1664 CE

A peace treaty is signed in Turin in Italy to end the War of the Banished between the Duchy of Savoy and the Waldensians. King Charles II of England makes royal charter for territory in North America that leases to his brother, James, Duke of York, a patent for a large amount of land in what is now the northeastern United States. According to the Charter, James receives "all that part of the mayne land of New England" between "New Scotland in America" and the river of Kenebeque", along with "Mattowacks or Long Island" and "Martins Vineyard and Nantukes", and the lands between the "Connecticutte and Hudsons rivers" and the lands "from the west side of "Connecticutte to the east side De la Warre Bay". The lease, which includes the territory claimed by the Dutch Republic as New Netherland is for most of the U.S. state of Maine and parts of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Sir John Lisle, a former member of the English House of Commons who had been designated a regicide for his role in signing the death warrant in the execution in 1649 of Charles I of England, is assassinated in a church courtyard in Lausanne in Switzerland. Lisle had gone into exile after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The shooting of Lisle, done on order of King Charles II, is carried out by a team led by royal agent James Cotter.

In the 1660s, the 17th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

February 12 – The Treaty of Pisa is signed between France and the Papal States to bring an end to the Corsican Guard Affair that began on August 20, 1662, when the French ambassador was shot and killed by soldiers in the employ of Pope Alexander VII.source
February 14 – A peace treaty is signed in Turin in Italy to end the War of the Banished between the Duchy of Savoy and the Waldensians.source
12 March – Province of New Jersey becomes an English colony in North America.England source
5 April – Passing of the Triennial Parliaments Act 1664.England source
22 April - The fortified town Frederiksodde is renamed Fredericia.Denmark source
25 April – King Charles appoints the Royal Commission of 1664 to increase oversight of the American colonies.England source
18 August – England annexes the New Netherland colony in North America, renaming it the Province of New York (after James, Duke of York).England source
October 4 – New Netherland is captured by England. The English promptly rename the fledgling city New York, after the Duke of York (later King James II).source
The English conquest of New Netherland, which led to the end of New Sweden's governanceSweden source

Conflict & Security

January 5 – Battle of Surat in India: The Maratha leader, Chhatrapati Shivaji, defeats the Mughal Army Captain Inayat Khan, and sacks Surat.source
January — Dutch fleets return to Batavia after Qing-Dutch alliance failsChina source
May 15 – Guerin Spranger, commander of the Dutch fortress at Cayenne in South America, surrenders without a fight to French commander Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy and 1,200 employees of the Compagnie de la France équinoxiale, giving France control of the territory that becomes the colony of French Guiana.source
June 5 – The siege of the Croatian fortress at Novi Zrin (located near the village of Donja Dubrava in Croatia near its border with Hungary). After a 32-day defense, the Croatian defenders surrender to troops of the Ottoman Empire.source
June 24 – The Second Anglo-Dutch War carries over to North America as soldiers of the English Army invade the Dutch colony of New Netherland, promised by King Charles II of England to his brother, the Duke of York.source
August 1 – Battle of Saint Gotthard: The Ottoman Empire is defeated by a Habsburg army, led by Raimondo Montecuccoli, leading to the Peace of Vasvár.source
September 8 (August 29 O.S.) – Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General of the Dutch Republic colony of New Netherland, surrenders New Amsterdam to an English naval squadron, commanded by Colonel Richard Nicolls, without bloodshed.source
27 September – Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam to an English naval squadron commanded by Colonel Richard Nicolls.England source
28 October – The "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of foot" is formed in London, origin of the Royal Marines.England source
October 31 – Surrounded by a Berber army, the French Navy evacuates the presidio of Jijel, a Mediterranean Sea port in what is now the Republic of Algeria, after having captured it from the Algiers Regency on June 12.source
After failing talk the Zheng family into peacefully surrendering, Dutch Captain Herman de Bitter defeats a fleet at Penghu in August and temporarily occupies Keelung harborChina source
Spring — Zheng Jing withdraws the last Zheng family forces on the mainland from Tongshan (桐山街道), FujianChina source
A planned Qing invasion of the Kingdom of Tungning led by Admiral Shi Lang and supported by the Dutch fleet in Taiwan fails to occurChina source

Exploration & Expansion

February 2 – Jesuit missionary Johann Grueber arrives in Rome after a 214-day journey that had started in Beijing, proving that commerce can be had between Europe and Asia by land rather than ship.source
February 26 – Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy, appointed by King Louis XIV of France as Lieutenant Général of the Americas, departs from the port of La Rochelle with 1,200 men and seven ships to expand France's property in the Caribbean Sea and in South America.source
November 17 – Latvian colonist Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland, gives up all of his rights to his African colony at St Andrew's Island in the Gambia River to representatives of King Charles II, in return for keeping possession of the Caribbean island of Tobago.source
The British East India Company begins trade in ChinaChina source
Robert Holmes's second African expedition to the Guinea coast captures Dutch forts and ships.England source

Religion & Belief

April 28 – Juan Alonso de Cuevas y Dávalos is appointed as the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Mexico by Pope Alexander VII, to allow Archbishop Mateo de Sagade de Bugueyro to return to Spain. Archbishop Cuevas is installed on November 15 upon his arrival in Mexico City.source
May – Parliament passes the Conventicle Act 1664 preventing groups of more than five non-followers of the Church of England from assembling (comes into effect 1 July). Jews will be excluded from its operation.England source
Austere reforms introduced in the Cistercian La Trappe Abbey in Normandy by Armand de Rancé, origin of the Trappists.source
St. Bride's Church is completed following the uniting of the parishes of St Stephen, St Michael Le Pole and St Bride.Ireland source
Carl Gustaf Wrangel appointed Lord High Constable of Sweden.Sweden source

Economy & Finance

January 7 – Indian entrepreneur Virji Vora, described in the 17th century by the English East India Company as the richest merchant in the world, suffers the loss of a large portion of his wealth when the Maratha troops of Shivaji plunder his residence at Surat and his business warehouses.source
April 14 – All grants to the Compagnie des Isles de l'Amerique for development of French-claimed islands in the Caribbean Sea are revoked by King Louis XIV, including the rights to the islands of Martinique and Saint Lucia that had been sold to Marie Bonnard du Parquet prior to her death in 1659.source
May 28 – King Louis XIV of France establishes the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales by royal decree to replace the recently cancelled Compagnie des Isles de l'Amerique.source
June 9 – Kronenbourg Brewery (Brasseries Kronenbourg) is founded in Strasbourg.source
August 27 – The French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes Orientales) is founded.source
December 3 – The English warships HMS Nonsuch and HMS Phoenix are wrecked in a storm at Gibraltar.source
Kommercekollegiet is established but later dissolved in the late 1680s before being reestablished in 1704.Denmark source
Francis Child enters the London goldsmith's business which, as the private banking house of Child & Co., will continue into the 21st century.England source
French West India Company establishedFrance source
Kronenbourg Brewery established in StrasbourgFrance source
Herredag, the highest court in Norway, was abolished.Norway source

Technology & Infrastructure

March 12 – King Charles II of England makes royal charter for territory in North America that leases to his brother, James, Duke of York, a patent for a large amount of land in what is now the northeastern United States. According to the Charter, James receives "all that part of the mayne land of New England" between "New Scotland in America" and the river of Kenebeque", along with "Mattowacks or Long Island" and "Martins Vineyard and Nantukes", and the lands between the "Connecticutte and Hudsons rivers" and the lands "from the west side of "Connecticutte to the east side De la Warre Bay". The lease, which includes the territory claimed by the Dutch Republic as New Netherland is for most of the U.S. state of Maine and parts of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.source
Schackenborg Castle is constructed.Denmark source
Construction begins of the Sheldonian Theatre for university ceremonial in Oxford as designed by Christopher Wren.England source
St Stephen's Green, Dublin, enclosed for building.Ireland source
Portmore Castle is erected near the shores of Portmore Lough in County Antrim.Ireland source

Science & Discovery

March 19 – Polish astronomer Jan Heweliusz becomes the first native of Poland to be inducted into England's Royal Society.source
May 9 – Robert Hooke discovers Jupiter's Great Red Spot.source
Jesuit missionary and astronomer Adam Schall von Bell is tried due to accusations by Yang GuangxianChina source

Health & Medicine

November 6 – The oldest hospital in India, the Government General Hospital, is opened at Madras by the English East India Company for the treatment of ill soldiers.source
An imperial edict imposes another ban on footbindingChina source

Disasters & Accidents

September 23 – The French Navy ship Tigre sinks off of the coast of the island of Sardinia, with the loss of 64 men. Another 58 of the crew are rescued.source

Culture & Society

January – Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve is appointed Steward of Norway.Norway source
May 12 – The original version of Tartuffe, a comedy by French playwright and actor Molière, is given its first performance, staged at the Palace of Versaillessource
June 3 – In the city of Mantua in Italy, the world's oldest continuously published private newspaper, Gazzetta di Mantova, publishes its first-known issue. The newspaper would celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2014.source
October 28 – The "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of foot" is formed in London and serves as a precursor to the Royal Marines of the United Kingdom.source
John Evelyn's Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber is published in London, in book form.source
Changsha becomes the capital of Hunan province, having been upgraded from a superior prefectureChina source
A new sumptuary law, replaced and amended the previous one of 1644, restrict the guests at engagement dinners to family and bans the custom of conducting them in bath houses; weddings are no longer to be celebrated for more than one day; the guests at weddings are restricted; dress fashion are regulated according to class and only the nobility, the clergy and the highest circles of the burgher class are allowed valuable textiles (in the latter cases in more discreet colors), and then only within the restrictions of customary dress, as the habit of adjusting to fashion had become more and more common, which worried the authorities who wished to have a permanent dress fashion for each class: this law is however not respected.Sweden source

Births

January 15 – Jean Meslier, French Catholic priest, later discovered to have promoted atheism (died 1729)source
January 24 – John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist (died 1726)source
24 January (bapt.) – John Vanbrugh, playwright and architect (died 1726)England source
3 February - Jens Bircherod, bishop (died 1720)Denmark source
February 6 – Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan (died 1703)source
February 24 (baptized) – Thomas Newcomen, English inventor (died 1729)source
February 26 – Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, Swiss mathematician (died 1753)source
March 17 – Georg Österreich, German composer and music collector (died 1735)source
6 April - Arvid Horn, politician (died 1742)Sweden source
April 30 – François Louis, Prince of Conti, French general (died 1709)source
10 May – Tørres Christensen, merchant, ship owner, land owner (died 1721).Norway source
May 30 – Giulio Alberoni, Italian cardinal and statesman (died 1754)source
June 3 – Rachel Ruysch, painter from the Northern Netherlands (died 1750)source
July 21 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (died 1721)source
August 12 – Magnus Stenbock, Swedish noble (died 1717)source
August 20 – János Pálffy, Hungarian field marshal, Palatine (died 1751)source
September 5 – Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield, illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England (died 1718)source
December 10 – John Williams, American clergy (died 1729)source

Deaths

January 27 – Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1649)source
January 30 – Cornelis de Graeff, Dutch mayor (born 1599)source
5 February – Henning Stockfleth, clergyman (born 1610).Norway source
March 16 – Ivan Vyhovsky, Ukrainian Cossack leadersource
March 30 – Guru Har Krishan, 8th Guru of Sikhism (born 1656)source
June 1 – Michiel Sweerts, Flemish painter (born 1618)source
June 22 – Katherine Philips, Anglo-Welsh poet (born 1631)source
22 June – Katherine Philips, poet (born 1631)England source
July 16 – Andreas Gryphius, German writer (born 1616)source
August 11 – Sir John Lisle, a former member of the English House of Commons who had been designated a regicide for his role in signing the death warrant in the execution in 1649 of Charles I of England, is assassinated in a church courtyard in Lausanne in Switzerland. Lisle had gone into exile after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The shooting of Lisle, done on order of King Charles II, is carried out by a team led by royal agent James Cotter.source
August 24 – Maria Cunitz, Silesian astronomer (born 1610)source
August 27 – Francisco de Zurbarán, Spanish painter (born 1598)source
18 October – Caspar Herbach, court goldsmith, court cabinetmaker, alchemist (born 1600 in Saxony)Denmark source
October 31 – William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Dutch stadtholder (born 1613)source
November 18 – Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian and Hungarian military leader, statesman (born 1620)source
December 15 – Dietrich Reinkingk, German lawyer and politician (born 1590)source
December 20 – All but 3 members of the over 200-person crew of the Dutch ship Kennemerland are killed when the trade ship sinks in a storm near the Out Skerries islands off of the coast of Scotland.source
Ming loyalist Zheng Huangyan (張煌言) is executed in HangzhouChina source