1653 CE
The Swiss Peasant War begins after magistrates meeting at Lucerne refuse to hear from a group of peasants who have been financially hurt by the devaluation of the currency issued from Bern. In India, the third and final attempt by the Mughal Empire, to recapture the city of Kandahar from the Safavid Empire, ends in failure after almost six months despite the presence of 70,000 Mughal soldiers under the command of Prince Dara Shukoh. The Krishnanattam, a series of eight dance dramas written by Mana Veda, Zamorin of Calicut in India to tell the epic of the Hindu god Krishna, is completed.
In the 1650s, the 17th century.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- February 2 – New Amsterdam (now New York City) received municipal rights by a charter from New Netherland Governor Peter Stuyvesant.source
- February 3 – Cardinal Mazarin returns to Paris from exile.source
- April 20 – Oliver Cromwell expels the Rump Parliament in England.source
- 20 April – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.Englandsource
- July 4 – Barebone's Parliament, named for a prominent Puritan member, Praise-God Barebone, opens its session in London with elected representatives to pass laws for the Commonwealth of England.source
- 4 July–12 December – the Barebones Parliament meets in London.Englandsource
- August 5 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg reaffirms the nobility's freedom from taxation, and its unlimited control over the peasants, in return for a grant to him of 530,000 silver Joachimsthalers to be paid in installments over six years.source
- August 8 – The petite post, a system of postage using prepaid labels and post boxes, is inaugurated in Paris by Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer for the mailing of letters within the city, an event noted by Madeleine de Scudéry in her manuscript Chroniques du samedi.source
- September 26 – an act provides for transplanting all native Irish people into Connacht.Irelandsource
- November 30 – Jacques Dyel du Parquet completes his installment payments, totaling 41,500 French livres, to become the exclusive owner of the Caribbean islands of Martinique, Grenada, Saint Lucia and the Grenadines.source
- November – John Casor, a servant of African descent in Northampton County of the colony of Virginia, leaves Anthony Johnson's farm, after claiming his contract of indenture had expired, and goes to work for a new employer, Robert Parker. Johnson sues Parker, claiming that Casor is a slave for life, rather than an indentured servant, and the court issues a landmark ruling on March 8, 1655, establishing African-Americans as property.source
- December 12 – The dissolution of Barebone's Parliament is voted by its members after having passed laws for the Commonwealth of England.source
- 23 December – Charles de Hovyne replaces Pieter Roose as president of the Brussels Privy CouncilBelgiumsource
- Stephen Bachiler, a clergyman and early advocate for the separation of church and state returns to England after having spent more than 20 years overseas in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.source
- Jean-Baptiste Boësset and Jean-Baptiste Lully start their collaboration to produce ballets de courFrancesource
- End of The fronde in France. Cardinal Mazarin becomes First Minister.Swedensource
Conflict & Security
- February 10 – Swiss peasant war of 1653: Peasants from the Entlebuch valley in Switzerland assemble at Heiligkreuz to organize a plan to suspend all tax payments to the authorities in the canton of Lucerne, after having been snubbed at a magisterial meeting in Lucerne. More communities in the canton join in an alliance concluded at Wolhusen on February 26.source
- February – The Morning Star Rebellion (Morgonstjärneupproret) of peasants breaks out in Sweden's province of Närke, against Queen Christina. It is brutally suppressed by April, and its leader, the self-proclaimed King Olof Mårtensson (who uses a morning star as his scepter) is executed on a breaking wheel on April 6.source
- February – Prince of Condé invades the neutral Prince-Bishopric of Liège in support of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, sacking Couvin and CineyBelgiumsource
- April 27 – the last Irish forces (the remnants of the Confederate's Ulster Army, led by Philip O'Reilly) formally surrender at Cloughoughter in County Cavan to the Cromwellian army ending the Confederate WarsIrelandsource
- June 13 – First Anglo-Dutch War: The English navy defeats the Dutch fleet in the Battle of the Gabbard after a two-day fight.source
- June 20 – The Swiss peasant war of 1653 ends after Swiss Army troops under the command of Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer suppress the last rebels in Switzerland's Entlebuch Valley.source
- 4 July – Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria prohibits soldiers from lodging with family instead of in their assigned quartersBelgiumsource
- August 10 – The Battle of Scheveningen, the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War, ends after three days of fighting off the island of Texel, as the English Navy gains a tactical victory over the Dutch fleet.source
- September 29 – In India, the third and final attempt by the Mughal Empire, to recapture the city of Kandahar from the Safavid Empire, ends in failure after almost six months despite the presence of 70,000 Mughal soldiers under the command of Prince Dara Shukoh.source
- 1 October – Orders in Liège to raise 500 cavalry and 1,000 infantry to guarantee the territory's neutralityBelgiumsource
- October 11 (October 1 O.S.) – The Zemsky Sobor, the Russian Empire's national assembly, opens its session to declare a war against the Kingdom of Poland.source
- October 20 – The Battle of Bordeaux is fought between French and Spanish warships in the Gironde estuary of France as part of the Franco-Spanish War. The Spanish fleet of 30 warships, under the command of Álvaro de Bazán y Manrique de Lara, Marquis of Santa Cruz, overwhelms the French fleet of César, Duke of Vendôme and captures ten galleys and brigantines, as well as burning four other warships and 15 barges.source
- October 29 – Pierre-Esprit Radisson, a French Canadian teenager who had been captured by a Mohawk raiding party two years earlier and then tortured, escapes captivity in what is now the U.S. state of New York.source
- November 8 – The Battle of Arronches takes place near the town of Arronches on the Portuguese side of the border between Portugal and Spain, with the Portuguese Army outflanking and defeating a larger Spanish force.source
- 2–3 June (12–13 June New Style) – First Anglo-Dutch War: Battle of the Gabbard off the coast of Suffolk: The English navy defeats the Dutch fleet, which loses 17 ships.Englandsource
- 18–20 February (28 February–2 March New Style) – First Anglo–Dutch War: Battle of Portland off the Isle of Portland. Both sides claim victory but the English retain control of the Channel.Englandsource
- 8–10 August – Battle of Scheveningen: the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War is fought, between the fleets of the Commonwealth and the United Provinces off the Texel; the English navy gains a tactical victory over the Dutch fleet.Englandsource
- Gustaf Horn becomes a Swedish Royal Marshal.Swedensource
Exploration & Expansion
- 23 August – Brussels Privy Council permits the limited importation of English textiles through the ports of the County of Flanders for a period of four yearsBelgiumsource
- 17 November – Departure times for the boat service between Liège and Huy publishedBelgiumsource
- Cornelius Vermuyden completes excavation of the Forty Foot Drain and associated works for reclamation of The Fens.Englandsource
- The Customs House is moved further down the Telemarksvassdraget from the town of Skien to the smaller coastal town of Porsgrunn, making the latter a thriving market town.Norwaysource
- The southern coastal town of Vesterrisør is renamed "Mandal".Norwaysource
- The Cappelen Family emigrates to Norway from Northern Germany.Norwaysource
Religion & Belief
- January 3 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.source
- January 6 – a law declares any Roman Catholic priest in Ireland to be guilty of treason.Irelandsource
- 3 February – Cardinal Mazarin returns to Paris from exile.Francesource
- 31 May – Pope Innocent X's bull Cum occasione published in the Spanish NetherlandsBelgiumsource
- 7 July – Council of Guelders prohibits gypsies and vagrants from congregating around the pilgrimage site KevelaerBelgiumsource
- December 7 – The Moti Masjid, an Islamic mosque made completely of white marble and within the walls of the Agra Fort in what is now the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is dedicated by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, on 16 Muharram 1064.source
- December 16 – The Instrument of Government in England becomes Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being advised by a remodelled English Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.source
- 16 December – Instrument of Government: Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being advised by a remodelled Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.Englandsource
- December 16 – Cromwell proclaimed Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.Irelandsource
- Pieter Neefs the Younger, Interior of Antwerp CathedralBelgiumsource
- Sir Robert Shirley has a new parish church built at Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.Englandsource
Economy & Finance
- January – The Swiss Peasant War begins after magistrates meeting at Lucerne refuse to hear from a group of peasants who have been financially hurt by the devaluation of the currency issued from Bern.source
- 11 August – Brussels Privy Council prohibits the exportation of grain to territory not under the control of friendly or neutral statesBelgiumsource
Technology & Infrastructure
- 18 April – London–York stagecoach first recorded.Englandsource
- July 8 – John Thurloe becomes Cromwell's head of intelligence.source
- Farmhouse in Destelbergen, now listed built heritageBelgiumsource
- Petite post, a system of postage using prepaid labels and post boxes, is introduced in Paris by Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer.Francesource
Health & Medicine
- May 31 – Ferdinand IV, already the King of Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia, is elected King of the Romans by his fellow German monarchs, making him eligible to succeed his father Ferdinand III as Holy Roman Emperor. Ferdinand IV will not live to become Holy Roman Emperor, instead dying from smallpox 14 months after his designation.source
- Marcello Malpighi, an Italian pioneer of microscopical anatomy becomes a doctor of medicine.source
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
- April 28 – The Great Fire of Marlborough destroys 224 houses and much of the textile businesses in the Wiltshire town which, "at that date was one of considerable importance, and had merchants of affluence and repute."source
- May - The Vardø witch trials ends. It resulted in the death of seventeen women by burning.Norwaysource
- September 13 – A violent storm off the west coast of Scotland sinks the English Navy warship Swan, and the commandeered merchantmen Speedwell and Martha and Margaret, all of which have been anchored off of Mull. Most of the crews had gone ashore, but 23 of the men on the ship Speedwell are killed.source
- Tower of the Church of Our Lady, Alsemberg burns downBelgiumsource
Climate & Environment
- March-April - A small peasant rebellion takes place in Närke, called Morgonstjärneupproret (Rebellion of the Morning Star), against famine and conscription: the uprising is quickly defeated.Swedensource
- 17 December – Unlicensed exportation of arms, gunpowder, or other munitions of war from the city of Liège prohibitedBelgiumsource
Culture & Society
- 27 May – Discovery of the tomb of Childeric I near TournaiBelgiumsource
- October 25 – Erdeni Bumba, the wife and chief consort of China's Shunzhi Emperor, is demoted from being the empress to being a concubine.source
- November 16 – The Krishnanattam, a series of eight dance dramas written by Mana Veda, Zamorin of Calicut in India to tell the epic of the Hindu god Krishna, is completed.source
- The gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal mausoleum are completed at Agra.source
- Jacob Jordaens, The Banquet of CleopatraBelgiumsource
- Jørgen Ringnis completes the altarpiece for Nørre Alslev Church.Denmarksource
- Madeleine de Scudéry and her friend, the lutenist Mlle Bocquet, launch a salon.Francesource
- Blaise Pascal publishes his Traité du triangle arithmétique in which he describes Pascal's triangle; and his Traités de l’équilibre des liqueurs in which he explains Pascal's law.Francesource
- Queen Kristina establishes the Amaranthe Order in Stockholm.Swedensource
Births
- 28 January (baptism) – Joannes Chrysostomus Teniers, abbot (died 1709)Belgiumsource
- February 17 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer (died 1713)source
- March 10 – John Benbow, English Royal Navy Admiral (died 1702)source
- March 24 – Joseph Sauveur, French mathematician (died 1716)source
- April 2 – Prince George of Denmark, consort of Anne, Queen of Great Britain (died 1708)source
- 2 April – Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne (died 1708 in England)Denmarksource
- 2 April – Prince George of Denmark and Norway (d.1708)Norwaysource
- May 8 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Marshal of France (died 1734)source
- May 30 – Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (died 1676)source
- June 16 – James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (died 1699)source
- June 26 – André-Hercule de Fleury, Catholic Cardinal and chief minister of France under Louis XV (died 1743)source
- June 28 – Muhammad Azam Shah, Mughal emperor (died 1707)source
- July 5 – Thomas Pitt, British Governor of Madras (died 1726)source
- July 11 – Sarah Good, accused Massachusetts witch (died 1692)source
- August 14 – Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, English statesman (died 1688)source
- September 1 – Johann Pachelbel, German organist and composer (died 1706)source
- November 14 – Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier, Catholic bishop of Quebec (died 1727)source
- date unknown - Chikamatsu Monzaemon, playwright (died 1725)Japansource
Deaths
- January 21 – John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol, English diplomat (born 1580)source
- February 27 – Diego López Pacheco, 7th Duke of Escalona, Spanish noble (born 1599)source
- March 14 – A Dutch fleet defeats the English in the Battle of Leghorn in the Mediterranean but the Dutch commander, Johan van Galen, later dies of his wounds.source
- 14 March – First Anglo–Dutch War: Battle of Leghorn: A Dutch fleet defeats the English in the Mediterranean but the Dutch commander, Johan van Galen, later dies of his wounds.Englandsource
- May 13 – Teodósio, Prince of Brazil, Portuguese prince (born 1634)source
- May 19 – Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Cieszyn, Duchess suo jure of Cieszyn (born 1599)source
- 21 May – Jacob Madsen, merchant (born 1597)Denmarksource
- May 26 – Robert Filmer, English writer (born 1588)source
- July 10 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (born 1600)source
- July 31 – Thomas Dudley, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (born 1576)source
- August 10 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (born 1598)source
- September 3 – Claudius Salmasius, French classical scholar (born 1588)source
- September 14 – Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg (born 1578)source
- October 3 – Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, Dutch scholar (born 1612)source
- 16 October – Jan Wildens (born 1586), painterBelgiumsource
- December 7 – Ludwig Crocius, German Calvinist minister (born 1586)source
- December 28 – Giovanni Battista Rinuccini, archbishop of Fermo (born 1592)source
- Peter Paulson Paus, provost (born 1590)Norwaysource