The world in
What happened in 1845?
13 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Unification of Italy
The unification of Italy, also known as the Risorgimento, was the 19th-century political and social movement that consolidated various states of the Italian peninsula into the single Kingdom of Italy. On 17 March 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in Turin, and the process completed in 1871 with Rome as the capital, following its capture in 1870.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Caucasian War
The 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian War
In 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 ↗
- Great Irish Famine
The Great Irish Famine was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852, most severely affecting the Irish-speaking west and south. It constituted a major historical social crisis with a significant impact on Irish society and history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Consecration and Completion of La Madeleine in Paris
La Madeleine in Paris was completed in 1842 as a Catholic church, ending nearly eight decades of intermittent construction. Originally founded by Louis XV in 1764, it was later redesigned by Napoleon as a temple to military glory before reverting to a church. The Neoclassical edifice features a Corinthian colonnade, a frescoed dome, and notable 19th‑century sculptures.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Opening of the Landwehr Canal
The Landwehr Canal, a 10.7-kilometre waterway parallel to the Spree in Berlin, opened between 1845 and 1850. Designed by Peter Joseph Lenné, it connects the upper Spree at Friedrichshain with the lower Spree at Charlottenburg, flowing through Kreuzberg and Tiergarten, and serves as a secondary arm of the river, enhancing the city's waterborne transport.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Osborne House Foundation
In 1845, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began construction of Osborne House, a summer retreat on the Isle of Wight. Prince Albert designed the house in an Italian Renaissance style, and the builder was Thomas Cubitt. An earlier smaller house on the site was demolished, though its entrance portico survives as the gateway to the walled garden.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
- Founding of the United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy was established on 10 October 1845 in Annapolis, Maryland, under Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. It replaced the Philadelphia Naval Asylum as the principal undergraduate institution for training officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Dominican War of Independence
The Dominican War of Independence began on February 27, 1844, when the Dominican Republic declared independence from Haiti, and ended in 1856. Prior to the war, the island of Hispaniola had been unified under Haitian rule for 22 years. The conflict resulted in a Dominican victory, securing the nation's independence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
- First Anglo-Sikh War
Between 1845 and 1846, the British East India Company fought the Sikh Empire in the Punjab region in the First Anglo-Sikh War. The war ended in British victory, resulting in the Sikh Empire ceding territory, including Kashmir, and accepting British suzerainty.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Opium Wars
The Opium Wars were two military conflicts between the Qing dynasty and Western powers in the mid-19th century, beginning in 1839. The first conflict was triggered by the opium prohibition, and the second is considered a continuation of the first.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- French conquest of Algeria
Between 1830 and 1904, France launched a military invasion and prolonged war of conquest in Algeria. In June 1830, French forces landed near Algiers, quickly seizing the capital and coastal areas. Over the following decades, despite internal political strife, France repeatedly reinforced its military presence to suppress resistance in the interior, gradually extending control southward into the Sahara, and finalizing its colonial borders by 1904.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Oceania
- New Zealand Wars outbreak
The New Zealand Wars broke out in 1845, a series of armed conflicts between the British colonial government and Māori. The root cause was disputes over the sale of Māori land to British settlers, with the conflicts lasting until 1872 across multiple campaigns.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1845
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