The world in
What happened in 1860?
17 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 ↗
Elbląg CanalThe Elbląg Canal is a navigable waterway in northern Poland, approximately 80 km long, connecting Ostróda to the Baltic Sea. It is notable for using locks and five inclined planes to overcome a water level difference of nearly 100 metres, with boats carried on rail-mounted trolleys.
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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 ↗
- Signing of the Treaty of Turin
On 24 March 1860, the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia signed the Treaty of Turin, whereby Sardinia ceded the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice to France. This secured French support for Italian unification and ended centuries of Italian rule over the region.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Founding of the Great Ducal Saxon Art SchoolIn 1860, the Great Ducal Saxon Art School was founded in Weimar, Germany. The institution later became the Bauhaus in 1919 under Walter Gropius and is considered the origin of modern design education.
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Construction of Miramare Castle BeginsMiramare Castle was built from 1856 to 1860 on the Gulf of Trieste in northeastern Italy for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria and his wife Charlotte of Belgium, designed by Carl Junker. It later became a museum.
Founding of the Basilica of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio on the Aventine HillThe Basilica of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio is a minor basilica on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Its origins are very ancient, and it underwent major transformations; since 1860, it has been served by the Somaschi Fathers.
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.
Convention of PekingIn 1860, after Anglo-French forces captured Beijing, the Qing government signed in Beijing three separate unequal treaties with Great Britain, France, and the Russian Empire, collectively known as the Convention of Peking. These agreements are regarded as bringing the Second Opium War to an end.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: From a Chinese painting / Public domain ↗
- 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.
North Africa
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Hispano-Moroccan WarSpain declared war on Morocco on 22 October 1859 over a dispute about the borders of Ceuta. Fighting took place in northern Morocco. After a Spanish victory at the Battle of Tetuán, Morocco sued for peace, and the conflict ended with a treaty on 26 April 1860.
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.
Central & South America
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Construction of León CathedralThe Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in León, Nicaragua, began construction. Designed by Guatemalan architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel, it combines Baroque and Neoclassical styles with indigenous decorative elements, and is among the largest historical religious buildings in Central America.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
West Asia
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Foundation of the Armenian Church of the Holy All-Savior in DerbentAround the 19th century, an Armenian Apostolic church, the Church of the Holy All-Savior, was founded in Derbent, in the Russian Republic of Dagestan. It is an Armenian church in the city of Derbent.
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 ↗
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.
Around 1860
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.
- Second Industrial Revolution
- 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