The world in
What happened in 1810?
15 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Industrial Revolution
A transition in manufacturing processes that began in Great Britain around the 1760s and spread to continental Europe and the United States by about 1840. It was marked by the replacement of human and animal power with machinery and of handicraft with factory production, signaling a historic shift from agrarian to industrial society.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of global military conflicts from 1803 to 1815 between the First French Empire and shifting coalitions of European powers. Originating in the political upheavals following the French Revolution, the wars primarily took place in Europe but extended to the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and beyond. They are divided into seven major campaigns, including the War of the Third Coalition and the Peninsular War. Napoleon was ultimately defeated, the French Empire dissolved, and the European balance of power restored.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Jacques-Louis David / Public domain ↗
- Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil
In November 1807, the Portuguese royal family and nearly 10,000 attendants sailed from Lisbon to the colony of Brazil. Departure was delayed to 29 November, just two days before Napoleonic forces invaded Portugal. This relocation kept the Portuguese court in Brazil for over a decade, profoundly influencing Brazil's path to independence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Founding of the Karolinska InstituteIn 1810, the Karolinska Institute was founded in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden, to train medical professionals. A dedicated medical university, it evolved into one of the world's leading medical research centres and is renowned for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
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Caucasian WarThe Caucasian War was a 19th-century conflict of conquest by the Russian Empire against various peoples of the North Caucasus, lasting from 1817 to 1864. Imam Shamil led fierce resistance, repeatedly repelling Russian attacks, until the fall of Gunib and his capture in 1859. The war ended with the final subjugation of the Circassians and the annexation of the region in 1864.
The Eighth Russo-Turkish War breaks outIn 1806, hostilities resumed between the Russian and Ottoman Empires, marking the eighth such conflict, partly prompted by the Serbian uprising. The war lasted until 1812, when peace was concluded on the eve of Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Alexey Bogolyubov / Public domain ↗
Outbreak of the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)In 1804, war broke out between the Persian Qajar dynasty and the Russian Empire over territorial disputes including Georgia. The newly enthroned Persian king Fath Ali Shah sought to consolidate Persia's northernmost territories, while Russian Tsar Alexander I was equally determined to control the disputed regions. The conflict ended in 1813 with the Treaty of Gulistan, forcing Persia to cede vast territories.
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Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian WarIn 1763, the Russian Empire invaded Circassia and occupied Mozdok, prompting the Circassian people to organize a resistance movement to preserve their independence, marking the beginning of the Russo-Circassian War. This conflict became the longest war in the history of the Caucasus and of Russia, ending in 1864 with the defeat of Circassian forces.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Public domain ↗
Anglo-Russian War beginsThe Anglo-Russian War began in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars, following Russia's signing of the Treaty of Tilsit with France. Hostilities were limited primarily to minor naval actions in the Baltic and Barents Seas, ending in 1812.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Blinov, Leonid Demyanovich (1868-1903) / Public domain ↗
North America
Cry of DoloresThe Cry of Dolores was the call to arms issued by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on 16 September 1810 in Dolores, Mexico, triggering the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Paigemorrison at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
Spanish American wars of independenceA series of armed conflicts in the early 19th century across Spanish American colonies, aiming to end Spanish rule and achieve political independence. The conflicts were fought primarily between Royalists, who supported a unitary Spanish monarchy, and Patriots, who sought autonomy or independence. This ultimately led to the separation and independence of most of Spanish America, occurring roughly between 1808 and 1833, and closely linked to the Napoleonic Wars and the Peninsular War in Spain.
Founding of the Hospicio CabañasThe Hospicio Cabañas was founded in Guadalajara, Mexico, later becoming one of the oldest and largest orphanage and hospital complexes in the Americas. Now a museum, its main hall features monumental frescoes by José Clemente Orozco. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: ProtoplasmaKid / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Central & South America
Founding of the Royal Portuguese Library in Rio de JaneiroIn 1810, the Royal Portuguese Library was founded in Rio de Janeiro, forming the nucleus of what would become the National Library of Brazil. Created alongside the transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil, it safeguarded royal collections. Opened to students in 1814, it became a national institution after independence and evolved into Latin America's largest library.
May RevolutionFrom 18 to 25 May 1810, a week of events unfolded in Buenos Aires, then capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. It culminated on 25 May with the removal of Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and the creation of a local government, the Primera Junta.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Pedro Subercaseaux / Public domain ↗
Oceania
Musket WarsThe Musket Wars were a series of large-scale armed conflicts among Māori tribes in early 19th-century New Zealand, involving up to 3,000 battles and raids from around 1807 to 1842. Sparked by an intertribal arms race following the acquisition of muskets, the wars sought territorial gain or revenge, causing tens of thousands of casualties and enslavements, profoundly altering tribal boundaries, and influencing later New Zealand Wars.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Merrett, Joseph Jenner, 1816-1854. / Public domain ↗
Around 1810
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.
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Museum Island construction begins
- Completion of Dom Pedro V Theatre
- Establishment of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage
- Construction of Hôtel Solvay begins
- Founding of Kulangsu as an International Settlement
- Construction of the Four Hydraulic Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre begins
- Founding of Nelson's Dockyard