![Surrender of Lord Cornwallis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg)
The 18th century lasted from January 1,
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
(
MDCCI) to December 31,
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
(
MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
thinking culminated in the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
Haitian Revolutions. During the century,
slave trading
The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and Slavery and religion, religions from Ancient history, ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The socia ...
and
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
expanded across the shores of the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, while declining in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures, including the structures and beliefs that
supported slavery. The
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
began during mid-century, leading to radical changes in
human society and the
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
.
Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Versa ...
and the start of the French Revolution, with an emphasis on directly interconnected events. To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century
may run from the
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
in
1815
Events
January
* January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England.
* January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussi ...
or even later.
The period is also known as the "century of lights" or the "century of reason". In continental Europe, philosophers dreamed of a brighter age. For some, this dream turned into a reality with the French Revolution of 1789, though this was later compromised by the excesses of the
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the
French Republic
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
.
The 18th century also marked the end of 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 ...
as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring states of the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, and
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 ...
, which
partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves, changing the landscape of
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
and politics for the next hundred years.
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) ...
experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion, taking part in no European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a consequence, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
. The Ottoman Empire military may have fallen behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In
Southwest and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
,
Nader Shah
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...
led successful military campaigns and major invasions, which indirectly led to the founding of the
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire ( ps, د درانيانو ټولواکمني; fa, امپراتوری درانیان) or the Afghan Empire ( ps, د افغانان ټولواکمني, label=none; fa, امپراتوری افغان, label=none), also know ...
.
The
European colonization of the Americas
During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short ter ...
and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...
. European colonization intensified in present-day
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, where the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
established increasing levels of control over the
Mataram Sultanate
The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th centu ...
. Mainland Southeast Asia would be embroiled in the
Konbaung–Ayutthaya Wars and the
Tây Sơn rebellion, while in East Asia, the century marked the
High Qing era
The High Qing era () refers to the Golden ages of China, golden age between 1683 and 1799 during the Qing dynasty of China during which the empire's prosperity and power grew to new heights. Set after the rule of the Ming dynasty, the High Qing s ...
and the continual
seclusion policies of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
.
Various conflicts throughout the century, including the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
and the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
saw
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 ...
triumphing over its European rivals to become the preeminent colonial power in Europe. However, Britain lost its
colonies in North America after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, which went on to form the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, initiating the
decolonization of the Americas
The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Ameri ...
. The European colonization of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
began during the late half of the century.
In the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, the death of
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
marked the end of
medieval India and the beginning of an increasing level of European
influence and control in the region, which coincided with a period of rapid
Maratha expansion. By the middle of the century, the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
began to conquer the eastern parts of India, a process which accelerated after their victory over the
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...
and their
French allies at the
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...
. By the end of the century,
Company rule in India
Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...
had come to cover more regions within
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, the British would also expand to the south, participating in the
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore#Under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (r ...
against the
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...
, governed by
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
and his father
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
.
Events
1701–1750
![Marlborough-duke-first](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Marlborough-duke-first.jpg)
*
1700
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 19), where then Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 11 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 17 ...
–
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
:
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
between the
Russian and
Swedish Empires.
*
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
:
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
declared under King
Frederick I.
*
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
–
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: The
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
is fought, involving most of continental
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
*
1702
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 2 – A total solar eclipse is visible from the southe ...
–
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
:
Camisard rebellion in France.
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
:
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
is founded by
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
; it is the Russian
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
until
1918
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
.
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
–
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
: The
Rákóczi uprising
The House of Rákóczi (older spelling Rákóczy) was a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled ''Rákoci'' (in Slovakia), ''Rakoczi'' and ''Rakoczy'' in some forei ...
against the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in ...
: End of Japan's
Genroku period.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in ...
:
First Javanese War of Succession
The First Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat III of Mataram and the Dutch East India Company who supported the claim of the Sultan's uncle, Pangeran Puger to the throne.
Amangkurat II died in 1703 and was brie ...
.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 82]
*
1706
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Monday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 26 – War of Spanish Succession: Bavarian uprising of 1705 ...
–
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 ...
: The
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
: French troops defeated at the battles of
Ramillies and
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
.
*
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
: Death of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
leads to the fragmentation of the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
.
*
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
: The
Act of Union is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing 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 ...
.
*
1708
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing th ...
: The
Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies and English Company Trading to the East Indies merge to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.
*
1708
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing th ...
–
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: Famine kills one-third of
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
's population.
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: Foundation of the
Hotak Afghan Empire.
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: The
Great Frost of 1709 marks the coldest winter in 500 years, contributing to the defeat of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
at
Poltava
Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
.
*
1710
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin b ...
: The world's first
copyright legislation,
Britain's
Statute of Anne
The Statute of Anne, also known as the Copyright Act 1710 (cited either as 8 Ann. c. 21 or as 8 Ann. c. 19), was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1710, which was the first statute to provide for copyright regulated by the g ...
, takes effect.
*
1710
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin b ...
–
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
:
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) ...
fights Russia in the
Russo-Turkish War and regains
Azov.
*
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
:
Bukhara Khanate
The Khanate of Bukhara (or Khanate of Bukhoro) ( fa, , Khānāt-e Bokhārā; ) was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1500 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its ...
dissolves as local begs seize power.
*
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
–
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
:
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711 until February 11, 1715 between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamassee, and other allies on the other. This was cons ...
between British, Dutch, and German settlers and the
Tuscarora people of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.
*
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 ...
: The
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...
acknowledges the full recovery of the Chinese economy since its apex during the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
.
*
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: In Amsterdam,
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spent ...
invents the
mercury-in-glass thermometer
The mercury-in-glass or mercury thermometer was invented by physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in Amsterdam (1714). It consists of a bulb containing mercury attached to a glass tube of narrow diameter; the volume of mercury in the tube is much le ...
, which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the electronic era.
*
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
: The
first Jacobite rising
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
breaks out; the British halt the Jacobite advance at the
Battle of Sheriffmuir;
Battle of Preston.
*
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 ...
: Establishment of the
Sikh Confederacy along the present-day India-
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
border.
*
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 ...
–
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discus ...
:
Austro-Venetian-Turkish War.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discus ...
: The city of
is founded by the French in North America.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discus ...
–
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty of ...
:
War of the Quadruple Alliance between Spain, France, Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discus ...
–
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (Ann ...
:
Tulip period of the Ottoman Empire.
*
1719
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Carolean Death March begins: A catastrophic retreat by a largely-Finnish Swedish- Carolean army under the command of Carl Gustaf Armfeldt across the Tydal mountains in a blizzard kills around 3,7 ...
:
Second Javanese War of Succession
The Second Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat IV of Mataram supported by the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: ''Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie'', VOC) against the rebellion of rival Princes who contested his r ...
.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 84]
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty of ...
: The
South Sea Bubble
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
.
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty of ...
–
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: The
Great Plague of Marseille
The Great Plague of Marseille was the last major outbreak of bubonic plague in Western Europe. Arriving in Marseille, France, in 1720, the disease killed a total of 100,000 people: 50,000 in the city during the next two years and another 50,000 t ...
.
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty of ...
: Qing forces oust
Dzungar
Dzungar may refer to:
*Dzungar people, Oirat tribes in the Dzungar Khanate
*Dzungar Khanate, a historical empire
* Jungar Banner, an administrative division of China
*Junggar Basin
The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in ...
invaders from
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
.
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: The
Treaty of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...
is signed, ending the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
.
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
:
Sack of Shamakhi
The Sack of Shamakhi took place on 18 August 1721, when rebellious Sunni Lezgins, within the declining Safavid Empire, attacked the capital of Shirvan province, Shamakhi (in present-day Azerbaijan Republic). The initially successful counter-campa ...
, massacre of its Shia population by
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Lezgins.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...
: Siege of Isfahan results in the handover of Iran to the Hotak dynasty, Hotaki Afghans.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...
–1723: Russo-Persian War (1722–1723), Russo-Persian War.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...
–1725: Controversy over William Wood (Mintmaster), William Wood's halfpence leads to the ''Drapier's Letters'' and begins the Irish economic independence from England movement.
![7 Muhammad Shah and Nadir Shah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/7_Muhammad_Shah_and_Nadir_Shah._1740%2C_Musee_Guimet%2C_Paris.jpg)
* 1723: Slavery is abolished in Russia;
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
converts household Slavery in medieval Europe#Slavery in Russia, slaves into house serfs.
* 1723–
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (Ann ...
: The "Great Disaster", an invasion of Kazakhs, Kazakh territories by the Dzungars.
* 1723–1732: The Qing and the Dzungars fight a series of wars across Qinghai, Dzungaria, and Outer Mongolia, with inconclusive results.
* 1724:
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spent ...
proposes the Fahrenheit temperature scale.
* 1725: Peace of Vienna (1725), Austro-Spanish alliance revived. Russia joins in 1726.
* 1727–1729: Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729), Anglo-Spanish War ends inconclusively.
*
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (Ann ...
: Mahmud I takes over Ottoman Empire after the Patrona Halil revolt, ending the
Tulip period.
*
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (Ann ...
–1760: The First Great Awakening takes place in Great Britain and North America.
* 1732–1734: Crimean Khanate, Crimean Tatar raids into Russia.
*1733–1738: War of the Polish Succession.
![Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor in Court Dress](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Portrait_of_the_Qianlong_Emperor_in_Court_Dress.jpg)
* 1735–1739: Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739), Austro-Russo-Turkish War.
* 1735–1799: The Qianlong Emperor of China oversees a huge expansion in territory.
* 1738–1756: List of famines, Famine across the Sahel; half the population of Timbuktu dies.
* 1737–1738: Hotaki Afghan Empire ends after the Siege of Kandahar by
Nader Shah
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...
.
* 1739: Great Britain and Spain fight the War of Jenkins' Ear in the Caribbean.
* 1739: Nader Shah defeats a pan-Indian army of 300,000 at the Battle of Karnal. Taxation is stopped in Iran for three years.
* 1739–1740: Nader Shah's Sindh expedition.
* 1740: Great Awakening, George Whitefield
* 1740–1741: Great Irish Famine (1740–1741), Famine in Ireland kills 20 percent of the population.
* 1741–1743: Iran invades Khanate of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, Khanate of Khiva, Khwarazm, Dagestan, and Omani Empire, Oman.
* 1741–1751: Maratha invasions of Bengal.
* 1740–1748: War of the Austrian Succession.
* 1742:
** Marvel's Mill, the first water-powered cotton mill, begins operation in England.
** Anders Celsius proposes an inverted form of the centigrade temperature, which is later renamed Celsius in his honor.
* 1742: Premiere of Handel's Messiah (Handel), ''Messiah''
* 1743–1746: Another Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746), Ottoman-Persian War involves 375,000 men but ultimately ends in a stalemate.
![The Battle of Culloden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/The_Battle_of_Culloden.jpg)
* 1744: The First Saudi State is founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud.
* 1744: Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon is fought off the coast of France.
* 1744–1748: The Carnatic Wars, First Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India.
* 1745: Jacobite rising of 1745, Second Jacobite rising is begun by Charles Edward Stuart in Scotland.
* 1747: The
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire ( ps, د درانيانو ټولواکمني; fa, امپراتوری درانیان) or the Afghan Empire ( ps, د افغانان ټولواکمني, label=none; fa, امپراتوری افغان, label=none), also know ...
is founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani.
* 1748: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession and First Carnatic War.
* 1748–1754: The Carnatic Wars, Second Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India.
* 1750: Peak of the Little Ice Age.
1751–1800
* 1754: The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah as Nawab of the Carnatic.
* 1754: Columbia University, King's College is founded by a royal charter of George II of Great Britain.
* 1754–1763: The
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, the North American chapter of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.
* 1755: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, great Lisbon earthquake destroys most of Portugal's capital and kills up to 100,000.
* 1755: The Dzungar genocide depopulates much of northern Xinjiang, allowing for Han, Uyghur, Khalkha Mongol, and Manchu colonization.
* 1755–1763: The Expulsion of the Acadians, Great Upheaval forces transfer of the French Acadian population from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
* 1756–1763: The
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
is fought among European powers in various theaters around the world.
* 1756–1763: The Third Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, and Mysore in India.
* 1757: Battle of Plassey, British conquest of Bengal.
* 1760: George III becomes King of Britain.
* 1761: Maratha Empire defeated at Battle of Panipat (1761), Battle of Panipat.
* 1762–1796: Reign of Catherine II of Russia, Catherine the Great of Russia.
* 1763: The Treaty of Paris (1763), Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War and Third Carnatic War.
* 1764: The Mughals are defeated at the Battle of Buxar.
* 1765: The Stamp Act 1765, Stamp Act is introduced into the Thirteen Colonies, American colonies by the British Parliament.
* 1767, 1765–1767: The Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), Burmese invade Thailand and utterly destroy Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Attuthaya.
* 1765–1769: Konbaung dynasty, Burma under Hsinbyushin repels Sino-Burmese War, four invasions from Qing China, securing hegemony over the Shan States, Shan states.
* 1766: Christian VII of Denmark, Christian VII becomes king of Denmark. He was Danish Realm, king of Denmark to 1808.
* 1766–1799:
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore#Under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (r ...
.
* 1767: Taksin expels Burmese invaders and reunites Thailand under an authoritarian regime.
* 1768–1772: War of the Bar Confederation.
* 1768–1774: Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), Russo-Turkish War.
* 1769: Spanish missionary, missionaries establish the first of 21 Spanish Missions of California, missions in California.
* 1769–1770: James Cook explores and maps New Zealand and Australia.
* 1769–1773: The Bengal famine of 1770 kills one-third of the Bengal population.
* 1769: The French East India Company dissolves, only to be revived in 1785.
* 1769: French expeditions capture clove plants in Ambon Island, Ambon, ending the VOC monopoly of the plant.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 102] (to 1772)
* 1770–1771: Famines in Czech lands, Famine in Czech lands kills hundreds of thousands.
* 1771: The Plague Riot in Moscow.
* 1771: The Kalmyk Khanate dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand Kalmyks migrate back to Xinjiang under Qing rule, Qing Dzungaria.
* 1772: Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.
* 1772–1779: Maratha Empire fights Britain and Raghunathrao's forces during the First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 1772–1795: The Partitions of Poland end 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 ...
and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.
* 1773–1775: Pugachev's Rebellion, the largest peasant revolt in Russian history.
* 1773: East India Company starts operations in Bengal to smuggle First Opium War, opium into China.
* 1775: Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the Zaporozhian Sich, Zaporizhian Cossacks of Ukraine.
* 1775–1782: First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 1775–1783:
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
* 1776: Several Kongsi republic, Kongsi Republics are founded by Chinese settlers in the island of Borneo. They are some of the first democracies in Asia.
* 1776–1777: Spanish–Portuguese War (1776–1777), A Spanish-Portuguese War occurs over land in the South American frontiers.
* 1776: Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt.
* 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
* 1776: Adam Smith publishes ''The Wealth of Nations''.
* 1778: James Cook becomes the first European to land on the Hawaiian Islands.
* 1778: Franco-American alliance signed.
* 1778: Spain acquires its Spanish Guinea, first permanent holding in Africa from the Portuguese, which is administrated by the newly-established Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, La Plata Viceroyalty.
* 1778: Đại Việt, Vietnam is reunified for the first time in 200 years by the Tây Sơn dynasty, Tay Son brothers. The Tây Sơn dynasty has been established, terminated the Lê dynasty
* 1779–1879: Xhosa Wars between British and Boer settlers and the Xhosa people, Xhosas in the South African Republic.
* 1779–1783: Spain and the American Revolutionary War, Britain loses several islands and colonial outposts all over the world to the combined Franco-Spanish navy.
* 1779: Iran enters yet another period of conflict and civil war after the prosperous reign of Karim Khan Zand.
* 1780: Outbreak of the Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, indigenous rebellion against Spanish colonization led by Túpac Amaru II in Peru.
* 1781: The city of Los Angeles is founded by Spaniards, Spanish settlers.
![Portrait of George Washington-transparent](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Portrait_of_George_Washington-transparent.png)
* 1781–1785: Serfdom is abolished in the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian monarchy (first step; second step in 1848).
* 1782: The Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand is dissolved after a palace coup.
* 1783: The Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris formally ends the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
* 1783: Russian annexation of Crimean Khanate, Crimea.
* 1785–1791: Imam Sheikh Mansur, a Chechen people, Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian tribes from throughout the Caucasus in a Jihad, holy war against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia.
* 1785–1795: The Northwest Indian War is fought between the United States and Indigenous peoples in the United States, Native Americans.
* 1785–1787: Maratha–Mysore Wars, The Maratha-Mysore War concludes with an exchange of territories in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan.
* 1786–1787: Mozart premieres The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni
* 1787: The Tuareg people, Tuareg occupies Timbuktu until the 19th century.
* 1787–1792: Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), Russo-Turkish War.
* 1788: First Fleet arrives in Australia
* 1788–1790: Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790).
![Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen_in_1789.jpg)
* 1788–1789: A Qing attempt to reinstall an exiled Lê Chiêu Thống, Vietnamese king in northern Vietnam Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa, ends in disaster.
* 1789: George Washington is elected the first President of the United States; he serves until 1797.
* 1789 : Quang Trung defeated the Qing dynasty, Qing army
* 1789–1799: French Revolution.
* 1789: The Liège Revolution.
* 1789: The Brabant Revolution.
* 1789: The Inconfidência Mineira, an unsuccessful separatist movement in central Brazil led by Tiradentes
* 1791: Suppression of the Liège Revolution by Holy Roman Empire, Austrian forces and re-establishment of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
* 1791–1795: George Vancouver explores the world during the Vancouver Expedition.
* 1791–1804: The Haitian Revolution.
* 1791: Mozart premieres The Magic Flute
* 1792–1802: The
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
lead into the Napoleonic Wars, which last from 1803–
1815
Events
January
* January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England.
* January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussi ...
.
* 1792: The New York Stock Exchange, New York Stock & Exchange Board is founded.
* 1792: Polish–Russian War of 1792.
* 1793: Upper Canada Act Against Slavery, bans slavery.
* 1793: The largest 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic, yellow fever epidemic in American history kills as many as 5,000 people in Philadelphia, roughly 10% of the population.
* 1793–1796: Revolt in the Vendée against the French Republic at the time of the French Revolution, Revolution.
* 1794–1816: The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, which were a series of incidents between settlers and New South Wales Corps and the Aboriginal Australian clans of the Hawkesbury River, Hawkesbury river in Sydney, Australia.
* 1795: The Marseillaise is officially adopted as the French national anthem.
![1801 Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/1801_Antoine-Jean_Gros_-_Bonaparte_on_the_Bridge_at_Arcole.jpg)
* 1795: The Battle of Nuʻuanu in the final days of Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha I's wars to Unification of Hawaii, unify the Hawaiian Islands.
* 1795–1796: Battle of Krtsanisi, Iran invades and devastates Georgia, prompting Persian expedition of 1796, Russia to intervene and march on Tehran.
* 1796: Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination; smallpox killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year during the 18th century, including five reigning monarchs.
* 1796: War of the First Coalition: The Battle of Montenotte marks Napoleon Bonaparte's first victory as an army commander.
* 1796: The British eject the Dutch from Ceylon and Dutch Cape Colony, South Africa.
* 1796–1804: The White Lotus Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty in China.
* 1798: The Irish Rebellion of 1798, Irish Rebellion fails to overthrow British rule in Ireland.
* 1798–
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
: The Quasi-War is fought between the United States and France.
* 1799:
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
is dissolved.
* 1799: Austro-Russian Alliance (1781), Austro-Russian forces under Alexander Suvorov Italian and Swiss expedition, liberates much of Italy and Switzerland from French occupation.
* 1799: Coup of 18 Brumaire - Napoleon's coup d'etat brings the end of the French Revolution.
* 1799: Death of the Qianlong Emperor after High Qing era, 60 years of rule over China. His favorite official, Heshen, is ordered to commit suicide.
*
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
: On 1 January, the bankrupt
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC) is formally dissolved and the nationalised Dutch East Indies are established.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 106]
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
![Spinning jenny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Spinning_jenny.jpg)
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori
*
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
: Tuning fork was invented by John Shore
* 1712: Steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen
*
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: Mercury thermometer by
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spent ...
* 1717: Diving bell was successfully tested by Edmond Halley, sustainable to a depth of 55 ft
* c.
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (Ann ...
: Octant (instrument), Octant navigational tool was developed by John Hadley in England, and Thomas Godfrey (inventor), Thomas Godfrey in America
* 1733: Flying shuttle invented by John Kay (flying shuttle), John Kay
* 1736: Europeans encountered rubber – the discovery was made by Charles Marie de La Condamine while on expedition in South America. It was named in 1770 by Joseph Priestley
* c. 1740: Modern steel was developed by Benjamin Huntsman
* 1741: Vitus Bering discovers Alaska
* 1745: Leyden jar invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist was the first electrical capacitor
* 1751: Jacques de Vaucanson perfects the first precision lathe
* 1752: Lightning rod invented by Benjamin Franklin
* 1753: The first clock to be built in the New World (North America) was invented by Benjamin Banneker.
* 1755: The tallest ''wooden'' Bodhisattva statue in the world is erected at Puning Temple (Hebei), Puning Temple, Chengde, China.
* 1764: Spinning jenny created by James Hargreaves brought on the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
* 1765: James Watt enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new steel technologies
* 1761: The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth marine chronometer, chronometer of John Harrison
* 1763: Thomas Bayes publishes first version of Bayes' theorem, paving the way for Bayesian probability
* 1768–1779: James Cook mapped the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many Pacific Islands
* 1774: Joseph Priestley discovers "dephlogisticated air", oxygen
![Red building Putuo Zongcheng Temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Red_building_Putuo_Zongcheng_Temple.JPG)
* 1775: Joseph Priestley first synthesis of "phlogisticated nitrous air", nitrous oxide, "laughing gas"
* 1776: First improved steam engines installed by James Watt
* 1776: Steamboat invented by Claude de Jouffroy
* 1777: Circular saw invented by Samuel Miller
* 1779: Photosynthesis was first discovered by Jan Ingenhousz
* 1781: William Herschel announces discovery of Uranus
* 1784: Bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin
* 1784: Argand lamp invented by Aimé Argand
* 1785: Power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright
* 1785: Production line, Automatic flour mill invented by Oliver Evans
* 1786: Threshing machine invented by Andrew Meikle
* 1787: Jacques Charles discovers Charles's law
* 1789: Antoine Lavoisier discovers the law of conservation of mass, the basis for chemistry, and begins modern chemistry
* 1798: Edward Jenner publishes a treatise about smallpox vaccination
* 1798: The Lithography, Lithographic printing process invented by Alois Senefelder
[Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 ]
* 1799: Rosetta Stone discovered by Napoleon's troops
Literary and philosophical achievements
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
: ''The Love Suicides at Sonezaki'' by Chikamatsu first performed
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in ...
–1717: ''One Thousand and One Nights'' translated into French by Antoine Galland. The work becomes immensely popular throughout Europe.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in ...
: ''A Tale of a Tub'' by Jonathan Swift first published
* 1712: ''The Rape of the Lock'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version)
*
1719
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Carolean Death March begins: A catastrophic retreat by a largely-Finnish Swedish- Carolean army under the command of Carl Gustaf Armfeldt across the Tydal mountains in a blizzard kills around 3,7 ...
: ''Robinson Crusoe'' by Daniel Defoe
* 1725: ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico
* 1726: ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift
* 1728: ''The Dunciad'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version)
* 1744: ''A Little Pretty Pocket-Book'' becomes one of the first Children's literature#History, books marketed for children
* 1748: ''Chushingura'' (''The Treasury of Loyal Retainers''), popular Japanese bunraku, puppet play, composed
* 1748: ''Clarissa'' by Samuel Richardson
* 1749: ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' by Henry Fielding
* 1751: ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' by Thomas Gray published
* 1751–1785: The French Encyclopédie
* 1755: ''A Dictionary of the English Language'' by Samuel Johnson
* 1759: ''Candide'' by Voltaire
* 1759: ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' by Adam Smith
* 1759–1767: ''Tristram Shandy'' by Laurence Sterne
* 1762: ''Emile: or, On Education'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* 1762: ''Social Contract (Rousseau), The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* 1774: ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' by Goethe first published
* 1776: ''Ugetsu Monogatari'' (''Tales of Moonlight and Rain'') by Ueda Akinari
* 1776: ''The Wealth of Nations'', foundation of the modern theory of economy, was published by Adam Smith
* 1776–1789: ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'' was published by Edward Gibbon
* 1779: ''Amazing Grace'' published by John Newton
* 1779–1782: ''Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'' by Samuel Johnson
* 1781: ''Critique of Pure Reason'' by Immanuel Kant (publication of first edition)
* 1781: ''The Robbers'' by Friedrich Schiller first published
* 1782: ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
* 1786: ''Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect'' by Robert Burns
* 1787–1788: ''The Federalist Papers'' by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
* 1788: ''Critique of Practical Reason'' by Immanuel Kant
* 1789: ''Songs of Innocence'' by William Blake
* 1789: ''The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano'' by Olaudah Equiano
* 1790: ''Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow'' by Alexander Radishchev
* 1790: ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' by Edmund Burke
* 1791: ''Rights of Man'' by Thomas Paine
* 1792: ''A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'' by Mary Wollstonecraft
* 1794: ''Songs of Experience'' by William Blake
* 1798: ''Lyrical Ballads'' by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
* 1798: ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'' published by Thomas Malthus
* (mid-18th century): ''The Dream of the Red Chamber'' (authorship attributed to Cao Xueqin), one of the most famous Chinese novels
Musical works
*
1711
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edward ...
: ''Rinaldo (opera), Rinaldo'', Handel's first opera for the London stage, premiered
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: ''Brandenburg Concertos'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
* 1723: ''The Four Seasons (Vivaldi), The Four Seasons'', violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, composed
* 1724: ''St John Passion'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
* 1727: ''St Matthew Passion'' composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
* 1733: ''Hippolyte et Aricie'', first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau
* 1741: ''Goldberg Variations'' for harpsichord published by Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach
* 1742: ''Messiah (Handel), Messiah'', oratorio by Handel premiered in Dublin
* 1749: ''Mass in B minor'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach assembled in current form
* 1751: ''The Art of Fugue'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
* 1762: ''Orfeo ed Euridice'', first "reform opera" by Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Gluck, performed in Vienna
* 1786: ''The Marriage of Figaro'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1787: ''Don Giovanni'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1788: ''Symphony No. 41 (Mozart), Jupiter Symphony (Symphony No.41)'' composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1791: ''The Magic Flute'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1791–1795: London symphonies by Joseph Haydn, Haydn
* 1798: The Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven), Pathétique, piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, Beethoven
* 1798: ''The Creation (Haydn), The Creation'', oratorio by Joseph Haydn, Haydn first performed
References
Further reading
* Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. ''A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History'' (1994) 890pp
* Klekar, Cynthia. “Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature.” Innovative Course Design Winner. ''American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies'': Wake Forest University, 2004.
Home , American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS). Refereed.
* Langer, William. ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of event
online free* Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. ''Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present'' (1970
online* Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 '' (1973)
online note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap.
** Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914'' (1977
online* Wallace Collection, The Wallace Collection, London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:18th Century
18th century,
2nd millennium
Centuries
Early Modern period