The 1650s

1656 370 years ago

The Netherlands and the Ahanta people sign the Treaty of Butre, creating a Dutch protectorate over the country of…

The Netherlands, also informally known as Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countr…

The Netherlands and the Ahanta people sign the Treaty of Butre, creating a Dutch protectorate over the country of…

1655

The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later

The siege of Santo Domingo was fought between April 23, 1655 and April 30, 1655, at the Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo. A force of 2,400 Spanish troops led by Governor Don Bernard…

The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later

1655

The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War

An English expeditionary force captured Spanish Jamaica in May 1655, during the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660). It was part of an ambitious plan by Oliver Cromwell to undermine or o…

The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War

1655

Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it…

The Polish–Russian War of 1654–1667 was a major conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1655 and 1660, the Swedish invasion was also …

Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it…

1655

Battle of Sobota: The Swedish Empire led by Charles X Gustav defeats the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Battle of Sobota took place near Sobota, Poland, on 23 August 1655, between the armies of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on the one hand and of Sweden on the other.

Battle of Sobota: The Swedish Empire led by Charles X Gustav defeats the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1655

George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (died 1718)

George St Lo was a British naval officer and politician.

George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (died 1718)

1655

Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (died 1731)

Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments famous for inventing the piano.

Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (died 1731)

1655

Antonio Cifrondi, Italian painter (died 1730)

Antonio Cifrondi was an Italian painter of the late Baroque, mainly of genre themes. He was active in Brescia and near Bergamo.

Antonio Cifrondi, Italian painter (died 1730)

1655

Caspar Bartholin the Younger, Danish anatomist (died 1738)

Caspar Bartholin the Younger, was a Danish anatomist who first described the "Bartholin's gland" in the 17th century. The discovery of the Bartholin's gland is sometimes mistakenly…

Caspar Bartholin the Younger, Danish anatomist (died 1738)

1655

Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (born 1617)

Eustache Le Sueur or Lesueur was a French artist and one of the founders of the French Academy of Painting. He is known primarily for his paintings of religious subjects. He was a …

Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (born 1617)

1655

Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge,…

Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and most populous city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the river Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is…

Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge,…

1655

Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress (born 1598)

Eleonora Gonzaga, was born a princess of Mantua as a member of the House of Gonzaga, and by marriage to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Quee…

Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress (born 1598)

1655

Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (born 1570)

Girolamo Rainaldi was an Italian architect who worked mainly in a conservative Mannerist style, often with collaborating architects. He was a successful competitor of Bernini. His …

Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (born 1570)

1655

Cyrano de Bergerac, French poet and playwright (born 1619)

Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.

Cyrano de Bergerac, French poet and playwright (born 1619)

1655

Alfonso de la Cueva, 1st Marquis of Bedmar, Spanish cardinal and diplomat (born 1572)

Alfonso de la Cueva-Benavides y Mendoza-Carrillo, marqués de Bedmar was a Spanish diplomat, bishop and Roman Catholic cardinal. He was born in Bedmar, in what is now the province …

Alfonso de la Cueva, 1st Marquis of Bedmar, Spanish cardinal and diplomat (born 1572)

1655

François Tristan l'Hermite, French author and playwright (born 1601)

François l'Hermite was a French dramatist who wrote under the name Tristan l'Hermite. He was born at the Château de Soliers in the County of La Marche.

François Tristan l'Hermite, French author and playwright (born 1601)

1655

Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (born 1617)

Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege was from 1632 until his death Landgrave of the apanage of Hesse-Eschwege, which stood under the suzerainty of Hesse-Kassel.

Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (born 1617)

1655

Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (born 1591)

Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, also known as Yashar Mi-Qandia, was a rabbi, author, physician, mathematician, and music theorist.

Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (born 1591)

1655

Pierre Gassendi, French priest, astronomer, and mathematician (born 1592)

Pierre Gassendi was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, wh…

Pierre Gassendi, French priest, astronomer, and mathematician (born 1592)

1655

Anglo-Spanish War: England invaded Spanish Jamaica, capturing it a week later

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

1654

Swedish Queen Christina abdicated her throne in favour of her cousin Charles Gustav and converted to Catholicism

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

1654

Louis XIV is crowned King of France

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

1654

Swedish Queen Christina abdicates her throne in favour of her cousin Charles Gustav and converts to Catholicism

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

1654

Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh

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