What happened in 1846?

Europe

• Unification of Italy

  1815–1871Rome

  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 ↗Image: Sebastiano De Albertis / Public domain ↗

• Caucasian War

  1763–1864Caucasus

  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 ↗Image: Franz Roubaud / Public domain ↗

• Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian War

  1711–1864Circassia

  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 ↗Image: Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Public domain ↗

• Great Irish Famine

  1845–1852

  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 ↗Image: Illustrated London News, December 22, 1849 / Public domain ↗

North America

• Outbreak of the Mexican–American War

  1846–1848Mexico City

  From 1846 to 1848, war broke out between the United States and Mexico. The immediate cause was the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered its territory and refused to recognize as independent. Texas had been de facto independent since 1836, with most Anglo-American residents wanting to join the United States.

  SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Adolphe Jean-Baptiste Bayot / Carl Nebel / Public domain ↗

• Signing of the Oregon Treaty

  1846Washington, D.C.

  On June 15, 1846, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the Oregon Treaty in Washington, D.C., ending the Oregon boundary dispute by partitioning the Oregon Country to resolve competing territorial claims.

  SourcesWikipedia ↗

Central & South America

• Dominican War of Independence

  1844–1856Hispaniola

  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

  1845–1846Punjab

  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 ↗Image: Henry Martens (aktiv: 1825-1865) / Public domain ↗

East Asia

• Opium Wars

  1839–1860Beijing

  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 ↗Image: Public domain ↗

North Africa

• French conquest of Algeria

  1830–1904Algiers, 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 ↗Image: Horace Vernet / Public domain ↗

Oceania

• New Zealand Wars outbreak

  1845–1872Wellington

  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 ↗Image: DO'Neil at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

Around 1846

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

  c. 1601–1900Western Europe

• Museum Island construction begins

  c. 1801–1900

• Completion of Dom Pedro V Theatre

  c. 1801–1900

• Establishment of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage

  c. 1801–1900

• Construction of Hôtel Solvay begins

  c. 1801–1900

• Founding of Kulangsu as an International Settlement

  c. 1801–1900

• Construction of the Four Hydraulic Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre begins

  c. 1801–1900

• Founding of Nelson's Dockyard

  c. 1801–1900