Explore 101 historical events from 1680–1689.
The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, also known as the Qing Empire or Qing China, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia which e…
Manchu Qing dynasty naval forces under commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near…
Pieter Langendijk was a damask weaver, city artist, dramatist, and poet.
Pieter Langendijk, Dutch playwright and poet (died 1756)
Stjepan Gradić, also known as Stefano Gradi was a polymath, philosopher, scientist and a patrician of the Republic of Ragusa.
Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (born 1613)
Nikita Pustosvyat was one of the leaders of the Russian Old Believers during Raskol.
Nikita Pustosvyat, a leader of the Russian Old Believers, beheaded (born unknown)
François Eudes de Mézeray was a French historian.
François Eudes de Mézeray, French historian and author (born 1610)
Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, also spelt Capel, of Cassiobury House, Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English statesman.
Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1631)
Maria Theresa of Spain was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal as the daughter of King Philip IV and Elis…
Maria Theresa of Spain (born 1638)
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-spea…
Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university museum, opened
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 of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles
John Hadley was an English mathematician, and laid claim to the invention of the octant, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same.
John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (died 1744)
Bartholomew Roberts, born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who was, measured by vessels captured, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. During his piratical caree…
Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (died 1722)
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII or Carolus Rex, was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach.…
Charles XII, Swedish king (died 1718)
Roger Cotes was an English mathematician, known for working closely with Isaac Newton by proofreading the second edition of his famous book, the Principia, before publication. He a…
Roger Cotes, English mathematician and astronomer (died 1716)
Feodor III or Fyodor III Alekseyevich was Tsar of all Russia from 1676 until his death in 1682. Despite poor health from childhood, he managed to pass reforms on improving meritocr…
Feodor III of Russia (born 1661)
Jean Picard was a French priest, astronomer and pioneer in geodesy, born in La Flèche, where he studied at the Collège royal Henri le Grand. He is best known for accurately measuri…
Jean Picard, French priest and astronomer (born 1620)
Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, was the eldest child of Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonore of Denmark. She was heiress presumptive to the Swedis…
Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (died 1708)
Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished poets and writ…
Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish poet and playwright (born 1600)
Cornelis Saftleven was a Dutch painter who worked in a great variety of genres. Known in particular for his rural genre scenes, his range of subjects was very wide and included por…
Cornelis Saftleven, Dutch genre painter (born 1607)
William Lilly was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at…
William Lilly, English astrologer (born 1602)
Oliver Plunkett, also spelled Plunket Irish: Oilibhéar Pluincéid; 1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681), was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and the last vict…
Oliver Plunkett, Irish archbishop and saint (born 1629)
Urian Oakes was an English-born American Congregational minister and educator who served as the fourth president of Harvard College from 1675 to 1681.
Urian Oakes, English-American minister and educator (born 1631)
Jean-Baptiste Stuck was an Italian-French composer and cellist of the Baroque era.
Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer (died 1755)
Ebenezer Erskine was a Scottish minister whose actions led to the establishment of the Secession Church.
Ebenezer Erskine, Scottish minister and theologian (died 1754)
Kateri Tekakwitha, given the name Tekakwitha (Tekaouïta, baptized as Catherine, known as Lily of the Mohawks and Protectress of Canada, also as Geneviève of New France/ Geneviève o…
Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (born 1656)