Events

January–March

January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...

– Count

Carl Gyllenborg Count Carl Gyllenborg (7 March 1679 – 9 December 1746) was a Swedish statesman and author. Biography He was born in Stockholm, the son of Count Jacob Gyllenborg (1648-1701). His father was a Member of Parliament and of the Royal Council, who ...

, the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

ambassador to the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...

, is arrested in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

over a plot to assist the

Pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...

to the British throne,

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales from ...

. *

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...

(December 24,

1716 Events January–March * January 16 – The application of the Nueva Planta decrees to Catalonia make it subject to the laws of the Crown of Castile, and abolishes the Principality of Catalonia as a political entity, concluding ...

Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

) –

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

sign the Triple Alliance, in an attempt to maintain the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

(

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...

), Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France on November 28 (November 17) 1716. *

February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...

– The

Silent Sejm Silent Sejm ( pl, Sejm Niemy; lt, Nebylusis seimas), also known as the Mute Sejm, is the name given to the session of the Sejm parliament of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of 1 February 1717 held in Warsaw. A civil war in the Commonwealth wa ...

, in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

, marks the beginning of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

's increasing influence and control over the Commonwealth. *

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...

– Following the treaty between France and Britain, the Pretender James Stuart leaves France, and seeks refuge with

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

. *

February 26 Events Pre-1600 *747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events. * 364 – Valentinian I is p ...

–

March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 & ...

– What becomes the northeastern United States is paralyzed by a series of blizzards that bury the region. *

March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his ''bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...

– Dancer John Weaver performs in the first

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

in Britain, shown at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

, ''

The Loves of Mars and Venus The ''Loves of Mars and Venus'' by John Weaver was arguably the first modern ballet, the first dance work to tell a story through dance, gesture and music alone. Its first performance was at London's Drury Lane Theatre on Saturday 2 March 1717. ...

''. *

March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V� ...

–

Benjamin Hoadly Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 1676 – 17 April 1761) was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Salisbury, and finally of Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy. Li ...

Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Cathedral Church of Saint Deiniol. The ''Report of the Commissioners appointed ...

, brings the Bangorian Controversy within the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

into the open by delivering a sermon to, and supposedly at the request of, King

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

, on ''The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ'' with the text "My kingdom is not of this world" (

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

18:36), concluding there is no

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

justification for church government.

April–June

April 26 Events Pre-1600 *1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux. * 1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe. * 14 ...

– The ''

Whydah Gally ''Whydah Gally'' (commonly known simply as the ''Whydah'') was a fully rigged galley ship that was originally built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship. On the return leg of her maiden voyage of the triangle trade, ''Whydah Gally'' was captu ...

'', flagship of "Black Sam" Bellamy, is wrecked in a storm off

Wellfleet, Massachusetts Wellfleet is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, and is located halfway between the "tip" and "elbow" of Cape Cod. The town had a population of 3,566 at the 2020 United S ...

. The ''Whydah'' sinks with a reputed tons of treasure on board, and all but two of her crew are lost, including Bellamy. *

May 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. * 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. * 1153 &ndash ...

–

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

unites its

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n colonies, as the

Viceroyalty of New Granada The Viceroyalty of New Granada ( es, Virreinato de Nueva Granada, links=no ) also called Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada or Viceroyalty of Santafé was the name given on 27 May 1717, to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in norther ...

. *

June 24 Events Pre-1600 * 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. * 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. * ...

– The

Premier Grand Lodge of England The organisation now known as the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. Originally concerned with the practice of Freemasonry in London and Westminster, it soon became known as ...

, the ''Modern'' and first Free-Masonic Grand Lodge (which merges with the

Ancient Grand Lodge of England The Ancient Grand Lodge of England, as it is known today, or ''The Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons (according to the Old Constitutions granted by His Royal Highness Prince Edwin, at York, Anno ...

1813 Events January–March * January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance. * January 24 – T ...

to form the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

), is founded in

July–September

July 17 Events Pre-1600 * 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. * 1048 – Damas ...

– ''

Water Music The ''Water Music'' is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames. Struct ...

'' by

George Frederick Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

is first performed, on a

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

barge in

, *

August 17 Events Pre-1600 * 309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike. * 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. * 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of ...

– The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends, with

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n troops capturing the city from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. *

August 22 Events Pre-1600 * 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. * 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. * 1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scotland a ...

– Spanish troops arrive on the island of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, at this time a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, beginning the conquest of the island, completed by October 30. *

September 5 Events Pre-1600 * 917 – Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu. * 1367 – Swa Saw Ke becomes king of Ava * 1590 – Alexander Farnese's army forces Hen ...

– King

issues the "

Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates in the West Indies A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

", an offer of

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, declaring that any pirates who surrender themselves to the government of Britain or one of its overseas territories, on or before September 5, 1718, "shall have Our Gracious Pardon of and for his or their Piracy or Piracies" committed before January 5, 1718. The amnesty is later extended to July 1, 1719. *

September 21 Events Pre-1600 * 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power. * 1170 – The Kingdom of Dublin falls to Norman invaders. * 1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian ...

– The first known Druid revival ceremony is held by

John Toland John Toland (30 November 167011 March 1722) was an Irish people, Irish rationalist philosopher and freethought, freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, whi ...

Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...

, in

, at the Autumnal Equinox, to found the Mother Grove, what will later become the

Ancient Order of Druids The Ancient Order of Druids (AOD) is the senior neo-druid order in the world, and the oldest in continuous existence. It was formed in London, England, in 1781. It is represented in England, Wales, Scotland and the Commonwealth of Nations. Its ...

. *

September 29 Events Pre-1600 *61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday. * 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, ...

– Guatemala earthquake: A 7.4 magnitude

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

strikes

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architec ...

, destroying much of the city, and making authorities consider moving the capital of

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

to a different location.

October–December

October 9 Events Pre-1600 * 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks. * 1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia. * 1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock. * 1446 &ndash ...

– King

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

orders the closure of all universities in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, including the historic Estudi General de Lleida. *

October 16 Events Pre-1600 * 456 – Ricimer defeats Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire. * 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. * 91 ...

–

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's opera ''

Tieteberga ''Tieteberga'' (RV 737) is a partially lost dramma per musica by Antonio Vivaldi. The Italian libretto was by Antonio Maria Lucchini. The opera was first performed at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice on 16 October 1717.Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

October 18 Events Pre-1600 * 33 – Heartbroken by the deaths of her sons Nero and Drusus, and banished to the island of Pandateria by Tiberius, Agrippina the Elder dies of self-inflicted starvation. * 320 – Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philos ...

– Trial begins in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for six

who had survived the April 26 wreck of

Samuel Bellamy Captain Samuel Bellamy ( c. 23 February, 1689 – 26 April 1717), later known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor, turned pirate, who operated in the early 18th century. He is best known as the wealthiest pirate in recorded history, an ...

's ships '' Whydah'' and the ''Mary Anne''. Five of them (John Brown, Hendrick Quintor, Thomas Baker, Peter Cornelius Hoof and John Shuan) are convicted on October 22 of piracy and robbery and hanged on November 15. *

October 30 Events Pre-1600 * 637 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Antioch surrenders to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge. * 758 – Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates. *1137 – Ranulf of Apulia defeats Roger ...

– The

Spanish conquest of Sardinia The Spanish conquest of Sardinia, also known as the Spanish expedition to Sardinia, took place between 22 August 1717 and 30 October 1717. It was the first military action between the Kingdom of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire after the War of the ...

, at this time part of the

, is finished two months after Spanish forces had landed on the island on August 22, as the last Sardinian outpost,

Castelsardo Castelsardo ( sdc, Castheddu; sc, Casteddu Sardu) is a town and ''comune'' in Sardinia, Italy, located in the northwest of the island within the Province of Sassari, at the east end of the Gulf of Asinara. History Archaeological excavations have ...

, surrenders. *

November 28 Events Pre-1600 * 587 – Treaty of Andelot: King Guntram of Burgundy recognizes Childebert II as his heir. * 936 – Shi Jingtang is enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin by Emperor Taizong of Liao, following a revolt again ...

– Pirates led by

Edward Teach Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about ...

, more popularly referred to as "

Blackbeard Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English Piracy, pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's Thirteen Colonies, North American colon ...

", and

Benjamin Hornigold Captain Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) was an English pirate who operated during the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Born in England in the late 17th century, Hornigold began his pirate career in 1713, attacking merchant ships in the Bah ...

capture the French slave transport ''Concorde'' near island of Saint Vincent the West Indies. Blackbeard renames the vessel ''

Queen Anne's Revenge ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' was an early-18th-century ship, most famously used as a flagship by Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard. Although the date and place of the ship's construction are uncertain, it was originally believed ...

'', adds to its armaments, and makes it his flagship. Hornigold soon accepts a British amnesty for all pirates, and Blackbeard teams up with

Stede Bonnet Stede Bonnet (1688 – 10 December 1718) was an early 18th-century English/Barbadian pirate, also known as the Gentleman Pirate for the reason that he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born in ...

and begins plundering ships approaching North American ports. *

December 9 Events Pre-1600 * 536 – Gothic War: The Byzantine general Belisarius enters Rome unopposed; the Gothic garrison flees the capital. * 730 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, al- ...

(November 29, O.S.) – King

banishes his son and daughter-in-law, George, Prince of Wales and

Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pala ...

, from the royal household after the Prince threatens the King's personal assistant,

the Duke of Newcastle Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (21 July 169317 November 1768) was a British Whig statesman who served as the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Great Britain, his official life extended ...

, the royal Lord Chamberlain. The altercation takes place at the baptismal ceremony for the Prince's newborn son, George William. *

December 24 Events Pre-1600 * 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. * 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. * 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, whe ...

– 25 – Christmas flood: A disastrous flood hits the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast, between the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

; thousands die or lose their houses.

Date unknown

* 1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain. * François-Marie Arouet is sentenced to imprisonment in the Bastille for eleven months, because of a satirical verse against the ''Régent'' of France and his infamous daughter Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, who is hiding an illegitimate pregnancy and soon to give birth; Arouet will emerge with the pseudonym Voltaire and the completed text of his first play, ''Oedipus (Voltaire), Œdipe''. * The Tatar invasions in Transylvania devastate many towns, including Cavnic, Sighet and Dej. * Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Istanbul, has her son Inoculation, inoculated. * The Casa de Contratación (''House of Trade'') is set up in Cádiz. * Maharaja Pamheiba of Manipur is converted to Hinduism by Shantidas Goswami, and decrees it to be the official religion of his state. * Most recent rupture of New Zealand's Alpine Fault, with an earthquake estimated to have had a magnitude between 7.8 and 8.1. * The Charleville musket enters service in Kingdom of France, France. * Thomas Fairchild (gardener), Thomas Fairchild, a nurseryman at Hoxton in the East End of London, becomes the first person to produce a successful scientific plant Hybrid (biology), hybrid, ''Dianthus Caryophyllus barbatus'', known as ''Fairchild's Mule''. *Murshid Quli Khan declares himself the first Nawab of the Bengal Subah. The Nawabs of Bengal will De facto, effectively function as near-sovereign rulers of Bengal while being De jure, nominally loyal to the Mughal Empire.

Births

* January 2 – Edward Seymour, 9th Duke of Somerset, English nobleman, son of Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset and Mary Webb (d. 1792) * January 5 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English statesman (d. 1793) * January 18 – Jean-François-Marie de Surville, French trader and navigator (d. 1770) * January 21 – Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish military officer (d. 1779) * January 23 – Benjamin Beddome, English Baptist minister and hymnist (d. 1795) * January 28 – Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1773) * January 29 – Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, British soldier and conqueror of Quebec (d. 1797) * February 2 – Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790) * February 3 – Nicholas Cooke, first Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1782) * c. February 11 – William Williams Pantycelyn, Welsh hymn-writer, a key leader of the 18th century Methodist revival (d. 1791) * February 17 – Adam Friedrich Oeser, German etcher (d. 1799) * February 19 – David Garrick, English actor (d. 1779) * February 27 – Johann David Michaelis, German biblical scholar and teacher (d. 1791) * April 6 – Luis de Unzaga, American-Spanish governor (d. 1793) * April – Pieter Barbiers (painter), Pieter Barbiers, Dutch artist (d. 1780) * April 9 – Georg Matthias Monn, Austrian composer (d. 1750) * April 10 – Isaac de Pinto, Dutch Jew of Portuguese origin, investor and scholar (d. 1787) * May 8 – Charles Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles, French official, husband of Madame de Pompadour (d. 1799) Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR)

* May 13 – Maria Theresa of Austria, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, consort of the Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1780) * June 5 – Emanuel Mendes da Costa, English botanist (d. 1791) * June 8 – John Collins (Continental Congress), John Collins, Continental Congressman, third Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1795) * June 19 – Johann Stamitz, Czech-born composer (d. 1757) * June 20 – Jacques Saly, French sculptor (d. 1776) * June 27 – Louis Guillaume Lemonnier, French botanist (d. 1799) * June 28 – Matthew Stewart (mathematician), Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician (d. 1785) * July 5 – Peter III of Portugal, consort of Queen Maria I of Portugal (d. 1786) * August – Sophie de Lafont, Russian educator (d. 1797) * August 13 – Louis François, Prince of Conti, French nobleman, military leader (d. 1776) * August 15 ** Louis Carrogis Carmontelle, French dramatist (d. 1806) ** John Metcalf (civil engineer), John Metcalf, "Blind Jack of Knaresborough", English roadbuilder (d. 1810) * September 4 – Job Orton, English dissenting minister (d. 1783) * September 7 ** Agui, Chinese nobleman, general for the Ch'ing dynasty (d. 1797) ** Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian Jesuit missionary (d. 1791) * September 22 – Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, Swedish astronomer (d. 1783) * September 24 – Horace Walpole, English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and politician (d. 1797) * September 28 – William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford, British diplomat and statesman (d. 1781) * October – James Paine (architect), James Paine, English architect (d. 1789) * October 5 – Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle duchess de Châteauroux, French mistress of King Louis XV of France (d. 1744) * October 13 – John Armstrong, Sr., John Armstrong, American civil engineer, major general in the Revolutionary War (d. 1795) *

– Jonathan Hornblower (1717), Jonathan Hornblower, English pioneer of steam power (d. 1780) * November 13 – Prince George William of Great Britain, member of the British Royal Family (d. 1718) * November 16 – Jean le Rond d'Alembert, French mathematician and encyclopædist (d. 1783) * November 17 – Caroline Townshend, 1st Baroness Greenwich, English peeress (d. 1794) * November 23 – Antoine Guenée, French priest and Christian apologist (d. 1803) * November 25 – Alexander Sumarokov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1777) Johann Joachim Winckelmann (Raphael Mengs after 1755)

Johann Joachim Winckelmann (Raphael Mengs after 1755)

– Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German classical scholar and archaeologist (d. 1768) * December 16 – Elizabeth Carter, English writer (d. 1806) * December 25 – George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, British army officer (d. 1790) * December 27 – Pope Pius VI, born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, Italian pontiff (d. 1799) * December 28 – Johann Heinrich Gottlob Justi, leading German Kameralist in the 18th century (d. 1771) * December 29 – Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1785) * ''date unknown'' ** Giambattista Almici, Italian jurist (d. 1793) ** Claude Humbert Piarron de Chamousset, French philanthropist (d. 1773) ** Gottlieb Sigmund Gruner, Swiss cartographer and geologist (d. 1778) ** Elimelech of Lizhensk, Polish Orthodox Jewish rabbi, one of the great founding rebbes of Hasidic Judaism (d. 1787) ** Henry Middleton, South Carolina plantation owner, second President of the Continental Congress (d. 1784) **Lewis Nicola, Irish-born officer in the American army during the American Revolutionary War (d. 1807) ** Anne Steele ("Theodosia"), English Baptist hymn-writer (d. 1778) ** Molla Panah Vagif, Azerbaijani poet (d. 1797)

Deaths

* January 6 – Lambert Bos, Dutch scholar and critic (b. 1670) * January 7 – Empress Xiaohuizhang, second consort of the Qing dynasty Shunzhi Emperor of China (b. 1641) * January 13 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German-born Swiss naturalist and scientific illustrator, who studied plants and insects and made detailed paintings of them (b. 1647) * January 30 – John Hartstonge, Irish bishop (b. 1654) Maria Sibylla Merian portrait colors

* February 18 – Giovanni Maria Morandi, Italian painter (b. 1622) * February 21 – Jan Dobrogost Krasiński, Polish nobleman (szlachcic) (b. 1639) * February 23 – Magnus Stenbock, Swedish military officer (b. 1664) * March 3 – Pierre Allix, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1641) * March 5 – François de Callières, French diplomat, member of the ''Académie française'' (b. 1645) * March 8 – Abraham Darby I, English ironmaster, first of that name of three generations of a Quaker family that was key to the development of the Industrial Revolution (b. 1678) * March 19 – John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Scottish royalist (b. 1636) * April 3 – Jacques Ozanam, French mathematician (b. 1640) * April 5 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647) * April 11 – Abraham ben Saul Broda, Bohemian Talmudist (b. c. 1640) *

(''Black Sam''), English-born pirate (b. 1689) ** Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (b. 1637) ** John King (pirate), John King, pirate (b. c. 1706/9) * May 10 – John Hathorne, American magistrate (b. 1641) * May 17 – Bon Boullogne, French painter (b. 1649) * May 20 – John Trevor (speaker), John Trevor, Welsh lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons of England (b. 1637) * June 3 – Fernando de Alencastre, 1st Duke of Linares, Spanish nobleman and military officer (b. c. 1641) Mme Guyon

* June 9 – Jeanne Guyon, French mystic (b. 1648) * June 11 – Louis de Carrières, French priest and Bible commentator (b. 1662) * June 15 – Fabrizio Spada, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1643) * June 23 – John Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh, British politician (b. 1640) * July 1 – Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark, daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark (b. 1647) *

– Juan María de Salvatierra, Milanese Jesuit missionary to the Americas (b. 1648) * August – William Cochrane (MP), William Cochrane, Scottish MP in the Parliament of Great Britain * August 10 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (b. 1641) * August 16 – William Blathwayt, English civil servant and politician (b. 1649) * August 30 – William Lloyd (bishop of Worcester), William Lloyd, English bishop (b. 1627) * September 17 – Robert Cotton (MP), Robert Cotton, English politician (born 1644) * October – Philippe Pastour de Costebelle, French naval officer and Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1661) * October 22 – Henry Luttrell (Jacobite commander), Henry Luttrell, Irish army officer, Jacobite commander (b. c. 1655; shot and mortally wounded in his sedan chair in Dublin) * October 26 – Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, English mistress of James II of England (b. 1657) * November 16 – Hester Davenport, English stage actress (b. 1642) * November 21 – Jean-Baptiste Santerre, French painter (b. 1650) * November 26 – Daniel Purcell, English composer (b. 1664) * December 4 – William Hamilton (surgeon), William Hamilton, surgeon in the British East India Company * December 5 – Richard Onslow, 1st Baron Onslow, English politician (b. 1654) * December 13 – Nicholas Noyes, Massachusetts colonial minister, during the time of the Salem witch trials (b. 1647) * December 25 – Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, English peer and courtier (b. 1650) * ''date unknown'' ** William Diaper, English poet of the Augustan era (b. 1685) ** William Boyd, 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock, Scottish nobleman ** Niccolao Manucci, Italian writer and traveller in India (b. 1639) ** Osei Kofi Tutu I, founder of the Ashanti Confederacy (b. c. 1660; killed in action) ** Wang Hui (Qing dynasty), Wang Hui, Chinese landscape painter (b. 1632) ** Jane Wiseman, English actress, poet and playwright (b. c. 1682)

References

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