Friends - or Quakers
The British, settling in Jamaica, soon turn the island into the major slave market of the West Indies
Christiaan Huygens, using a home-made telescope, describes accurately the rings of Saturn and discovers the planet's largest moon, Titan
Jews return to England after Cromwell repeals the law of 1290 forbidding their residence in the country
After a six-month siege, the Dutch capture Colombo from the Portuguese in Sri Lanka
Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens constructs the first pendulum clock, on Christmas Day in the Hague
Velazquez, in Las Meninas, paints himself painting the king and queen of Spain
The Dutch in South Africa purchase slaves to do domestic and agricultural work
Andrew Marvell works as assistant Latin secretary to Milton in Cromwell's department for foreign affairs
For the final years of his life Shah Jahan is held a prisoner, by his son Aurangzeb, in Agra's Red Fort
Samuel Pepys has a two-ounce stone cut from his bladder, in an operation carried out at home in the presence of his family
Parliamentary reprisals against the rebellious Irish result in two thirds of Ireland's land being owned by the English or the Scots
Cromwell dies after naming his son Richard to succeed him in the office of Lord Protector
Prince Rupert of the Rhine pioneers mezzotint, the first half-tone technique in printing
The Dutch expel the Portuguese from the last of their trading posts in Sri Lanka
The ineffective Richard Cromwell goes into voluntary retirement, an event linked to the strong possibility of a military coup
Monck, reaching London, dissolves the Long Parliament and convenes a new one
Monck persuades Charles II to sign, at Breda in Holland, a declaration of policies to heal the wounds of the Civil War
General George Monck marches south from Scotland to London, to intervene in England's unresolved political crisis
On the first day of the new year Samuel Pepys gets up late, eats the remains of the turkey and begins his diary
The new Convention Parliament in Westminster invites Charles II to return as king
Charles II lands at Dover and is given a warm welcome in London four days later
The berlin, developed in Berlin, becomes the most successful carriage of the seventeenth century
Louis XIV grants New France the status of a royal province and greatly increases the flow of colonists to north America
Sweden wins the province of Skåne from Denmark, thus acquiring an unbroken stretch of Baltic coastline from Göteborg to Riga
The Act of Indemnity, pardoning all offences since 1637 except those of the regicides, is given the royal assent
British chemist Robert Boyle defines the inverse relationship between pressure and volume in any gas (subsequently known as Boyle's Law)
John Bunyan is convicted of unlicensed preaching and spends the next eleven years in Bedford Gaol
The body of Oliver Cromwell is hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn
The Cavalier Parliament begins to pass a series of acts, known as the Clarendon Code, containing punitive measures against Presbyterians
Italian doctor Marcello Malpighi discovers the capillaries, thus completing the evidence for the circulation of the blood
The British establish Fort James on an island in the Gambia river
A banker in Sweden, Johan Palmstruch, issues Europe's first paper currency, on behalf of the Stockholm Banco
Louis XIV establishes a royal dancing academy and soon follows it with a music academy
Jean-Baptiste Colbert buys the Gobelin family workshops in Paris and transforms them into a royal factory for Louis XIV
The Act of Uniformity demands that Anglican clergy accept all the Thirty-Nine Articles, costing many their livings
An academy of English scientists is given a royal charter by Charles II and becomes the Royal Society
The Conventicle Act restricts worship in England to Anglican churches if more than a few people are present
Colbert founds East India and West India companies to ensure a supply of raw materials for France's factories
Louis XIV commissions a well-established team of designers to provide him with a spectacular palace and garden at Versailles
Peter Stuyvesant accepts the reality of the military situation and yields New Amsterdam to the British without a shot being fired
The first recorded attempt at blood transfusion, at the Royal Society in London, proves that the idea is feasible
The Five Mile Act prevents Nonconformist ministers in England from coming closer than five miles to any town where they have ministered
The Great Plague of London causes as many as 7000 deaths in a week and perhaps a total of 100,000 by the end of the year
A new Danish constitution (the Kongeloven or King's Law) makes the monarchy hereditary and grants the king absolute power
Isaac Newton spends a creative period in Lincolnshire, at home in Woolsthorpe Manor, apples or no apples
New Amsterdam is renamed New York by the recently established English regime
The Great Fire of London rages for four days, destroying 13,200 houses and 81 churches
In the treaty of Breda, England keeps New Amsterdam and New Netherland, and Holland keeps the English-held territory of Surinam
Michiel de Ruyter sails up the Thames to destroy much of the English fleet at its base in the Medway
The first successful human blood transfusion is achieved in Paris by Jean Baptiste Denis, apparently saving the life of a 15-year-old boy
Bernini's great curving colonnade is completed, to form the piazza in front of St Peter's
French dramatist Jean Racine's first great success, Andromaque, finds tragic drama in a quadrangle of love
Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton just £10
Wood-carver Grinling Gibbons arrives from Holland to begin an immensely successful career in England
The Jesuits establish a mission at Sault Sainte Marie which becomes the starting point for French exploration south of the Great Lakes
England's East India Company is granted a lease on Bombay by Charles II, who has received it from his Portuguese bride
Spain finally accepts the independence of the kingdom of Portugal, after nearly a century of Spanish rule
The Bank of Sweden is founded, and survives today as the world's oldest bank
The duke of York, heir to the English and Scottish thrones, is secretly received into the Roman Catholic church
Robert de La Salle makes his first exploration of the Ohio valley, providing the basis for France's later claim to the area
Samuel Pepys ends his diary, after only writing it for nine years
The Dutch develop a new pattern of middle-class urban life and architecture, later copied in England
Members of the Sakaida Kakiemon family are producing exquisitely decorated porcelain ware in Japan
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb begins building the great Badshahi Mosque in Lahore
Giovanni Domenico Cassini, working in the Paris royal observatory, calculates the distance from the earth to the sun and is only 7% out
Charles II issues a Declaration of Indulgence, suspending the restrictions on Catholics and Nonconformists
Isaac Newton's experiments with the prism demonstrate the link between wavelength and colour in light
Molière falls fatally ill when acting in his own play Le Malade Imaginaire
Sébastien de Vauban's new technique for conducting the siege of a town shows its effectiveness at Maastricht
Parliament in England passes a Test Act excluding Catholics and Nonconformists from public office
The Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek builds a microscope powerful enough for him to observe and describe the red corpuscles in blood
Samuel Sewall begins a diary of daily life in Boston, Massachusetts, that will span a period of more than fifty years
Dutch traders purchase Kakiemon wares in Japan for import to the Netherlands
Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, now develops the hairspring - of great future importance in watches
The double-hung sash window is introduced in England and soon spreads to Holland
A sudden uprising by the Wampanoag Indians against the new England settlements begins the conflict known as King Philip's War
Baruch Spinoza's Ethics, dealing with God, the mind and the emotions, is published shortly after his death
Ole Roemer, a Danish astronomer working with Cassini in Paris, calculates the speed of light with an error of only 25%
With his powerful new microscope Leeuwenhoek observes spermatozoa in the semen of a dog
The Popish Plot, an invented Jesuit conspiracy to kill Charles II, results in the execution of about thirty-five Roman Catholics
Part I of The Pilgrim's Progress, written during John Bunyan's two spells in Bedford Gaol, is published and is immediately popular
Christiaan Huygens expounds the theory that light consists of a vibration forming a ripple of waves
The rival political parties in Britain find abusive names for each other - Whigs and Tories
19-year-old Alessandro Scarlatti has a great success in Rome with Gli Equivoci nel Sembiante, the first of his 115 operas
The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico rise against the Spanish, killing 21 missionaries and some 400 colonists
The English clockmaker Thomas Tompion is the first to make successful use of the hairspring in pocket watches
Feudal labour laws demanding corvée (compulsory unpaid labour) are imposed by the Habsburgs on the Czech peasants of Bohemia
Louis XIV persecutes the Huguenots by means of dragonnades - the billetting of unruly dragoons in the homes of villagers
Ireland becomes the first European region in which the potato is an important food crop
A comet intrigues Edmund Halley, who works out that it has been around before
The Canal du Midi is completed in France, including at one point a 160-metre tunnel through high ground
A professional ballet company in Paris introduces female dancers and the world's first prima ballerina, Mlle de Lafontaine
Charles II grants William Penn the charter for the region that becomes Pennsylvania, in settlement of a debt to Penn's father
Robert de la Salle travels down the Mississippi to its mouth and claims the entire region for France, naming it Louisiana
William Penn approves the Great Law, allowing complete freedom of religious belief in Pennsylvania
William Penn achieves peace for Pennsylvania by negotiating a treaty with the local Lenape (or Delaware) tribes
The emperor, Leopold I, and his court abandon Vienna on the approach of a Turkish army
Mennonites and other from Germany (later known as the Pennsylvania Dutch) begin to settle in Penn's liberal colony
The Qing emperor orders all Chinese men to shave their heads, leaving only a long pigtail
The Turks are driven from the walls of Vienna by the Polish king John Sobieski, in what proves a historic turning point
James II succeeds to the throne in Britain and immediately introduces pro-Catholic policies
Denis Papin, a French scientist working in England, demonstrates a pressure cooker fitted with a safety valve
400,000 Huguenots leave France after Louis XIV deprives them of their rights by revoking the Edict of Nantes
400,000 Huguenots leave France after Louis XIV deprives them of their rights by revoking the Edict of Nantes
Newton publishes Principia Mathematica, proving gravity to be a constant in all physical systems
The Hungarian diet grants the Habsburg dynasty in Austria a hereditary right to the crown of St Stephen
A son (the future 'Old Pretender') is born to James II, giving Britain a Catholic heir to the throne
Aphra Behn's novel Oroonoko makes an early protest against the inhumanity of the African slave trade
Sébastien de Vauban's socket bayonet is introduced in the French army
English grandees invite William III of Orange and his wife Mary, daughter of James II, to claim the British throne
William III of Orange lands with an army at Torbay and marches to London with almost no opposition from supporters of James II
A Grand Alliance against France is formed by almost all the other powers in Europe
Parliament in Westminster makes the restrictive Bill of Rights the condition on which William III and Mary II are crowned
James II, landing in Ireland, is acclaimed as king in Dublin by enthusiastic Irish Catholics
The 17-year-old Peter the Great becomes co-tsar of Russia with his half-brother Ivan V
Young gentlewomen in Chelsea give the first performance of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
France by now has six fortified trading settlements around the coast of India, of which Pondicherry is the most important
The armies of James II and William III confront each at the river Boyne, with victory going to William
Chinoiserie becomes the new craze in Europe, after Jesuit reports of the Chinese civilization
The French scientist Denis Papin, while professor of mathematics at Marburg, develops the first steam engine to use a piston
The Church of Scotland finally wins recognition as an independent Presbyterian body
John Strong, landing on some remote Atlantic islands, names them after Viscount Falkland, treasurer of the British navy
John Locke publishes his Essay concerning Human Understanding, arguing that all knowledge is based on experience
Government soldiers, mainly Campbells, massacre their MacDonald hosts in Glencoe
The Massachusetts town of Salem is gripped by witch-hunting hysteria
Twenty people convicted of witchcraft are hanged in Salem, and one is pressed to death
Gold is found in Brazil, launching the first great American gold rush
The Bank of England is founded and soon becomes the central banker for England's many private banks
The joint monarch of England, Mary II, dies - leaving her husband, William III, to reign alone
The first teacher of the virtuoso harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti is his father, Alessandro
Peter the Great makes an unexpected raid down the river Don and captures Azov from the Crimean Tatars
Peter the Great makes an unexpected raid down the river Don and captures Azov from the Crimean Tatars Fort St William is built by the East India Company in the Ganges delta, and subsequently develops into Calcutta
The Russian tsar, Peter I, studies western European technology, working as a ship's carpenter in Dutch and English shipyards
In his opera La Caduta de' Decemviri, Alessandro Scarlatti introduces a new form of prelude, later known as the Italian overture, which is an important stage in the development of the symphony
In the Treaty of Rijswijk, Spain cedes the western half of Hispaniola to France, which names its new colony Saint-Domingue
A fleet from Oman evicts the Portuguese from Mombasa and Zanzibar
Thomas Savery creates the first practical steam engine, designed to pump water out of mines
A maker of harpsichords in Florence, Bartolomeo Cristofori, develops the piano ('soft') and forte ('loud') feature which leads to the piano
Scotland makes a disastrous attempt to establish a colony in Darien, on the isthmus of Panama
Peter the Great makes a symbolic gesture of reform in trimming his boyars' beards
The tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Rai, commits his people to the five Ks, which become the outward signs of their group identity