The world in
What happened in 1856?
15 events across 6 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
Crimean WarFrom 1853 to 1856, a war was fought between Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom, and Sardinia. The conflict was sparked by Russian expansionism and the desire to preserve the Ottoman Empire to maintain the balance of power in Europe, with major fighting centered on the naval base of Sevastopol in Crimea. It ended with Russia's defeat, confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1856.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: James Robertson / Felice Beato / Public domain ↗
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 ↗
Treaty of Paris signedOn 30 March 1856, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Crimean War between the Russian Empire and the alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and Sardinia. It neutralized the Black Sea, prohibiting warships and fortifications, and included the Paris Declaration on Maritime Law, which protected neutral commerce and abolished privateering. The treaty curbed Russian influence in the Black Sea region.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Edouard Louis Dubufe / 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.
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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 ↗
Founding of the Tretyakov GalleryIn 1856, industrialist and art collector Pavel Tretyakov founded an art museum in Moscow, later known as the Tretyakov Gallery. It would become the world's foremost depository of Russian fine art.
Opening of the National Portrait Gallery, LondonThe National Portrait Gallery opened in 1856 near Trafalgar Square in London, housing portraits of historically significant British figures. It was arguably the first national public gallery in the world dedicated to portraits.
North America
Auburn University foundedAuburn University was founded in 1856 in Auburn, Alabama, as a public land-grant research university.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: J. Glover ( AUtiger ) / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
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.
Construction of Central Park BeginsIn the mid-19th century, New York City began constructing Central Park, a 341-hectare landscaped urban park in Manhattan. It became the first such park in the United States and one of the most visited.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
East Asia
Second Opium WarBetween 1856 and 1860, the United Kingdom and France waged a war against Qing China over disputes including opium trade rights. The war ended in another Qing defeat and the legalisation of the opium trade, seen as a continuation of the First Opium War and heightening China's sense of national crisis.
- 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.
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 ↗
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 1856
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