1704 CE
(13 August NS) – War of the Spanish Succession: At the Battle of Blenheim, an allied army under John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy including English troops defeats the Franco-Bavarian army. (August 2 OS) – War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army. War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, the Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army.
In the 1700s, the 18th century.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- 18 May – Robert Harley becomes Secretary of State for the Northern Department.Englandsource
- 5 August – the Parliament of Scotland passes the Act of Security 1704 in response to the Parliament of England's Act of Settlement 1701, allowing the Scottish Parliament to select its own successor to the monarch.Scotlandsource
- October 24 – A peace treaty is signed between Prince Ferenc Rákóczi of Transylvania, and representatives of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I at Schemnitz (now Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia)source
- The lower three counties of the Province of Pennsylvania become the colony of Delaware.source
- Thomas Taylor, member of the Irish House of Commons, is created 1st Taylor Baronet, of Kells in the County of Meath.Irelandsource
Conflict & Security
- January 25–26 – Apalachee massacre: English colonists from the Province of Carolina, and their native allies, stage a series of brutal raids against a largely pacific population of Apalachee, in Spanish Florida.source
- March 7 – War of the Spanish Succession: Prince Karl of Habsburg, brother of Joseph I, the Holy Roman Emperor and a pretender to the throne of Spain, arrives in Portugal on the English warship HMS Royal Katherine as part of George Rooke's English fleet sailing into Lisbon.source
- April 21 – Battle of Biskupice: The Hungarians (Kurucs) win a costly victory over the Danes.source
- May 28 – Battle of Smolenice: Kuruc rebels defeat the Austrian army and its allies.source
- June 13 – Battle of Koroncó: Austrians and their allies from Denmark, Prussia, Croatia, Germany and Vojvodina defeat the Kurucs.source
- July 12 – Great Northern War – King Charles XII of Sweden forces the election of his ally Stanisław Leszczyński as King of Poland, in place of Augustus II the Strong.source
- July 12 – Great Northern War – Charles XII of Sweden forces the election of his ally Stanisław Leszczyński as King of Poland in place of Augustus II the Strong.Swedensource
- July - Richard Vaughan of Corsygedol becomes Constable of Harlech Castle.Walessource
- August 1–3 - Capture of GibraltarSpainsource
- 2 August (13 August NS) – War of the Spanish Succession: At the Battle of Blenheim, an allied army under John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy including English troops defeats the Franco-Bavarian army.Englandsource
- August 3 (July 23 Old Style) – War of the Spanish Succession – Gibraltar is captured from Spain, by English and Dutch forces under Sir George Rooke.source
- August 7 – Battle of Orford Ness.source
- August 13 (August 2 OS) – War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army.source
- 13 August – War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, the Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army.Francesource
- August 24 (August 13 OS) – War of the Spanish Succession – The French and Anglo-Dutch fleets clash off Málaga, causing heavy casualties on both sides, but without sinking any ships.source
- 6 September - The Storming of LembergSwedensource
- September 8 – War of the Spanish Succession – The Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar by French and Spanish troops begins.source
- September 12 – War of the Spanish Succession: The siege of the French-held German town of Landau, by Holy Roman Empire troops under the command of Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden begins and lasts for more than ten weeks before the French surrender on November 23. During the siege, the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I visits the area in a newly-developed vehicle, a convertible horse-drawn carriage that has a removable roof. The style of vehicle itself is later called a "landau".source
- September - beginning of Twelfth Siege of GibraltarSpainsource
- October 28 – Great Northern War: The Battle of Poniec takes place as King Charles XII leads Swedish troops in pursuit of the Saxon Army commanded by General Johann von der Schulenburg. The Swedes are forced to retreat despite surrounding the Saxons, and Schulenburg's troops escape.source
- November 11 – Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar: A Spanish Bourbon special forces battalion, guided by Simon Susarte, scales the steepest side of the Rock of Gibraltar in an attempt to surprise the British defenders, and kills the English sentries who have been manning the lookout. The attack is foiled the next day when a drummer boy, who was bringing food to the sentries, spots the invaders and raises the alarm.source
- December 6 – Battle of Chamkaur: During the Mughal-Sikh Wars, an outnumbered Sikh Khalsa defeats a Mughal army.source
- The Sultanate of Brunei cedes its north-east territories to the Sultanate of Sulu.source
- Thomas Darley purchases the bay Arabian horse Darley Arabian in Aleppo, Syria, and ships him to stud in England, where he becomes the most important foundation sire of all modern thoroughbred racing bloodstock.source
- Great Northern War: Russian troops under Tsar Peter the Great capture Tartu and Narva.source
- French forces destroy the English settlement at Bonavista, Newfoundland.Canadasource
Exploration & Expansion
- February 29 – Raid on Deerfield (Queen Anne's War): French Canadians and Native Americans sack Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing over 50 English colonists.source
Religion & Belief
- 16 February - The Norwegian Slottsloven commission was formed.Norwaysource
- September 28 – Damat Hasan Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, is removed from office by Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III, and replaced by Kalaylikoz Ahmed Pasha.source
- 9 October - Roger Griffith is installed as archdeacon of Brecon.Walessource
- 3 November – Queen Anne's Bounty (a fund established to augment the incomes of poorer Church of England clergy) receives a Royal Charter.Englandsource
- November 26 – The inauguration of the newly built Kastelskirken takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark.source
- Chinese Rites controversy: Rome decrees that Roman ceremonial practice in Latin (not in Chinese) is to be the law for Chinese missions.source
- Aaron Hart becomes rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London and de facto the country's first chief rabbi.Englandsource
- Popery Act enforces various restrictions on Catholics, in particular inheritance by gavelkind for Catholics and male primogeniture for Protestants, which tends to prevent an increase in Catholic landholding.Irelandsource
- Registration Act requires all existing Catholic priests to register in their local magistrates' court by July 20, to pay two £50 surety bonds for good behavior, and to stay in the county where they registered, with a financial inducement to convert to the Church of Ireland.Irelandsource
- John Morgan - Bloeddnad Ofnadwy yr Utcorn Diweddaf (posthumously published)Walessource
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
- January 7 – A partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in Antarctica.source
- 29 February – This date was intended to be skipped in the calendar, but was not. See February 30#Swedish calendar.Swedensource
- May 19–23 – Vigorous Strombolian activity from Mount Vesuvius, Italy is recorded.source
- June 2 – Annular solar eclipse is visible from a region of the Southern Ocean between South Africa and Antarctica.source
- June 17 – Total lunar eclipse takes place, Saros series 125.source
- November 27 – Annular solar eclipse is visible through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern China, Myanmar and northern Philippines.source
- December 25 – The fall of the meteorite of Barcelona is seen and heard over distances up to hundreds of kilometres and is interpreted as a divine sign.source
- Giancomo Miraldi observes Martian polar ice caps as "white spots" at the Martian poles.source
- Ole Rømer opens his Observatorium Tusculanum in Vridsløselille.Denmarksource
- Vitus Bering enrolls with the Imperial Russian Navy.Denmarksource
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
- March 23 – War of the Spanish Succession: The English Navy ships HMS Kent, HMS Bedford and HMS Antelope intercept two newly-built Spanish warships, Porta Coeli and Santa Teresa off of the coast of Cape Spartel, as the Spaniards attempt to sail into the Strait of Gibraltar. The two Spanish ships are captured after a seven-hour battle and taken toward Lisbon, but the Santa Teresa sinks along the way.source
- 10 September – Lower Largo-born sailor Alexander Selkirk chooses to be marooned from a privateer ship in the Juan Fernández Islands.Scotlandsource
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
- February 28 – Establishment of the first school open to African-Americans in New York City by Frenchman Elias Neau.source
- February – In America, Mardi Gras is celebrated with the Masque de la Mobile in the capital of Louisiana (New France), Mobile, Alabama.source
- 6 April - Sir Humphrey Mackworth proposes to the SPCK the "Erection of libraries in Wales".Walessource
- April 24 – The first regular newspaper in the Thirteen Colonies of British North America, The Boston News-Letter, is published.source
- May - Erasmus Lewis becomes secretary to Robert Harley at the Northern Department.Walessource
- 20 September – Dunkeld is erected a royal burgh.Scotlandsource
- October 26 – Richard Levinge, member of the Irish House of Commons, is created 1st Levinge Baronet, of High Park in the County of Westmeath.Irelandsource
- The Students' Monument is built in Aiud, Romania.source
- Isaac Newton publishes his Opticks. He also predicts that the world will end in 2060.source
- A Tale of a Tub, the first major satire by Jonathan Swift (written 1694–1697), is published in London, running through three editions this year.source
- Beau Nash becomes master of ceremonies at Bath, and an arbiter of fashion.Englandsource
- George Farquhar co-writes the play The Stage Coach.Irelandsource
- Jonathan Swift publishes his first major satires, A Tale of a Tub and The Battle of the Books, in London.Irelandsource
- Robert Nelson - A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of EnglandWalessource
Births
- January 1 – Soame Jenyns, English writer and Member of Parliament (died 1787)source
- February 28 – Hans Hermann von Katte, Lieutenant of the Prussian Army (died 1730)source
- March 21 – Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis (died 1773)source
- 4 April – Andreas Brünniche, painter (died 1769)Denmarksource
- June 11 – Carlos Seixas, Portuguese composer (died 1742)source
- June 17 – John Kay, inventor of the flying shuttle (died 1780)source
- June 24 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer (died 1771)source
- July 15 – August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German theologian and minister (died 1792)source
- August 5 – William Allen, wealthy merchant (died 1780)source
- August 26 – Marie-Anne Barbel, French-Canadian Businesswomen who lived in New France (died 1793)source
- September 5 – Maurice Quentin de La Tour, French Rococo portraitist, working primarily with pastels (died 1788)source
- 7 September – John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun (died 1781)Scotlandsource
- September 12 – Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester (died 1776)source
- October 29 – John Byng, British admiral (died 1757)source
- 1 November - Erland Broman, royal favorite (died 1757)Swedensource
- November 5 – Samuel Pegge, English antiquary and clergyman (died 1796)source
- December 14 – Jacob von Eggers, Military engineer (died 1773)source
- December - Richard Herbert, politician (died 1754)Walessource
Deaths
- February 21 – John Charles, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen, German prince, ancestor of the cadet branch of the royal family of Bavaria (born 1638)source
- February 24 – Marc-Antoine Charpentier, French composer (born 1643)source
- March 17 – Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (born 1641)source
- 31 March – Christian Stockfleth, civil servant (born 1639).Norwaysource
- April 8 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English politician and army officer (born 1641)source
- April 10 – Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg, Bishop of Strassburg (born 1629)source
- April 12 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (born 1627)source
- April 17 – Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, leading Norwegian general during the Scanian War (born 1638)source
- 17 April – Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, statesman and military officer (born 1638)Denmarksource
- May 3 – Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Austrian composer (born 1644)source
- 13 June – Arthur Rose, prelate (born 1634)Scotlandsource
- July 3 – Sofia Alekseyevna of Russia, regent (born 1657)source
- July 14 – Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia (born 1657)source
- July 20 – Peregrine White, first English child born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (born 1620)source
- 9 August - Richard Bulkeley, 3rd Viscount Bulkeley, about 46, politicianWalessource
- August 19 – Jane Leade, English Christian mystic (born 1624)source
- October 28 – John Locke, English philosopher (born 1632)source
- December 11 – Roger L'Estrange, English pamphleteer, author (born 1616)source