Explore 104 historical events from 1650–1659.
The Anglo-Spanish War was fought between England and Spain between 1654 and 1660. It was driven by the economic and religious rivalry between the two countries, with each side atta…
Anglo-Spanish War: England invaded Spanish Jamaica, capturing it a week later
Christina, a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. Her conversion to Catholicism and refusal to marry led her to relinquish her t…
Swedish Queen Christina abdicated her throne in favour of her cousin Charles Gustav and converted to Catholicism
Louis XIV was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. He is a symbol of the Age of Absolutism in Europe for styling himself as "The Sun King", which portrayed him …
Louis XIV is crowned King of France
Cromwell's Act of Grace, or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was an Act of the Parliament of England that declared that the people of Scotland w…
Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh
Cort Sivertsen Adeler, known in Denmark as Coort Sifvertsen Adelaer, in the Netherlands as Koert Sievertsen Adelaer and in Italy as Curzio Suffrido Adelborst, was the name of honou…
A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy
Christina, a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. Her conversion to Catholicism and refusal to marry led her to relinquish her t…
Swedish Queen Christina abdicates her throne in favour of her cousin Charles Gustav and converts to Catholicism
Charles Blount was an English deist and philosopher who published several anonymous essays critical of the existing English order.
Charles Blount, English deist and philosopher (died 1693)
Satohito , posthumously honored as Emperor Reigen was the 112th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Reigen's reign spanned the years from 1663 thro…
Emperor Reigen of Japan (died 1732)
Pedro Calungsod, also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit mi…
Pedro Calungsod, Filipino catechist and sacristan; later canonized (died 1672)
Agostino Steffani was an Italian bishop, polymath, diplomat and composer.
Agostino Steffani, Italian composer and diplomat (died 1728)
Alessandro Algardi was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome. In the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da C…
Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor (born 1598)
Johannes Valentinus Andreae, also known as Johannes Valentinus Andreä or Johann Valentin Andreae, was a German theologian and writer.
Johannes Valentinus Andreae, German theologian (born 1586)
Ferdinand IV was made and crowned King of Bohemia in 1646, King of Hungary and Croatia in 1647, and King of the Romans on 31 May 1653. He also served as Duke of Cieszyn.
Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (born 1633)
Cromwell's Act of Grace, or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was an Act of the Parliament of England that declared that the people of Scotland w…
Cromwell's Act of Grace, which pardoned the people of Scotland for any crimes committed during the Wars of the Three Kin
Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, farmer and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the …
Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament
Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Prince of Martigues, Marquis then (1st) Duke of Villars, Viscount of Melun was a French military commander and an illustrious general of Louis XIV. …
Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (died 1734)
The First Anglo-Dutch War, or First Dutch War, was a naval conflict between the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. Largely caused by disputes over trade, it began with…
First Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of the Gabbard begins, lasting until the following day
Eleonore Maria Josefa of Austria was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania by marriage to King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, and subsequently Duchess of Lorraine by her sec…
Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (died 1697)
Georg Muffat was a Baroque composer and organist. He is best known for the remarkably articulate and informative performance directions printed along with his collections of string…
Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (died 1704)
Princess Maria Amalia of Courland was a Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel by her marriage to Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. She was a daughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland a…
Maria Amalia of Courland, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (died 1711)
James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, styled Hon. James Bertie until 1657 and known as the 5th Baron Norreys from 1657 until 1682, was an English nobleman.
James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (died 1699)
Mirza Abu al-Fayaz Qutb al-Din Muhammad Aazam, commonly known as Azam Shah, was briefly the seventh Mughal emperor from 14 March to 20 June 1707. He was the third son of the sixth …
Muhammad Azam Shah, Mughal emperor (died 1707)
Thomas Pitt was a British merchant, colonial administrator and politician who served as the president of Fort St. George from 1698 to 1709. Born in Blandford Forum, Dorset, he even…
Thomas Pitt, English businessman and politician (died 1726)
Sarah Good was one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials, which occurred in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts.
Sarah Good, American woman accused of witchcraft (died 1692)