The 1660s

1666 360 years ago

Second Anglo-Dutch War: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 116 to…

The Second Anglo-Dutch War began on 4 March 1665 and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was the second in a series of naval wars fought between E…

Second Anglo-Dutch War: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 116 to…

1666 360 years ago

The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings, including Old St Paul's…

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that occurred in central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside…

The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings, including Old St Paul's…

1666 360 years ago

In London, England, the most destructive damage from the Great Fire occurs.

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that occurred in central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside…

In London, England, the most destructive damage from the Great Fire occurs.

1666 360 years ago

Jean-Féry Rebel, French violinist and composer (died 1747)

Jean-Féry Rebel was an innovative French Baroque composer and violinist.

Jean-Féry Rebel, French violinist and composer (died 1747)

1666 360 years ago

Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (died 1727)

Johann Heinrich Buttstett was a German Baroque organist and composer. Although he was Johann Pachelbel's most important pupil and one of the last major exponents of the south Germa…

Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German organist and composer (died 1727)

1666 360 years ago

Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (died 1732)

Victor Amadeus II was the head of the House of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 June 1675 until his abdication in 1730. He was the first of his house to acquire a roy…

Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (died 1732)

1666 360 years ago

John Ernest Grabe, German theologian and academic (died 1711)

John Ernest Grabe, Anglican divine, was born at Königsberg, where his father, Martin Sylvester Grabe, was professor of theology and history.

John Ernest Grabe, German theologian and academic (died 1711)

1666 360 years ago

Maria Sophia of Neuburg (died 1699)

Maria Sophia Elisabeth of Neuburg was Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Peter II from 1687 until her death in 1699. A popular queen, she was noted for her extraordinary generos…

Maria Sophia of Neuburg (died 1699)

1666 360 years ago

William Wotton, English linguist and scholar (died 1727)

William Wotton was an English theologian, classical scholar and linguist. He is chiefly remembered for his remarkable abilities in learning languages and for his involvement in t…

William Wotton, English linguist and scholar (died 1727)

1666 360 years ago

Gottfried Arnold, German historian and theologian (died 1714)

Gottfried Arnold was a German Lutheran theologian and historian.

Gottfried Arnold, German historian and theologian (died 1714)

1666 360 years ago

Ivan V of Russia, Russian tsar (died 1696)

Ivan V Alekseyevich was Tsar of all Russia between 1682 and 1696, jointly ruling with his younger half-brother Peter I. Ivan was the youngest son of Alexis I of Russia by his first…

Ivan V of Russia, Russian tsar (died 1696)

1666 360 years ago

Sophia Dorothea of Celle (died 1726)

Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain. The union with George, her first cousin, was a marriage of state, arra…

Sophia Dorothea of Celle (died 1726)

1666 360 years ago

Antoine Parent, French mathematician and theorist (died 1716)

Antoine Parent was a French mathematician, born in Paris and died there, who wrote in 1700 on analytical geometry of three dimensions. His works were collected and published in thr…

Antoine Parent, French mathematician and theorist (died 1716)

1666 360 years ago

Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (born 1608)

Gaspar Schott was a German Jesuit and scientist, specializing in the fields of physics, mathematics and natural philosophy, and known for his industry.

Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (born 1608)

1666 360 years ago

Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (born 1608)

Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, PC was an English poet and translator. He was a diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1666. During the English Civ…

Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (born 1608)

1666 360 years ago

Alexander Brome, English poet and playwright (born 1620)

Alexander Brome was an English poet.

Alexander Brome, English poet and playwright (born 1620)

1666 360 years ago

Albert VI, German nobleman (born 1584)

Albert VI of Bavaria son of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine, born and died in Munich.

Albert VI, German nobleman (born 1584)

1666 360 years ago

Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Frisian naval hero and commander (born 1622)

Tjerk Hiddes de Vries was a Dutch States Navy officer. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides. His name was also given as Tsjerk, Tierck or Tjerck.

Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Frisian naval hero and commander (born 1622)

1666 360 years ago

Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (born 1591)

Johann Adam Schall von Bell was a German Jesuit, astronomer and instrument-maker. He spent most of his life as a missionary in China and became an adviser to the Shunzhi Emperor of…

Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (born 1591)

1666 360 years ago

Frans Hals, Dutch painter and educator (born 1580)

Frans Hals the Elder was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worsh…

Frans Hals, Dutch painter and educator (born 1580)

1666 360 years ago

A large fire began in London's Pudding Lane and burned for five days, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and the homes of…

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that occurred in central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside…

A large fire began in London's Pudding Lane and burned for five days, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and the homes of…

1666 360 years ago

The most destructive damage from the Great Fire of London (depicted) occurred.

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that occurred in central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside…

The most destructive damage from the Great Fire of London (depicted) occurred.

1665

James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestof

James II and VII was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from February 1685 until he was deposed in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. The last Cat…

James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestof

1665

Thomas Willett is appointed the first mayor of New York City

Thomas Willett was a Plymouth Colony fur trader, merchant, land purchaser and developer, Captain of the Plymouth Colony militia, Magistrate of the colony, and was the first Mayor o…

Thomas Willett is appointed the first mayor of New York City