The world in
What happened in 1653?
8 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Scientific Revolution
In the 16th and 17th centuries, a Scientific Revolution took place in Europe, with breakthroughs in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry, altering the human understanding of nature. It marked the emergence of modern science, breaking with Greek traditions, embracing a mechanistic worldview, integrating mathematics, and emphasizing new evidence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the Cretan War
In 1645, war broke out between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire over the island of Crete, Venice's largest and richest overseas possession. The conflict mainly took place on Crete, especially at Candia, with Venice and allies (Knights of Malta, Papal States, France) against the Ottoman Empire and Barbary States. It lasted until 1669, combining land and naval battles, with Dalmatia as a secondary theater.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Portuguese Restoration War
The Portuguese Restoration War was an independence war fought between Portugal and Spain on the Iberian Peninsula from 1640 to 1668. Triggered by the Portuguese revolution of 1640, it brought an end to the 60-year Iberian Union and concluded with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, restoring Portuguese independence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the Franco-Spanish War
In May 1635, the Franco-Spanish War broke out, pitting the Kingdom of France against the Spanish Empire in a large-scale European conflict. Triggered by French intervention in the Thirty Years' War, major battlefields included the Low Countries, northern Italy, and the Rhineland. The first phase lasted until October 1648 and is considered a related conflict of the Thirty Years' War; the second phase continued until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Construction of the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Church in Owczary
Around the 17th century, a Gothic wooden church was built in Owczary, Poland. Dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Lady, it was later inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site encompassing wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Outbreak of the Ming–Qing War
In 1618, the Later Jin leader Nurhaci openly rebelled against the Ming by publishing the 'Seven Grievances', marking the outbreak of the Ming–Qing War.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Construction of the Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto (Cusco)
The Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto (also known as Lourdes Chapel) is a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto. It was built around the 17th century on the Plaza de Armas in the historic center of Cusco, Peru, next to the Jesuit church, becoming part of the local religious complex.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Founding of Cape Coast Castle
In 1653, the Swedish Africa Company began construction of Cape Coast Castle in present-day Ghana using timber, as a trading post. The fort later changed hands multiple times and became a major hub of the slave trade on the Gold Coast.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1653
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Russian conquest of Siberia
- Beginning of the Columbian Exchange
- Beginning of the Renaissance
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Construction of the Canal du Midi begins
- Founding of the Royal Palaces of Abomey
- Establishment of the Fort on James Island
- Founding of St. George's Town