17th Century Events

Play a Quiz on 17th Century Events  (it's free)

Challenge Friends to a Brainoff on 17th Century Events

1600        The Tokugawa Period Started Japan

1601        The Battle of Kinsale Was Fought One of the most important battles in Irish history

1603        Elizabeth I of England Died Succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland uniting the crowns of England and Scotland

1603        Ieyasu Was Appointed Shogun Establishes the Tokugawa government in Edo (Tokyo)

1607        Jamestown Was Founded The first English settlement to survive in North America was founded in modern Virginia

1608        Quebec Was Established By Samuel de Champlain

1610        Galileo Published an Account of His Telescopic Observations Argues in favor of a sun-centered Copernican theory of the universe

1614        El Greco Died Spanish painter. Produced many great masterpieces

1615        The Toyotomi Clan Was Destroyed The clan was destroyed after Ieyasu captured Osaka Castle.

1616        Miguel De Cervantes Died Author of Don Quixote

1616        William Shakespeare Died Tradition says that he died on his birthday, April 23

1618        Sir Walter Raleigh Died Beheaded at the command of James VI

1618        The Thirty Years War Began

1619        Cyrano De Bergerac Was Born French soldier and poet

1620        The Mayflower Landed at Plymouth Rock Puritan pilgrims arrive in North America at Cape Cod.

1626        Francis Bacon Died English philosopher, statesman and essayist

1626        Manhattan Was Purchased from the Indians Purchased from the Delaware Native Americans for trade goods worth about $500-$700 in today's dollars.

1626        St Peter's Basilica Was Completed In Vatican City

1627        The Siege of La Rochelle Started Protestants under siege by Cardinal Richelieu, they eventually capitulate

1632        Building of the Taj Mahal Began Mauseleum for Mumtaz Mahal

1632        John Locke Was Born English philosopher

1637        The Pequot War Began First of the American Indian wars

1641        The Dutch Captured Malacca Dutch masteryof the Portuguese fort at Malacca allowed them to control the spice trade.

1642        Blaise Pascal Built a Mechanical Calculator For addition and subtraction

1644        The Manchu Qing Dynasty Was Established China

1645        The Russians Reached the Pacific Ocean

1647        The Friends Service Council Was Founded The Quakers

1648        The Peace of Westphalia Was Agreed Ends the Thirty Years War

1652        The First Anglo-Dutch War Began A trade war

1656        Christiaan Huygans Described the Rings of Saturn Dutch mathematician and astronomer

1658        Aurangzeb Became Emperor The last great Mughal Emperor. India

1661        Louis XIV Became King of France Sees himself a model for absolute monarch; "L'état c'est moi," he declares

1662        The Dutch East India Company's Administration of Taiwan Ended

1662        The Ming Dynasty Ended China

1664        British Conquered New Amsterdam Rename the city New York

1665        The Second Anglo-Dutch War Began

1666        Carignan-Salières Regiment Arrived in New France The first group of professional soldiers arrive in North America to fight the Iroquois Confederacy.

1666        The Great Fire of London Started September 2-5

1672        The Third Anglo-Dutch War Started

1674        Maratha Empire Began India

1680        Khan Teuke Became Kazakh Leader

1682        LaSalle Explored the Mississippi Robert de LaSalle explores length of the Mississippi River and claims it for France

1682        Peter the Great Became Joint Ruler of Russia Becomes sole tsar in 1696

1683        John III of Poland Defeated Turks in Vienna

1685        Johann Sebastian Bach Was Born Prolific German composer was the epitome of the Baroque Era.

1687        Isaac Newton Published "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica"

1688        England's "Glorious Revolution" Occured

1689        The Treaty of Nerchinsk Was Signed The treathy, between Russia and China, ends border clashes in Manchuria

1692        The Salem Witch Trials Began Result in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft

Facts contributed by:

saguingoira