Explore 158 historical events from 1640–1649.
John Flamsteed was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, Catalogus Britannicus, and a star atl…
John Flamsteed, English astronomer and academic (died 1719)
Laughlin Ó Cellaigh, Gaelic-Irish Lord, died 29 June 1646.
Laughlin Ó Cellaigh, Gaelic-Irish Lord
Alexander Henderson was a Scottish theologian, and an important ecclesiastical statesman of his period. He is considered the second founder of the Reformed Church in Scotland. He w…
Alexander Henderson, Scottish theologian and academic (born 1583)
János Bánfihunyadi, better known by his Latinized name Johannes Banfi Hunyades or his pseudonym Hans Hungar, was a Hungarian alchemist, chemist and metallurgist. He emigrated to En…
Johannes Banfi Hunyades, English-Hungarian alchemist, chemist and metallurgist. (born 1576)
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was a British painter of German origin. The leading portraitist in England during the late Stuart and early Georgian eras, he served as court paint…
Godfrey Kneller, German-English painter (died 1723)
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An estimated 15% to 20% of adult males…
First English Civil War: Charles I surrendered himself to Scottish Covenanter leader David Leslie near Newark, England
The Franco-Spanish War, May 1635 to November 1659, was fought between France and Spain, each supported by various allies at different points. It consists of two distinct phases, th…
Franco-Spanish War: French and Spanish fleets fought the inconclusive Battle of Orbetello, with sailing vessels of both
The Treaty of Brömsebro was signed on 13 August 1645, and ended the Torstenson War, a local conflict that began in 1643 between Sweden and Denmark–Norway. Negotiations for the trea…
Sweden and Denmark sign Peace of Brömsebro.
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman, poet, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wa…
A Royalist army under the Marquess of Montrose defeats a Covenanter army in the battle of Kilsyth.
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys was a Welsh judge and politician. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor. His conduct as…
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, British judge (died 1689)
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, was a British Tory statesman. He was a Privy Councillor and Secretary of State for the Northern Department before he attained real power as…
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician (died 1712)
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans was a French princess who became grand duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici.
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, French princess (died 1721)
Eusebio Francisco Kino,, SJ (Italian: Eusebio Francesco Chini, Spanish: Eusebio Francisco Kino, often referred to as Father Kino, was an Italian Jesuit, missionary, geographer, exp…
Eusebio Kino, Italian priest and missionary (died 1711)
The term Cavalier was first used to describe cavalrymen, and later by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charle…
Scottish Royalist forces under Lord Montrose defeat Covenanter forces under John Urry
The Yangzhou Massacre refers to the mass killing of people in Yangzhou, China, in May, 1645. Commanded by the Manchu prince Dodo, following the collapse of the Ming dynasty, Qing d…
Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of the residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qi
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. P…
English Civil War: Battle of Naseby: Twelve thousand Royalist forces are beaten by fifteen thousand Parliamentarian sold
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms is the collective term for a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities in a personal …
Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Alford.
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. P…
English Civil War: The Battle of Langport takes place.
Jean de La Bruyère was a French philosopher and moralist, who was noted for his satire.
Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher and author (died 1696)
Tobias Hume was a Scottish composer, viol player and soldier.
Tobias Hume, Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (born 1569)
Miyamoto Musashi was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in hi…
Miyamoto Musashi, Japanese samurai (born 1584)
Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, was a politician, and favourite of King James VI and I.
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, English-Scottish politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (born 1587)
Michael I was Tsar of all Russia from 1613 after being elected by the Zemsky Sobor of 1613 until his death in 1645. He was the first tsar of the House of Romanov, which succeeded t…
Michael I, Russian tsar (born 1596)
The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, also known as the Qing Empire or Qing China, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia which e…
Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of…