The world in
What happened in 1851?
20 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
Unification of ItalyThe 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 ↗
Opening of the Great ExhibitionThe first world's fair, the Great Exhibition, opened on 1 May 1851 in Hyde Park, London, and ran until 15 October. Organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, it showcased the culture and industry of nations, highlighting Britain's industrial pre-eminence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Dickinson Brothers / Public domain ↗
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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.
Outbreak of the First Schleswig WarThe First Schleswig War broke out in 1848 between the Kingdom of Denmark and the German Confederation led by Prussia, centered on the Schleswig-Holstein question: control over the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg. The war lasted until 1851, with Denmark ultimately victorious thanks to diplomatic support from great powers, especially Britain and Russia.
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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 ↗
Great Irish FamineThe 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 ↗
Foundation of Helsinki CathedralHelsinki Cathedral was founded in the mid-19th century. Built originally as a tribute to Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, it was known as St Nicholas's Church before Finnish independence. Situated at Senate Square in central Helsinki, it is a major landmark in Finland.
Construction of the Orangery Palace beginsIn 1851, King Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered the construction of the Orangery Palace to begin in the Sanssouci Park of Potsdam. The king personally participated in its design, which combined Italian Renaissance influences. This imposing edifice was the last and largest building erected in the royal domain, with construction lasting over a decade until 1864.
Moscow Leningradsky Railway Station OpensMoscow's oldest railway terminal, Leningradsky Station, opened around the mid‑19th century on Komsomolskaya Square. Serving as the southern terminus of the main line to the northwest, it handles trains to Saint Petersburg and international services to Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Ппресс-служба Градостроительного комплекса Москвы / CC BY 4.0 ↗
Moskovsky railway station opensMoskovsky railway station (originally Nikolaevsky station) was opened in Saint Petersburg as the northern terminus of the Saint Petersburg–Moscow Railway. Located at 85 Nevsky Prospect, it became one of Russia's first long-distance railway hubs, serving trains to Moscow, central and southern Russia, Siberia, and Crimea.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Florstein ( Telegram: WikiPhoto.Space ) / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
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 ↗
Outbreak of the Platine WarIn 1851, the Platine War broke out between the Argentine Confederation and an alliance of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay, and the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes, with Paraguay participating as Brazil's ally. The conflict stemmed from a long-standing dispute over influence in Uruguay, Paraguay, and the Platine region, with the Uruguayan Civil War as a key factor. Fighting took place in Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, and along the Río de la Plata. The war lasted until 1852.
North America
Outbreak of the Caste War of YucatánIn 1847, the Indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula launched an armed revolt against the Hispanic population, known as the Caste War. The uprising stemmed from the latter's political and economic dominance since the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and it is considered one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. The conflict primarily unfolded between government forces in the northwest and independent Maya groups in the southeast, lasting nearly five decades.
- Signing of the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)
On September 17, 1851, the United States signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie (also known as the Horse Creek Treaty) with representatives of several Great Plains tribes, including the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Arapaho. The treaty delineated the tribes' traditional territorial claims, representing an early federal attempt to define Native American land rights amid westward expansion.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
Establishment of the Taiping Heavenly KingdomIn 1851, Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan, and others launched an uprising in Jintian, Guangxi, establishing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The theocratic monarchy aimed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and later made Nanjing its capital in 1853.
Opium WarsThe 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.
West Asia
Founding of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet TheatreIn 1851, the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre was founded in what is now the centre of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The opera house is the main venue for opera and ballet in Georgia and is among the oldest in Eastern Europe.
Founding of Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehran University of Medical Sciences was established as a public medical school in Tehran in the mid-19th century, later becoming a major medical education institution in Iran.
North Africa
French conquest of AlgeriaBetween 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.
Oceania
New Zealand Wars outbreakThe 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 1851
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