1624 CE

After 90 years of Ottoman occupation, Baghdad is recaptured by the Safavid Empire. The first Dutch settlers arrive in New Netherland; they disembark at Governors Island. Södertälje 's mayor Z. Anthelius, and two other Swedes are executed because of their Catholic faith.

In the 1620s, the 17th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • February 16 – Kara Mustafa Pasha becomes the Ottoman Governor of Egypt for the second time.source
  • February 19 – The last parliament of King James I of England begins its session.source
  • February 19 – King Filipe III of Portugal issues a decree prohibiting the enslavement of Chinese people in Portugal or in its colonies.source
  • March 2 – The English House of Commons passes a resolution making it illegal for a Member of Parliament (MP) to quit or willfully give up his seat. Afterward, MPs who wish to quit are appointed to an "office of profit", a legal fiction to allow a resignation.source
  • April 15: The city of Sala is granted town privileges by Gustaf II Adolf.Swedensource
  • May 11 – the title of Baron Brereton, of Leighlin in the County of Carlow, is created in the Peerage of Ireland in favour of Sir William Brereton.Irelandsource
  • May 24 – After years of unprofitable operation, Virginia's charter is revoked, and it becomes a royal colony.source
  • June 10 – Treaty of Compiègne is signed between the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic.source
  • 10 June – Treaty of Compiègne is signed between the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic.Francesource
  • September 24 – King James approves a revised programme of reform for the Plantation of County Londonderry.Irelandsource
  • 3 October – Étienne Ier d'Aligre becomes Grand Chancellor of France.Francesource
  • 21 October – Edict of Saint-Germain-en-Laye establishes a Chamber of Justice for the investigation of financial abuse and embezzlement in government.Francesource
  • A confrontation between Swedish and Danish councillors ends with a Swedish diplomatic victory due to Sweden's ability to mobilize quickly.source
  • Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba starts to rule.source
  • The Parlement passes a decree forbidding criticism of Aristotle, on pain of death.Francesource
  • Conclusion of the Contention of the bards.Irelandsource

Conflict & Security

  • January 14 – After 90 years of Ottoman occupation, Baghdad is recaptured by the Safavid Empire.source
  • January 22 – Korean General Yi Gwal leads an uprising of 12,000 soldiers against King Injo in what is called then the Joseon Kingdom, and occupies Hanseong.source
  • February 15 – Yi Gwal's Rebellion ends as the rebels murder Yi Gwal at the town of Mukbang-ri.source
  • May 8 – Capture of Bahia: A Dutch West India Company fleet captures the Brazilian city of Salvador, Bahia from the Portuguese Empire (at this time in the Iberian Union).source
  • May – Croquant rebellions in Quercy, suppressed on 7 June by Marshal de Thémines.Francesource
  • 1 June: The truce between Sweden and Poland expires, but is extended until March 1, 1625.Swedensource
  • July 30 – A contingent of 5,000 Chinese troops and 50 warships under the command of Admiral Yu Zigao and General Wang Mengxiong attacks the Dutch fortress at the island of Magong, the largest of the Penghu islands under the command of Martinus Sonck. Outnumbered, the Dutch surrender in five days.source
  • August 4 – The Dutch East India Company agrees to Chinese demands to withdraw its operations from the Penghu islands, and relocates its trading post to Fort Zeelandia and the Dutch-controlled island of Formosa, now Tainan on Taiwan.source
  • August 28 – The Siege of Breda begins, and will continue for just over 9 months until June 5, 1625.source
  • November 3 – Rodrigo Pacheco becomes the Viceroy of New Spain after arriving in Mexico City.source
  • 26 November – French troops under the Marquis de Ceuvre set out to occupy the forts of Valtellina.Francesource
  • The Japanese shōgun expels the Spanish from Japan, and severs trade with the Philippines.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • February 7 – (January 28, 1623/4 old style) England first colonizes Saint Kitts and Nevis.source
  • May – The first Dutch settlers arrive in New Netherland; they disembark at Governors Island.source
  • August – Portuguese Jesuit priest António de Andrade becomes the first European to enter Tibet, arriving at Tsaparang.source
  • French colonial empire: Coastal trading settlements established in French Guiana and Senegal.Francesource

Religion & Belief

  • 6 January – Étienne Ier d'Aligre becomes Keeper of the Seals of France.Francesource
  • January 21 – proclamation ordering all Catholic Church ecclesiastics to leave Ireland within 40 days; suspended after a month.Irelandsource
  • January 24 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.source
  • February 28 – A decree is issued in Norway making it illegal for Jesuits or Roman Catholic monks to be harbored in the country.source
  • March 25 – In a ceremony, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, renews his oath to restore Catholicism in Germany, Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia.source
  • April 29 – Louis XIII of France appoints Cardinal Richelieu to the Conseil du Roi (Royal Council).source
  • 29 April – Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu to the Conseil du Roi (Royal Council).Francesource
  • May 25 – The Scottish city of Dunfermline is destroyed by fire, but The Abbey, The Palace, the Abbot House and many other buildings survive.source
  • August 13 – Cardinal Richelieu is appointed by Louis XIII of France to be his chief minister, having intrigued against Charles de La Vieuville, Superintendent of Finances, arrested for corruption the previous day.source
  • 13 August – Cardinal Richelieu is appointed by Louis XIII to be his chief minister, having intrigued against Charles de La Vieuville, Superintendent of Finances, arrested for corruption the previous day.Francesource
  • September 4 – The Parlement of Paris registers a decree forbidding the publication of criticism of "anciently approved authors" without prior approval from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Paris, on pain of death.source
  • September 11: The royal secretary Göran Bähr is hung for his apostasy of the Protestant religion.Swedensource
  • September 21 – The Roman Catholic church's Dicastery for the Clergy issues a decree that no monk may be expelled from his order "unless he be truly incorrigible."source
  • October 3 – A combined squadron of fifteen Neapolitan (Spain), Tuscan, and Papal galleys defeat a squadron of six Algerian ships on the island of San Pietro, near Sardinia. (details)source
  • The German-language Luther Bible is publicly burned, by order of the Pope.source
  • Congregation of the Mission settles in the Collège des Bons Enfants in Paris.Francesource

Economy & Finance

  • April 27 – the Norton Baronetcy, of Charlton in the County of Berkshire, is created in the Baronetage of Ireland in favour of English politician Gregory Norton.Irelandsource
  • 25 October – Det Norske Jernkompani is granted a royal privilege, granting the company a near monopoly on iron production on an industrial scale within Norway.Norwaysource
  • The market hall Børsen opens in Copenhagen.Denmarksource

Technology & Infrastructure

  • December 24 – Denmark's first postal service is launched by order of King Christian IV.source
  • The Palace of Versailles is first built by Louis XIII, as a hunting lodge.Francesource
  • The mining town of Kongsberg is founded.Norwaysource

Science & Discovery

  • Henry Briggs publishes Arithmetica Logarithmica.source
  • Jakob Bartsch first publishes a chart, showing the constellation Camelopardalis around the North Star.source

Health & Medicine

  • February 28 – A decree made it explicitly illegal for Jesuits and monks to appear in the country.Denmarksource
  • 28 February – A decree made it explicitly illegal for Jesuits and monks to appear in the country, with death penalty as a consequence for offenders.Norwaysource

Crime & Justice

  • 2 January – Disgrace of Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery and Pierre Brûlart, marquis de Sillery.Francesource
  • August 5 – The King's Men perform Thomas Middleton's satire A Game at Chess at the Globe Theatre in London. The performances are suppressed on August 14 in view of the play's allusions to the Spanish Match.source
  • August 24 – Jasper Vinall becomes the first person to die while playing the sport of cricket, after being struck on the head with a bat during a game at Horsted Keynes in England.source
  • September 13 – Ketevan, former queen consort of Kakheti (located around Gremi in what is now the Republic of Georgia), is tortured and killed in the Persian city of Shiraz after refusing to renounce Christianity to convert to Islam.source

Disasters & Accidents

  • May 24 – The city of Oslo, Norway, is destroyed by fire for the fourteenth time. King Christian IV of Denmark–Norway decrees its rebuilding on a new site, where it will be renamed Christiania.source
  • Christian IV renames and moves Oslo after the great fire. He renames the city Christiania.Norwaysource
  • 17-20 August – The great city fire of Oslo.Norwaysource

Climate & Environment

  • May 11 – a major earthquake in Fez, Morocco, estimated magnitude 6.0 Mw, causes severe damage and thousands of casualties.source
  • Winter – The Rhône and the vineyards of Languedoc freeze.Francesource

Culture & Society

  • February 11 – Yi Gwal installs Prince Heungan, son of the late King Seongjo, to the Korean throne.source
  • April 13 – Garcia Mvemba a Nkanga is enthroned as King Garcia I of the southern African nation of Kongo (now in Angola), upon the death of his father, King Pedro II.source
  • April 15 – The University of Saint Francis Xavier is founded in Bolivia.source
  • September 13 – the Style Baronetcy is created in the Baronetage of Ireland in favour of Humphry Style.Irelandsource
  • September 19 – Michael I, the Tsar of Russia, is married at Moscow, making Maria Dolgorukova the Tsaritsa. Maria becomes ill shortly afterward and dies five months after the marriage, on January 17.source
  • December 24 – Royal Danish Mail is founded.Denmarksource
  • December 31 – the title of Baron Herbert of Castle Island is created in the Peerage of Ireland in favour of Anglo-Welsh soldier, diplomat and poet Edward Herbert.Irelandsource
  • Frans Hals produces the painting later known as the Laughing Cavalier.source

Births

  • January 7 – Guarino Guarini, Italian architect of the Piedmontese Baroque (died 1683)source
  • January 9 – Empress Meishō of Japan (died 1696)source
  • January 26 – George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1705)source
  • February 11 – Ivan Ančić, Croatian theological writer (died 1685)source
  • March – Jane Leade, English esotericist (died 1704)source
  • April 9 – Henrik Rysensteen, Dutch military engineer (died 1679)source
  • June 11 – Jean-Baptiste du Hamel, French cleric and natural philosopher (died 1706)source
  • 11 June – Jean-Baptiste du Hamel, cleric and natural philosopher (died 1706)Francesource
  • 29 June - Olov Svebilius, archbishop from 1681 to his death in 1700.Swedensource
  • July – George Fox, English founder of the Quakers (died 1691)source
  • August 27 – Koxinga, Chinese military leader (died 1662)source
  • September 10 – Thomas Sydenham, English physician (died 1689)source
  • October 9 – Murad Bakhsh, Mughal prince (died 1661)source
  • October 21 – Edward Harley, English politician (died 1700)source
  • December 18 – John Hull, American colonial merchant and politician (died 1683)source
  • December 25 – Angelus Silesius, German writer (died 1677)source
  • William Caulfeild, 1st Viscount Charlemont (died 1671)Irelandsource
  • unknown date - Anna Eriksdotter, alleged witch (died 1704).Swedensource

Deaths

  • 7 February – Cort Aslakssøn, astronomer, theologist and (born 1564)Denmarksource
  • 7 February – Cort Aslakssøn, astronomer, theologist and philosopher (born 1564).Norwaysource
  • February 12 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist (born 1563)source
  • February 16 – Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, Scottish nobleman and politician (born 1574)source
  • March 27 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (born 1578)source
  • May 27 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (born c. 1580)source
  • 31 July – Henry II, Duke of Lorraine, "the Good" (born 1563)Francesource
  • July – Alonso Fajardo de Entenza, governor of the Philippinessource
  • August 25 – Luis Sotelo, Spanish Franciscan friar (born 1574)source
  • September 13 – Ketevan the Martyr, queen of Kakheti (born c. 1560)source
  • September 21: Södertälje 's mayor Z. Anthelius, and two other Swedes are executed because of their Catholic faith.Swedensource
  • September – Marco Antonio de Dominis, Dalmatian archbishop and apostate (born 1560)source
  • November 10 – Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, English patron of the theatre (born 1573)source
  • November 17 – Jakob Böhme, German mystic (born 1575)source
  • December 5 – Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist (born 1560)source
  • December 9 – Flaminio Scala, Italian playwright and stage actor (born 1552)source
  • December 14 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English statesman (born 1536)source
  • December 28 – Charles of Austria, Bishop of Wroclaw, Prince-bishop of Wroclaw (born 1590)source