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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 cale ...
( 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 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, 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, while declining in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
, China, and Korea. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures, including the structures and beliefs that supported slavery. The Industrial Revolution began during mid-century, leading to radical changes in
human society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
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 Ve ...
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 of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near 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 armies of the Seventh C ...
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 Pruss ...
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. 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 e ...
in the French Revolutionary Wars. The 18th century also marked the end of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 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 ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
, 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 c ...
, 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 ar ...
and politics for the next hundred years. The Ottoman Empire 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 Ottoman Empire military may have fallen behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In
Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and Central Asia, Nader Shah led successful military campaigns and major invasions, which indirectly led to the founding of the Durrani Empire. 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 Norse colonization of North America, the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizin ...
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, 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 co ...
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 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 saw China transformed ...
and the continual seclusion policies of the Tokugawa shogunate. Various conflicts throughout the century, including the War of the Spanish Succession and the French and Indian War saw Great Britain 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, 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 and New Zealand began during the late half of the century. In the Indian subcontinent, 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 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, w ...
. 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, 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 Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Presid ...
against the Kingdom of Mysore, governed by Tipu Sultan 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

*
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 1 ...
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 between the
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
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 cale ...
: Kingdom of Prussia declared under King
Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoll ...
. *
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 cale ...
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. * Fe ...
: The War of the Spanish Succession is fought, involving most of continental Europe. *
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 is founded by Peter the Great; 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 fo ...
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 Edwar ...
: The Rákóczi uprising against the Habsburg monarchy. *
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 ...
: End of Japan's
Genroku was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from the ninth month of 1688 to the third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period wa ...
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 A ...
:
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 br ...
.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: The uprising by Bavarian ...
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: French troops defeated at the battles of Ramillies and Turin. *
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. *
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. *
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 ...
: 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 ...
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'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 The Great Frost, as it was known in England, or ' ("The Great Winter"), as it was known in France, was an extraordinarily cold winter in Europe in 1708–1709,. and was the coldest European winter during the past 500 years. Notability William ...
marks the coldest winter in 500 years, contributing to the defeat of Sweden at Poltava. *
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 by ...
: The world's first
copyright legislation A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
,
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
'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 by ...
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 Edwar ...
: Ottoman Empire fights Russia in the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...
and regains
Azov Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak, is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population: History Early settlements in the vicinity The mout ...
. *
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 Edwar ...
:
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 Edwar ...
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 consi ...
between British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora people of North Carolina. *
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. *
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. * Fe ...
: In Amsterdam, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the mercury-in-glass thermometer, 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 The Misls (derived from an Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cit ...
along the present-day India- Pakistan 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 discuss ...
: 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 discuss ...
: The city of New Orleans 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 discuss ...
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 ...
:
War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) was caused by Spanish attempts to recover territories in Italy ceded in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Largely focused on Sicily, it included minor engagements in North America and Northern Europe as w ...
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 discuss ...
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 (An ...
:
Tulip period The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, tr, Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peace ...
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, ...
:
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 ...
.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 ...
: The South Sea Bubble. *
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 ...
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 ...
. *
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 ...
: Qing forces oust Dzungar invaders from Tibet. *
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. *
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 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 The siege of Isfahan was a six-month-long siege of Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, by the Hotaki-led Afghan army. It lasted from March to October 1722 and resulted in the city's fall and the beginning of the end of the Safavid ...
results in the handover of Iran to the 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 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
: 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 Events January–March * January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
: Controversy over William Wood's halfpence leads to the '' Drapier's Letters'' and begins the Irish economic independence from England movement. *
1723 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
: Slavery is abolished in Russia; Peter the Great converts household slaves into house serfs. *
1723 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
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 (An ...
: The "Great Disaster", an invasion of Kazakh territories by the
Dzungars The Dzungar people (also written as Zunghar; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') were the many Mongol Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically they were one of major tr ...
. *
1723 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
1732 Events January–March * January 21 – Russia and Persia sign the Treaty of Riascha at Resht. Based on the terms of the agreement, Russia will no longer establish claims over Persian territories. * February 9 – The Swedis ...
: The Qing and the Dzungars fight a series of wars across
Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest pop ...
,
Dzungaria Dzungaria (; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') is a geographical subregion in Northwest China that corresponds to the northern half of Xinjiang. It is thus also known as Beijiang, which means "Northern Xinjiang". Bounded by the Al ...
, and Outer Mongolia, with inconclusive results. * 1724: Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit proposes the Fahrenheit temperature scale. *
1725 Events January–March * January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
: 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 (An ...
: Mahmud I takes over Ottoman Empire after the Patrona Halil revolt, ending the
Tulip period The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, tr, Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peace ...
. *
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 (An ...
–1760: The First Great Awakening takes place in Great Britain and North America. *
1732 Events January–March * January 21 – Russia and Persia sign the Treaty of Riascha at Resht. Based on the terms of the agreement, Russia will no longer establish claims over Persian territories. * February 9 – The Swedis ...
–1734: Crimean Khanate, Crimean Tatar raids into Russia. *1733–1738: War of the Polish Succession. * 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. * 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. * 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 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 North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, 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 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 Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Presid ...
. * 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 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. * 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). * 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 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 Pruss ...
. * 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. * 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 co ...
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 co ...
(VOC) is formally dissolved and the nationalised Dutch East Indies are established.Ricklefs (1991), page 106


Inventions, discoveries, introductions

*
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 Edwar ...
: 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. * Fe ...
: Mercury thermometer by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit * 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 (An ...
: 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 * 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 * 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 SenefelderMeggs, 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 A ...
–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 ...
: ''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, ...
: ''Robinson Crusoe'' by Daniel Defoe *
1725 Events January–March * January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
: ''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 Edwar ...
: ''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 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
: ''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