The world in
What happened in 1656?
13 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 Second Northern War
In 1655, the Swedish Empire attacked the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, triggering the Second Northern War. The conflict later drew in Russia, Brandenburg-Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Denmark–Norway, concluding in 1660 with the treaties of Copenhagen and Oliva. The war devastated the Commonwealth, costing it roughly a third of its population and its great-power status, an episode remembered in Poland as the Deluge.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- The Deluge Begins
In 1655, the Swedish Empire invaded the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, beginning the military conflict known as the Deluge. This war was part of the Second Northern War, though the term can also refer more broadly to the series of campaigns from the Khmelnytsky Uprising in 1648 to the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667.
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 ↗
- Outbreak of the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)
In 1654, the Anglo-Spanish War broke out between the Commonwealth of England (under Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate) and Habsburg Spain, driven by economic and religious rivalry. The conflict involved attacks on commercial and colonial interests through privateering and naval expeditions, lasting until 1660.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Building of St. George's Church in Drohobych
St. George's Church in Drohobych, Ukraine, was built around the 15th century and is one of the oldest and best preserved timber churches of Galicia. Reflecting late 15th to early 16th-century Galician wooden architecture, it stands as an outstanding example of ancient Ukrainian sacral architecture. The church underwent several reconstructions and received its final architectural form from the talented Ukrainian architect Hryhoriy Tesla. Today, it is part of the wooden architecture department of the Museum of Drohobych region, designated as a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site for its exceptional cultural and historical significance.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Construction of Vaux-le-Vicomte begins
The construction of Vaux-le-Vicomte began in 1658 for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's Superintendent of Finances. Located in Maincy, about 55 km southeast of Paris, it is a masterpiece of Baroque French architecture.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Foundation of the Church of the Twelve Apostles
In 1656, the Church of the Twelve Apostles, a domestic church for Patriarch Nikon within the Moscow Kremlin, was completed. Built by Russian masters Antip Konstantinov and Bazhen Ogurtsov, it later became part of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
- Founding of the Jama Masjid, Delhi
The Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656. Located in Shahjahanabad, it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal Empire, symbolizing its power and prestige.
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 ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Establishment of Fort Batenstein
In 1656, the Dutch established Fort Batenstein on the Gold Coast as a trading post. Located near Butre in present-day Ghana, the fort was later ceded with the entire Dutch Gold Coast to Britain in 1872.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1656
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