text:
1655

January–March

 * January 5 – Emperor Go-Sai ascends to the throne of Japan.
 * January 7 – Pope Innocent X, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the Papal States, dies after more than 10 years of rule.
 * February 14 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile, beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
 * February 16 – Dutch Grand Pensionary advisor Johan de Witt marries Wendela Bicker.
 * March 8 – John Casor becomes the first legally recognized slave in what will become the United States, as a court in Northampton County in the Colony of Virginia issues its decision in the Casor lawsuit, the first instance of a judicial determination in the Thirteen Colonies holding that a person who has committed no crime could be held in servitude for life.
 * March 25 – Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens.

April–June

 * April 4 – Battle of Porto Farina, Tunis: English admiral Robert Blake's fleet defeats the Barbary pirates.
 * April 7 – Pope Alexander VII (born Fabio Chigi) succeeds Pope Innocent X, as the 237th pope.
 * April 24 – The Piedmontese Easter Massacre of the Waldensians: Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy slaughters 1,500 men, women and children; this is memorialized in John Milton's sonnet "On the Late Massacre in Piedmont" and apologized for by Pope Francis in 2015.
 * April 26 – The Dutch West India Company denies Peter Stuyvesant's request to exclude Jews from New Amsterdam (Manhattan).
 * April 28 – Admiral Blake severely damages the arsenal of the Bey of Tunis.
 * May 10–27 – Anglo-Spanish War: Invasion of Jamaica – Forces of the English Protectorate led by William Penn and Robert Venables capture the island of Jamaica from Spain.
 * June 13 – Adriana Nooseman-van de Bergh becomes the first actress, in Amsterdam theater.

July–September

 * July 20 – The Amsterdam Town Hall (the modern-day Royal Palace) is inaugurated.
 * July 27
 * The Jews in New Amsterdam petition for a separate Jewish cemetery.
 * The Netherlands and Brandenburg sign a military treaty.
 * July 30 – Dutch troops capture Fort Assahudi Seram.
 * July 31 – Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for 6 years.
 * August 9 – Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell divides England into 11 districts, under major-generals.
 * August 28 – New Amsterdam and Peter Stuyvesant bar colonial Jews from military service.
 * August – The governor of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, attacks the New Sweden (Delaware) colony.
 * September 8 – Swedish King Karl X Gustav occupies Warsaw (Poland).
 * September 26 – Peter Stuyvesant recaptures the Dutch Fory Casimir, and defeats the New Sweden (Delaware) colony.

October –December

 * October 15 – The Jews of Lublin are massacred.
 * October 19 – Swedish King Karl X Gustav occupies Kraków (Poland).
 * November 3 – England and France sign military and economic treaties.
 * November 24 – English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell announces measures against the Laudian party, which are enforced starting on January 1.
 * December 4 – Middelburg, the Netherlands forbids the building of a synagogue.
 * December 18 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there is no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.
 * December 27 – Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege.

Date unknown

 * Stephan Farffler, a 22-year-old paraplegic watchmaker, builds the world's first self-propelling chair on a three-wheel chassis using a system of cranks and cogwheels. However, the device has the appearance of a hand bike more than a wheelchair since the design includes hand cranks mounted at the front wheel.
 * The Bibliotheca Thysiana is erected, the only surviving 17th century example in the Netherlands, of a building designed as a library.
 * 1655 Malta plague outbreak kills 20 people.
 * Frederick III of Denmark-Norway gives control of the Faroe Islands to Christoffer Gabel and his son, which will last until 1709.

Births

 * January 1 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist (d. 1728)
 * January 5 – John Coney (silversmith), early American silversmith/goldsmith (d. 1722)
 * January 6
 * Niccolò Comneno Papadopoli, Italian jurist of religious law and historian (d. 1740)
 * Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1720)
 * January 11
 * Charles Sergison, English politician (d. 1732)
 * Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk, England (d. 1701)
 * January 13 – Bernard de Montfaucon, French Benedictine monk (d. 1741)
 * January 19 – Nalan Xingde, Chinese poet (d. 1685)
 * January 21 – Antonio Molinari, Italian painter (d. 1704)
 * January 25 – Cornelius Anckarstjerna, Dutch-born Swedish admiral (d. 1714)
 * January 27 – Henri de Nesmond, French churchman (d. 1727)
 * February 2 – William "Tangier" Smith, Moroccan mayor (d. 1705)
 * February 7 – Jean-François Regnard, French comic poet (d. 1709)
 * February 14 – Jacques-Nicolas Colbert, French churchman (d. 1707)
 * February 15 – August, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbig, German prince (d. 1715)
 * February 16 – Charles, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg, German prince (d. 1674)
 * February 25 – Carel de Moor, Dutch painter (d. 1738)
 * February 28 – Johann Beer, Austrian composer (d. 1700)
 * March 4 – Fra Galgario, Italian painter (d. 1743)
 * March 6 – Frederik Krag, Danish nobleman and senior civil servant (d. 1728)
 * March 23
 * Richard Hill of Hawkstone, English statesman (d. 1727)
 * Sir Richard Myddelton, 3rd Baronet, English politician (d. 1716)
 * April 8 – Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, Germany (d. 1707)
 * April 19 – George St Lo, Royal Navy officer and administrator (d. 1718)
 * April 25 – John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale, English politician (d. 1700)
 * April 26
 * Rinaldo d'Este (1655–1737), Duke of Modena (d. 1737)
 * Ofspring Blackall, Bishop of Exeter (d. 1716)
 * May 4 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments, invented the piano (d. 1731)
 * May 13 – Pope Innocent XIII (d. 1724)
 * May 31 – Jacques Eléonor Rouxel de Grancey, Marshal of France (d. 1725)
 * June 4 – Thomas of Cori, Italian Friar Minor and preacher (d. 1729)
 * June 11 – Antonio Cifrondi, Italian painter (d. 1730)
 * June 12 – Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (d. 1715)
 * July 7 – Christoph Dientzenhofer, German architect (d. 1722)
 * July 20 – Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville, England (d. 1701)
 * August 2 – Sir John Hotham, 3rd Baronet, English politician (d. 1691)
 * August 13 – Johann Christoph Denner, German musical instrument maker, invented the clarinet (d. 1707)
 * August 16 – Frederick Christian, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe (d. 1728)
 * August 18 – James Collett, English-born merchant who settled in Norway (d. 1727)
 * August 22 – Joseph Robineau de Villebon, governor of Acadia (d. 1700)
 * September 2 – Andries Pels, Dutch banker (d. 1731)
 * September 9 – James Johnston (Secretary of State), diplomat, Secretary of State for Scotland (d. 1737)
 * September 12 – Sébastien de Brossard, French composer and music theorist (d. 1730)
 * September 14 – Éléonor Marie du Maine du Bourg, French nobleman and general (d. 1739)
 * September 21 – Roger Cave, English politician (d. 1703)
 * September 29 – Johann Ferdinand of Auersperg, Duke of Münsterberg (d. 1705)
 * September 30 – Charles III, Prince of Guéméné, French nobleman (d. 1727)
 * October 4 – Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Archbishop of Mainz (d. 1729)
 * October 12 – Richard Neville (the younger), English politician (d. 1717)
 * October 25 – Fabio Brulart de Sillery, French churchman (d. 1714)
 * November 1 – Ferdinand Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia (d. 1737)
 * November 6 – Daniel Lascelles (1655–1734), English Member of Parliament (d. 1734)
 * November 12
 * Eustache Restout, French painter (d. 1743)
 * Francis Nicholson, British Army general, colonial administrator (d. 1727)
 * November 16 – Alessandro Gherardini, Italian painter (d. 1726)
 * November 18 – Walter Norborne, English politician (d. 1684)
 * November 19 – Sir William Robinson, 1st Baronet, British politician (d. 1736)
 * November 20 – Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet, English politician (d. 1700)
 * November 24 – King Charles XI of Sweden (d. 1697)
 * December 9 – Isaac van Hoornbeek, Grand Pensionary of Holland (d. 1727)
 * December 10 – Sir William Forester, British politician (d. 1718)
 * December 13 – John Evelyn the Younger, English translator (d. 1699)
 * December 14 – Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal, son of William VI (d. 1721)
 * December 27 – Abstrupus Danby, English politician (d. 1727)
 * December 28 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1698)
 * December 29 – Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham, English politician (d. 1724)
 * date unknown – Zumbi, runaway slave in Brazil (d. 1695)

Deaths

 * January 6 – Louis Philip, Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern, Prince of Paltinate (b. 1602)
 * January 7 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
 * February 15 – Pier Luigi Carafa, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1581)
 * February 21 – John X of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, Prince-Bishop of Lübeck (1634–1655) (b. 1606)
 * February 25 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (b. 1580)
 * February 27 – Francesco Molin, Doge of Venice (b. 1575)
 * March 28 – Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, German princess and queen consort of Sweden (b. 1599)
 * March 30 – James Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond (b. 1612)
 * April 6 – David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)
 * April 14 – Johann Erasmus Kindermann, German composer and organist (b. 1616)
 * April 29 – Cornelis Schut, Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver (b. 1597)
 * April 30 – Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (b. 1617)
 * May 5 – Richard Harrison, English politician (b. 1583)
 * May 8 – Edward Winslow, American Pilgrim leader (b. 1596)
 * May 30 – Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (b. 1581)
 * June 26 – Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal (b. 1589)
 * June 27 – Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress, married to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1598)
 * June 30 – Jacobus Boonen, Dutch Catholic archbishop (b. 1573)
 * July 15 – Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (b. 1570)
 * July 28
 * Cyrano de Bergerac, French soldier and writer (b. 1619)
 * Suzuki Shōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1579)
 * July 30 – Sigmund Theophil Staden, important early German composer (b. 1607)
 * August 10 – Alfonso de la Cueva, 1st Marquis of Bedmar, Spanish cardinal and diplomat (b. 1572)
 * September 7 – François Tristan l'Hermite, French dramatist (b. 1601)
 * September 24 – Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege (b. 1617)
 * October 13 – Tobie Matthew, English Member of Parliament (b. 1577)
 * October 14 – Arnold Möller, German calligrapher (b. 1581)
 * October 16 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Italian physician, mathematician and music theorist (b. 1591)
 * October 18 – Joachim Lütkemann, German theologian (b. 1608)
 * October 24 – Pierre Gassendi, French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist (b. 1592)
 * November 3 – Paulus Aertsz van Ravesteyn, Dutch printer (born c. 1586)
 * November 6 – Maximilian, Prince of Dietrichstein, German prince (b. 1596)
 * November 16 – Giuseppe Marcinò, Italian priest, member of the Order of Friars Minor (b. 1589)
 * November 23 – Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton (b. 1572)
 * November 28 – John Oglander, English politicians (b. 1585)
 * December 17 – Ukita Hideie, Japanese daimyō (b. 1573)
 * December 20 – Gregers Krabbe, Danish noble (b. 1594)
 * December 22 – Tsugaru Nobuyoshi, Japanese daimyō (b. 1619)
 * December 31 – Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1586)
 * date unknown – Kocc Barma Fall, Senegambian philosopher (b. 1586)

title: 1655


text:
1697

January–March

 * January 8 – Thomas Aikenhead is hanged outside Edinburgh, becoming the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy.
 * January 11 – French writer Charles Perrault releases the book Histoires ou contes du temps passé (literally "Tales of Past Times", known in England as "Mother Goose tales") in Paris, a collection of popular fairy tales, including Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard.
 * February 22 – Gerrit de Heere becomes the new Governor of Dutch Ceylon, succeeding Thomas van Rhee and administering the colony for almost six years until his death.
 * February 26 – Conquistador Martín de Ursúa y Arizmendi and 114 soldiers arrive at Lake Petén Itzá in what is now Guatemala and begin the Spanish conquest of Guatemala with an attack on the capital of the Itza people there before moving northward to the Yucatan peninsula.
 * March 9 – Grand Embassy of Peter the Great: Tsar Peter the Great of Russia sets out to travel in Europe incognito, as Artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov.
 * March 13 – The Spanish conquest of Petén, and of Yucatán, is completed with the fall of Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya Kingdom, the last independent Maya state.
 * March 22 – Charles II of Spain issues a Royal Cedula extending to the indigenous nobles of the Spanish Crown colonies, as well as to their descendants, the preeminence and honors customarily attributed to the Hidalgos of Castile.
 * March 26 – Safavid occupation of Basra: Safavid government troops take control of Basra.

April–June

 * April 5 – Charles XII becomes king of Sweden at age 14 on the death of his father, Charles XI, from stomach cancer.
 * April 23 – As Chinese troops from the Manchu Dynasty (ruled by the Kangxi Emperor) complete their conquest of Mongolia, Galdan Boshugtu Khan, ruler of the last part of Mongolia to be conquered, the Dzungar Khanate, poisons himself, ending the resistance to conquest.
 * May 6 – General Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis of France carries out an attack and pillaging of the Spanish South American fort of Cartagena de Indias (now in Colombia) with 1,200 soldiers and 650 pirate mercenaries. The French attackers overwhelm the city for the next 18 days. The Baron reneges on a contract to share the wealth with the pirates, who will come back to Cartagena a second time and makes a more violent attack.
 * May 17 (May 7 Old Style) – The 13th century royal Tre Kronor ("Three Crowns") castle in Stockholm burns to the ground, and a large portion of the royal library is destroyed.
 * June 2 – Augustus, Elector of Saxony converts to Roman Catholicism in order to be eligible to rule Poland.
 * June 10 – The last mass execution for witchcraft in western Europe when the five Paisley witches are hanged and then burned in Scotland.
 * June 27 – After becoming a Roman Catholic, Augustus the Strong is elected King Augustus II of Poland.
 * June 30 – The earliest reported first-class cricket match takes place in Sussex in England.

July–September

 * July 4 – A Byzantine icon, the "Weeping Madonna of Pócs", arrives in Vienna after a five-month journey following its forced removal from the Hungarian village of Pócs by order of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I. It has been housed for more than 320 years in St. Stephen's Cathedral.
 * July 6 – A major naval battle takes place between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire with each side having 25 battleships, supplemented by smaller vessels. The Venetian Navy, under the command of Admiral Bartolomeo Contarini, suffers 71 deaths and 163 injuries, and even worse casualties in a second engagement on September 20.
 * July 27 – Mahmud Shah II, the Sultan of Johor and Pahang (now part of Malaysia) takes on full power upon the death of the regent, the Bendahara Paduka Raja. Mahmud II was only 10 years old when he became the Sultan upon the assassination of his father, Ibrahim Shah in 1685.
 * July 28 – The opera Vénus et Adonis, composed by Henri Desmarets with libretto by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, receives its first performance, premiering at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris.
 * August 10 – The Siege of Barcelona ends in Spain after 52 days as Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme of France obtains the surrender of Barcelona from the Austrian General, Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt.
 * September 5 (August 25 O.S.) – During the Nine Years' War, the Battle of Hudson's Bay is fought between English and French ships in Hudson Bay near what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba; The French warship Pélican captures York Factory, a trading post of the English Hudson's Bay Company.
 * September 11 – Battle of Zenta: Prince Eugene of Savoy crushes the Ottoman army of Mustafa II, and effectively ends Turkish hopes of recovering lost ground in Hungary.
 * September 17 – Amcazade Köprülü Hüseyin Pasha becomes the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of the disastrous Ottoman defeat at Zenta, replacing Grand Vizier Elmas Mehmed Pasha, who was killed in the battle by his own troops.
 * September 20 – The Treaty of Ryswick is signed by France and the Grand Alliance, to end both the Nine Years' War and King William's War. Louis XIV of France recognises William III as King of England & Scotland, and both sides return territories they have taken in battle. In North America, the treaty returns Port-Royal (Acadia) to France.

October–December

 * October 7 – The opera Issé, composed by André Cardinal Destouches with libretto by Antoine Houdar de la Motte, premieres at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France.
 * October 16 – The Norwegian Code, promulgated by King Christian V of Denmark-Norway in 1687, is amended to provide for torture of condemned criminals in certain capital offenses in Norway, with permission for burning with hot irons, or cutting off the prisoner's right hand while the prisoner is being transported for decapitation.
 * October 19 – Misión Loreto, the first Roman Catholic mission on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, is founded by Spanish missionary Juan María de Salvatierra.
 * October 24 – The first opéra-ballet, combining elements of both mediums of entertainment, is performed as L'Europe galante makes its debut at the Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris. Composed by André Campra, with libretto by Antoine Houdar de la Motte, the opera and ballet is conducted by Marin Marais.
 * October 30 – The Nine Years' War, between France and the Grand Alliance comes to an end with the signing of the last pacts of the Peace of Ryswick in the Dutch city of Rijswijk as Leopold I of Austria accedes two days before a deadline that had been set by the other members of the Grand Alliance. The areas of the Duchy of Lorraine (Lotharingen), Freiburg im Breisgau, and Vieux-Brisach (Breisach) are returned by France to Leopold's control.
 * November 24 – The elaborate burial of the late King Charles XI of Sweden takes place more than seven months after his April 5 death, with interment at the Riddarholmen Church on the island of Riddarholmen near Stockholm.
 * November 30 – Prince Eugene of Savoy, a field marshal within the Holy Roman Empire, purchases a large tract of land in Vienna for construction of the Belvedere Palace.
 * December 2 – The first service is held in St Paul's Cathedral since rebuilding work after the Great Fire of London began.
 * December 7 – Louis, Duke of Burgundy, and Marie Adélaïde of Savoy marry in the royal chapel at the Palace of Versailles in France.
 * December 8 – Tsangyang Gyatso is installed in Tibet as the 6th Dalai Lama in a ceremony at Lhasa, filling a vacancy that had existed since 1682.
 * December 11 – A ball in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles is held to celebrate the Duke of Burgundy and Marie Adélaïde's wedding.
 * December 14 – The coronation ceremony takes place for King Charles XII of Sweden.

Date unknown

 * The Manchus of the Qing dynasty conquer Outer Mongolia.
 * The Parliament of England passes the Trade with Africa Act 1697 (An Act to settle the Trade to Africa), which end the Royal African Company's monopoly on all English trade with Africa.
 * William Dampier's A New Voyage Round the World is published in England.
 * Christopher Polhem starts Sweden's first technical school.
 * Heinrich Escher, Mayor of Zürich, introduces chocolate to Switzerland from Brussels.
 * The use of "litters" (wheelless transports that carried by four servants) increases in Europe.

Ongoing

 * Great Famine of 1695–1697 in Scandinavia.
 * Great Famine of Estonia (1695–97).
 * "Seven ill years" of famine in Scotland.

January–March

 * January 1 – Johann Pfeiffer, German violinist (d. 1761)
 * January 7
 * Wilhelm August von der Osten, Danish civil servant (d. 1764)
 * Robert Wallace, minister of the Church of Scotland, writer on population (d. 1771)
 * January 9 – Gabriel Hanger, 1st Baron Coleraine, English politician (d. 1773)
 * January 11 – William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex, English courtier and diplomat (d. 1743)
 * January 13 – Paul-François de Galluccio, marquis de L'Hôpital, French nobleman and ambassador to Russia (d. 1767)
 * January 16 – Jules, Prince of Soubise, French nobleman and Prince of Soubise (d. 1724)
 * January 17 – Franz Neumayr, German Jesuit preacher (d. 1765)
 * January 19 – Thérèse de Couagne, capitalist and slave owner who played an active role in the economy of New France (d. 1764)
 * January 22 – Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière, French nobleman (d. 1783)
 * January 23 – Joseph François Dupleix, Governor-General of French India and rival of Robert Clive (d. 1763)
 * January 26 – Sir Hugh Acland, 6th Baronet, British landowner, politician and MP (d. 1728)
 * January 30 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flautist and composer (d. 1773)
 * February 1 – Josse Boutmy, composer, organist and harpsichordist of the Austrian Netherlands (d. 1779)
 * February 4 – James Franklin, American colonial author (d. 1735)
 * February 5 – William Smellie, Scottish obstetrician and medical instructor (d. 1763)
 * February 9 – Sir James Johnstone, 3rd Baronet, Scottish baronet and politician (d. 1772)
 * February 13 – Knud Leem, Norwegian priest and linguist (d. 1774)
 * February 15 – Vito Maria Amico, Italian monk (d. 1752)
 * February 24 – Bernhard Siegfried Albinus, German anatomist (d. 1770)
 * February 26
 * Giuseppe Pedretti, Italian painter (d. 1778)
 * Edward Thompson, prominent Yorkshire politician (d. 1742)
 * February 28
 * Caio Domenico Gallo, Italian historian (d. 1780)
 * Agustín de Montiano y Luyando, Spanish dramatist whose work is linked to Neoclassicism (d. 1764)
 * March 6 – Jacques Deschamps, French theologian and priest (d. 1759)
 * March 9 – Friederike Caroline Neuber, German actress and theatre director (d. 1760)
 * March 12 – Joseph Leblanc dit Le Maigre, Acadian farmer and trader (d. 1772)
 * March 20 – József Dravecz, Slovene Roman Catholic priest (d. 1779)
 * March 21 – Christian Gottlieb Priber, German immigrant with legal training who emigrated to the British Colonies of North America (d. 1744)
 * March 24
 * Louis Constantin de Rohan, French prelate of the House of Rohan (d. 1779)
 * Yunli, Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty (d. 1738)
 * March 30
 * Faustina Bordoni, Italian mezzo-soprano (d. 1781)
 * Jan Baptist Xavery, Flemish sculptor principally active in the Dutch Republic (d. 1742)

April–June

 * April 2
 * Gaetano Casanova, Italian actor and ballet dancer (d. 1733)
 * Sauveur François Morand, French surgeon (d. 1773)
 * April 12 – Anton Pichler, Tyrolean goldsmith and artist of engraved gems (d. 1779)
 * April 16 – Johann Gottlieb Görner, German composer and organist (d. 1778)
 * April 23 – George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, British admiral (d. 1762)
 * April 26 – Adam Falckenhagen, German lutenist and composer (d. 1754)
 * May 2 – Michael Fabritius, Danish merchant (d. 1746)
 * May 5 – Henricus Boelen, American silversmith in New York City (d. 1755)
 * May 10 – Jean-Marie Leclair, French violinist (d. 1764)
 * May 15 – Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach, wife of Landgrave William II (d. 1775)
 * May 16 – John Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley of Stratton, British politician (d. 1773)
 * May 20 – Francesco Scipione Maria Borghese, Italian cardinal from the Borghese family (d. 1759)
 * May 28 – Frederick Bernard, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen (d. 1739)
 * June 2 – Thomas Whincop, English compiler of theatrical history (d. 1730)
 * June 4 – Jacob Emden, German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism (d. 1776)
 * June 9 – Augustus Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, German prince of the House of Ascania (d. 1755)
 * June 10 – Johann Caspar Barthel, German canon lawyer (d. 1771)
 * June 11 – Francesco Antonio Vallotti, Italian composer (d. 1780)
 * June 24 – Heinrich Joseph Johann of Auersperg, fourth Prince of Auersperg (d. 1783)

July–September

 * July 27 – Isaac Maddox, Anglican clergyman (d. 1759)
 * July 31 – Pietro Paolo Vasta, Italian painter (d. 1760)
 * August 4 – Susanna Wright, colonial English American poet (d. 1784)
 * August 6
 * Nicola Salvi, Italian architect (d. 1751)
 * Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor from 1742 to 1745 (d. 1745)
 * August 10 – Alexander Kurakin, statesman and diplomat (d. 1749)
 * August 17 – Alexander Brodie, Scottish politician (d. 1754)
 * August 18 – Princess Benedetta d'Este, noblewoman and princess of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio (d. 1777)
 * August 19 – Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt, Irish politician and peer (d. 1751)
 * August 26 – Giovanni Battista Tagliasacchi, Italian painter of the late-Baroque period (d. 1737)
 * August 28 – Armande de La Tour d'Auvergne, French noblewoman and Princess of Epinoy by marriage (d. 1717)
 * August 30 – Henry Flitcroft, major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism (d. 1769)
 * September 2 – Thomas Deacon, English non-juror bishop (d. 1753)
 * September 6 – James Foster, English Baptist minister (d. 1753)
 * September 16 – St George Caulfeild, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (d. 1778)
 * September 17 – John Gardner, American judge (d. 1764)
 * September 18 – Cornelius Heinrich Dretzel, German organist and composer (bapt. 1697–1775) (d. 1775)
 * September 19 – Alexander Monro, Scottish surgeon and anatomist (d. 1767)
 * September 25 – Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (d. 1764)
 * September 27 – Franz Ernst Brückmann, German mineralogist born at Mariental (d. 1753)

October–December

 * October 6 – Sir Robert Austen, 4th Baronet, British politician (d. 1743)
 * October 8
 * Augustine Françoise de Choiseul, French aristocrat (d. 1728)
 * William Smith, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1769)
 * October 9 – Pierre Philibert de Blancheton, French politician and music patron and collector (d. 1756)
 * October 15 – Leopold Innocenty Nepomucen Polzer, Polish lawyer (d. 1753)
 * October 16
 * Nicholas Amhurst, English poet and political writer (d. 1742)
 * Marie Anne de Bourbon, Superintendent of the Household to the French queen Marie Leszczyńska (d. 1741)
 * October 18
 * Canaletto, Italian painter from the Republic of Venice (d. 1768)
 * Luigi Maria Torregiani, Italian Cardinal (d. 1777)
 * October 19 – Claude-Pierre Goujet, French abbé and littérateur (d. 1767)
 * October 22 – Mary Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (d. 1768)
 * October 25 – Bartolomeo Ruspoli, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (d. 1741)
 * October 26 – John Peter Zenger, German printer and journalist in New York City (d. 1746)
 * October 28 – Johann Gottfried Auerbach, Austrian painter and etcher (d. 1753)
 * October 29 – Georg Desmarées, Swedish-born German portrait painter (d. 1776)
 * October 31 – Johann Christian Fiedler, German portrait painter (d. 1765)
 * November 2 – James Douglas, 3rd Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish noble (d. 1715)
 * November 6 – Euseby Isham, English academic administrator at the University of Oxford (d. 1755)
 * November 8 – Giovanni Lami, Italian jurist (d. 1770)
 * November 9 – August Aleksander Czartoryski, member of the Polish nobility (Lang-pl (d. 1782)
 * November 10
 * Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco (d. 1731)
 * William Hogarth, English artist (d. 1764)
 * November 13 – Lord William Manners, English nobleman, Whig politician and MP (d. 1772)
 * November 15 – Johann Baring, German merchant (d. 1748)
 * November 17 – René-Prosper Tassin, French historian (d. 1777)
 * November 21 – Mateša Antun Kuhačević, Croatian poet and politician from Senj (d. 1772)
 * November 23 – John Gill, English Baptist pastor (d. 1771)
 * November 25
 * Maria Karolina Sobieska (d. 1740)
 * Gerhard Tersteegen, German Reformed religious writer and hymnist (d. 1769)
 * November 30 – Johann Albrecht Korff, Russian diplomat (d. 1766)
 * December 4 – Nicolas-Charles-Joseph Trublet, French churchman (canon of Saint-Malo) and moralist (d. 1770)
 * December 6 – Carlo Arrigoni, Italian composer and musician active in several countries (d. 1744)
 * December 7 – Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (d. 1775)
 * December 11
 * Sakaki Hyakusen, Japanese painter in the nanga style (d. 1752)
 * Pyotr Saltykov (d. 1772)
 * December 14 – Soloman Sprecher von Bernegg, Austrian military commander (d. 1758)
 * December 18 – Marcantonio Dal Re, Italian engraver and publisher (d. 1766)
 * December 21
 * Charles Bennet, 2nd Earl of Tankerville, British peer and politician (d. 1753)
 * Georg Erhard Hamberger, German professor of medicine (d. 1755)
 * December 27 – Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer (d. 1754)

January–March

 * February 16 – Jan Six van Chandelier, Dutch Golden Age poet from Amsterdam (b. 1620)
 * March 15 – William Wentworth, follower of John Wheelwright (b. 1616)
 * January 8 – Thomas Aikenhead, Scottish student (hanged) (b. c. 1678)
 * January 11
 * John Bradstreet, accused "witch" during the Salem Witch Trials (b. 1652)
 * Daniele Giustiniani, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Bergamo (1664–1697) (b. 1615)
 * January 12 – Andrzej Stech, Polish painter (b. 1635)
 * January 16 – Fortunato Ilario Carafa della Spina, Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1630)
 * January 26 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician (b. 1640)
 * January 28 – John Fenwick, English conspirator (b. c. 1645)
 * January 31 – Anthony Horneck, German clergyman and scholar (b. 1641)
 * February 4 – Adrien de Wignacourt, 63rd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 1690 to 1697 (b. 1618)
 * February 5 – Esaias Fleischer, Danish priest (b. 1633)
 * February 11 – Georg Händel, German musician (b. 1622)
 * February 16 – Bernardino Plastina, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Oppido Mamertina (b. 1645)
 * February 17 – Francis Dane, American colonial priest (b. 1615)
 * March 1 – Francesco Redi, Italian physician (b. 1626)
 * March 12 – Gaspar de la Cerda, 8th Count of Galve, viceroy of New Spain (b. 1653)
 * March 17 – Þórður Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1637)
 * March 19 – Nicolaus Bruhns, German organist and composer (b. 1665)
 * March 23 – William Child, English composer and organist (b. 1606)
 * March 26 – Godfrey McCulloch, Scottish politician and murderer (executed) (b. 1640)
 * March 27 – Simon Bradstreet, English colonial magistrate (b. 1604)

April–June

 * April 1 – Giyesu, Chinese prince (b. 1646)
 * April 4 – Andrea Carlone, Italian painter (b. 1626)
 * April 5 – King Charles XI of Sweden, King of Sweden from 1660 to 1697 (b. 1655)
 * April 8 – Niels Juel, Danish admiral (b. 1629)
 * April 14 – Custodio do Pinho, Roman Catholic prelate, Titular Bishop of Hierapolis in Isauria (b. 1638)
 * May 2 – Simon Henry, Count of Lippe, ruling Count of Lippe-Detmold (b. 1639)
 * May 8 – Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet, English Member of Parliament (b. 1634)
 * May 9 – Ildefonso Vargas y Abarca, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Comayagua (b. 1633)
 * May 12 – Francesco Maria Moles, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Nola (b. 1638)
 * May 22 – Louise Boyer, French courtier (b. 1632)
 * May 24 – Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, German duke (b. 1649)
 * June 3 – Silvius II Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Oels (b. 1651)
 * June 7 – John Aubrey, English writer and antiquarian (b. 1626)
 * June 10 – Francis Pemberton, English judge, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench (b. 1624)
 * June 12 – Ann Baynard, English natural philosopher (b. 1672)
 * June 18 – Gregorio Barbarigo, Italian Catholic saint (b. 1625)
 * June 19 – Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough, English diplomat (b. 1621)
 * June 21 – Joseph Anthelmi, French ecclesiastical historian (b. 1648)

July–September

 * July 5 – Sebastijan Glavinić, Catholic bishop (b. 1630)
 * July 7 – John Eachard, English divine and satirist (b. 1636)
 * July 10 – Katherine Ross, née Collace (c.1635–1697), memoirist and schoolmistress (b. 1635)
 * July 11 – Frances Ward, 6th Baroness Dudley, English baroness (b. 1611)
 * July 13 – James Draper, early settler of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1618)
 * July 16 – Sir John Brownlow, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1659)
 * July 18
 * Thomas Dolman, English politician (b. 1622)
 * António Vieira, Portuguese writer (b. 1608)
 * July 20 – Jan Kazimierz Denhoff, Polish cardinal from 1686 (b. 1649)
 * July 24 – William Digges, politician in the Colony of Virginia, councillor in the Province of Maryland (b. 1651)
 * July 25 – John Grout, military officer (b. 1643)
 * July 27
 * Tun Habib Abdul Majid, Grand Vizier of Johor (b. 1637)
 * Dominik Mikołaj Radziwiłł, Polish–Lithuanian noble and politician (b. 1643)
 * July 30 – Lorentz Mortensen Angell, Norwegian merchant and landowner (b. 1626)
 * August 2
 * Giuseppe Bologna, Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Capua, Archbishop of Benevento (b. 1634)
 * Sir William Frankland, 1st Baronet, English politician (b. 1640)
 * August 5 – Jean-Baptiste de Santeul, French poet who wrote in Latin (b. 1630)
 * August 11 – John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale, Scottish judge (b. 1625)
 * August 30 – Daigo Fuyumoto, Japanese noble (b. 1648)
 * September 11
 * Elmas Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman statesman, grand vizier from 1695 to 1697 (b. 1661)
 * Agneta Rosenbröijer, Finland Swedish noblewoman (b. 1620)

October–December

 * October 27 – Takehara An'i, bureaucrat of Ryukyu Kingdom (b. 1651)
 * October 30 – Thomas Lascelles, English politician (b. 1624)
 * November 8 – Samuel Enys, English politician (b. 1611)
 * November 22 – Libéral Bruant, French architect (b. c. 1635)
 * November 30 – Thomas Crew, 2nd Baron Crew, English politician (b. 1624)
 * December 17 – Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland (b. 1653)
 * Pietro Leoni, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Verona, Bishop of Ceneda (b. 1637)
 * December 20
 * Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental (b. 1652)
 * Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1640)
 * December 31 – Lucas Faydherbe, Belgian sculptor and architect (b. 1617)
 * date unknown – Karin Thomasdotter, Finnish official (b. 1610)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 1697


text:
1550s

The 1550s decade ran from January 1, 1550, to December 31, 1559.

title: 1550s


text:
40 BC

Year 40 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday or a leap year starting on Thursday or Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Calvinus and Pollio (or, less frequently, year 714 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 40 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus and Gaius Asinius Pollio.
 * Siege of Perusia: trying a last attempt to break the siege, which fails; Lucius Antonius surrenders to Octavian. His life is spared, but the citizens are executed or sold into slavery. Fulvia flees with her children and is exiled to Sicyon, where she dies of a sudden illness.
 * Spring – Quintus Salvidienus Rufus marches to Transalpine Gaul to take command of the eleven legions, after the death of Quintus Fufius Calenus. Octavian divorces Claudia and marries Scribonia, a sister of Lucius Scribonius Libo and a follower of Sextus.
 * May – Gaius Claudius Marcellus, a distinguished member of the Claudii, dies. He leaves Octavia the Younger (the elder sister of Octavian) widowed. She will later marry Mark Antony.
 * Sextus Pompey dispatches Menas with four legions and captures Sardinia, driving out Octavian's governor Marcus Lurius. He seizes the capital, Caralis and occupies Corsica. Sextus besieges Cosenza in Bruttium and Thurii in Lucania, ravaging the territory with his cavalry.
 * Sextus' fleet raids the ports of Puteoli and Ostia. The populace hold the Triumvirs responsible for prolonging the war, provoking a riot on the Forum. Octavian, with the Praetorian Guard, goes to intercept the riot, and only escapes with his life because Antony summons troops to rescue his junior colleague.
 * Treaty of Brundisium: The Triumvirs agrees to divide the Roman Republic into spheres of influence. Gaius Octavian styles himself "Imperator Caesar" and takes control of the Western provinces. Mark Antony is given the Eastern provinces; the River Drin, the boundary between the provinces Illyricum and Macedonia, is to serve as their frontier. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus controls Hispania and  Africa. The treaty is cemented by the marriage of Antony and Octavia the Younger.

Asia minor

 * Quintus Labienus occupies Cilicia and marches, with an army, into Anatolia. Most cities surrender without resistance, except for Alabanda and Mylasa. The Parthians restore their territory to nearly the limits of the old Achaemenid Empire. Labienus proclaims himself "Parthian Emperor" of Asia Minor.

Egypt

 * Mark Antony leaves Alexandria. After receiving news of the outcome at Perusia while en route to Phoenicia, he sets sail for Italy meeting the ambassadors of Sextus Pompey in Athens.

Igodomigodo Kingdom

 * Ogiso Igodo dissolves the Ik’edionwere Council (western Africa). establishes the Royal Council with members of the disbanded Ik’edionwere Council and the Odibo-Ogiso group. He names his combined territories, Igodomigodo with its capital at Ugbekun.

Greece

 * Athenodorus, a philosopher, encounters a ghost in Athens. This popular story is one of the first poltergeist stories in history.

Parthia

 * Pacorus crosses, with the help of Quintus Labienus, the Euphrates and invades Syria. The capital Antioch surrenders, and the Parthians take Phoenicia and Judea. However, they cannot besiege the fortified city of Tyre, because they have no fleet.
 * Parthians conquer Jerusalem. Hyrcanus II is removed from power, while Antigonus the Hasmonean becomes king of Judea under Parthian rule. Herod the Great flees Jerusalem to Rome. There he is titled king of Judea by Mark Antony.

China

 * The Ji Jiu Pian dictionary, published about this year during the Han dynasty, is the earliest known reference to the hydraulic-powered trip hammer device.

Births

 * Ariobarzanes II, Roman client king of Armenia (d. 4 AD)
 * Cleopatra Selene (d. AD 6) and Alexander Helios (d. between 29 and 25 BC), twins of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony

Deaths

 * Fulvia, wife of Publius Clodius Pulcher and Mark Antony (b. 77 BC)
 * Gaius Claudius Marcellus, Roman consul (b. 88 BC)
 * Lucius Decidius Saxa, Roman general and governor
 * Phasael, prince of the Herodian dynasty of Judea
 * Quintus Fufius Calenus, Roman general and consul
 * Quintus Salvidienus Rufus, Roman general and advisor
 * Simeon ben Shetach, Pharisee scholar and prince (Nasi)
 * Tigellius, Sardinian lyric poet (close friend of Julius Caesar)

title: 40 BC


text:
1689

Events
Notable events during this year include:

 * Coup, war, and legislation in England and its territories.
 * The overthrow of Catholic king James of England, Ireland, and Scotland in the Glorious Revolution.
 * The latter realms entering the Nine Years War and its expansion to the American colonies in the King William's War.
 * The Bill of Rights becomes law in England.
 * Japanese writer Bashō goes on a voyage, resulting in the classic Narrow Road to the Interior.
 * The death of Pope Innocent XI and the election of the 241st Pope Alexander VIII.
 * The Holy Roman Empire wins the Battle of Niš, fought against the Ottoman Empire.
 * Morocco wins in the Siege of Larache against Spain.
 * Peter the Great decrees the construction of the Great Siberian Road to China.

January–March

 * January 22 (January 12, 1688 O.S.) – Glorious Revolution in England: The Convention Parliament is convened to determine if King James II of England, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, vacated the throne when he fled to France, at the end of 1688. The settlement of this is agreed on 8 February.
 * January 30 – The first performance of the opera Henrico Leone composed by Agostino Steffani takes place in Hannover to inaugurate the new royal theatre in the Leineschloss.
 * February 12 – John Locke returned to London from exile in Holland.
 * February 23 (February 13, 1688 O.S.) – William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland.
 * March 2 – Nine Years' War: As French forces leave, they set fire to Heidelberg Castle, and the nearby town of Heidelberg.
 * March 22 (March 12 O.S.) – Start of the Williamite War in Ireland: The deposed James II of England lands with 6,000 French soldiers in Ireland, where there is a Catholic majority, hoping to use it as the base for a counter-coup. However, many Irish Catholics see him as an agent of Louis XIV of France, and refuse to support him.
 * March 27 – Japanese haiku master Bashō sets out on his last great voyage, which will result in the prose and verse classic Oku no Hosomichi ("Narrow Road to the Interior").

April–June

 * April 4 – A total lunar eclipse is visible in central Asia.
 * April 11 (O.S.) – William III and Mary II are crowned in London as King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. Ireland does not recognise them yet, while the Estates of Scotland declare King James VII of Scotland deposed.
 * April 18
 * Boston revolt: Unpopular New England Governor Sir Edmund Andros and other officials are overthrown by a "mob" of Bostonians. Andros, an appointee of James II of England, is disliked for his support of the Church of England and revocation of various colonial charters.
 * The Siege of Derry begins in Ireland as former King James II arrives at the gates of Derry and asks for its surrender during the Williamite War in Ireland. The Protestant defenders refuse and the siege lasts until August 1 when it is abandoned..
 * May 11 (May 1 O.S.)
 * The Battle of Bantry Bay begins during the Williamite War in Ireland as the French fleet under the Marquis de Châteaurenault is able to protect its transports, unloading supplies for James II, from the English Royal Navy under the Earl of Torrington, and withdraws unpursued.
 * William and Mary accept the Scottish throne a month after the Scottish Parliament votes to depose King James VII
 * May 12 – Nine Years' War: With England and the Netherlands now both ruled by William III, they join the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), thus escalating the conflict, which continues until 1697. This is also the effective beginning of King William's War, the first of four North American Wars (until 1763) between English and French colonists, both sides allied to Native American tribes. The nature of the fighting is a series of raids on each other's settlements, across the Canadian and New England borders.
 * May 24 – The Act of Toleration, drawn up by the Convention Parliament of England to protect Protestants but with Roman Catholics intentionally excluded, is passed; this effectively concludes the Glorious Revolution.
 * May 25 – The last hearth tax is collected in England and Wales.
 * May 31 – Leisler's Rebellion: Calvinist Jacob Leisler deposes lieutenant governor Francis Nicholson and assumes control of the Province of New York.
 * June 5 – The Convention of Estates adjourns in Scotland after 11 weeks and its members form a new Scottish parliament.
 * June 14 – The Duke of Gordon, a Scottish peer and Jacobite supporter, surrenders Edinburgh Castle to Protestant attackers after holding out for 20 days following the Glorious Revolution.

July–September

 * July 25 – The Council of Wales and the Marches is abolished.
 * July 27 – First Jacobite rising: Battle of Killiecrankie near Pitlochry in Perthshire – Scottish Covenanter supporters of William III and Mary II (under Hugh Mackay) are defeated by Jacobite supporters of James II, but the latter's leader, John Graham, Viscount Dundee, is killed. Hand grenades are used in action.
 * July 28 – English sailors break through a floating boom across the River Foyle, to end the siege of Derry after 105 days.
 * August 2 – Boston Revolt: Edmund Andros, former governor of the Dominion of New England, escapes from Boston to Connecticut, but is recaptured.
 * August 5 – Beaver Wars: Lachine massacre – A force of 1,500 Iroquois largely destroys the village of Lachine, New France.
 * August 12 – Innocent XI (Benedetto Odescalchi, b. 1611), Pope since 1676, dies. He played a major part in founding both the League of Augsburg, against Louis XIV, and the Holy League, against the Ottoman Empire.
 * August 20 – A large Williamite force under Marshal Schomberg begins the siege of Carrickfergus in the north of Ireland, which surrenders on August 27.
 * August 21 – First Jacobite rising: Battle of Dunkeld – Covenanters defeat the Jacobites in Scotland.
 * August 23
 * Roman Catholic cardinals convene in Rome for a papal conclave to elect a successor to Pope Innocent XI. The conclave lasts until October 6.
 * Gravely ill, the Empress Xiaoyiren is proclaimed empress by her husband, China's Kangxi Emperor, after having been Imperial Noble Consort since 1682. She dies the next day.
 * August 27 – China and Russia sign the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
 * September 8 – The Siege of Mainz (in the modern-day Rheinland-Pfalz state of Germany), which had started on June 1, ends after almost three months, as French General Nicolas Chalon du Blé surrenders the walled city to the armies of Austria and the Dutch Republic.
 * September 9 – King William brings England into a military alliance with the Holy Roman Empire in a fight against France in the Nine Years War.
 * September 24 – The Holy Roman Empire wins the Battle of Niš, fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Great Turkish War in modern-day Serbia.
 * September 28–29 – A total lunar eclipse is visible in eastern America, western Europe and west Africa.

October–December

 * October 6 – The papal conclave in Rome unanimously elects Pietro Vito Ottoboni as the new Pope. Ottoboni takes the name Alexander VIII and succeeds Pope Innocent XI, to become the 241st pope, the first Venetian to hold the office in over 200 years.
 * October 26 – Skopje fire of 1689 occurs, lasting for two days and burning much of the city.
 * November 11 – The Siege of Larache in Morocco ends when the Spanish troops surrender to Mawlay Ismail and the Moroccan forces.
 * November 22 – Peter the Great decrees the construction of the Great Siberian Road to China.
 * December 10 – A great comet is visible from Pekin and sightings continue until December 24th, including many from Dutch ships near the equator.
 * December 16 – The Bill of Rights (An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown), drawn up by the Convention Parliament of England to establish constitutional monarchy in England, but with Roman Catholics barred from the throne, receives royal assent; it will remain substantially in force into the 21st century.
 * December 22 – A serious earthquake strikes Innsbruck, Austria.

Date unknown

 * Peter the Great plots to overthrow his half-sister Sophia as regent of Russia.
 * Supporters of William of Orange seize Liverpool Castle in the north west of England.
 * The English East India Company expands its influence, and a Committee of the House of Commons is formed to deal with the concerns of the Company.
 * Valvasor's The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is printed in Nuremberg.
 * The first documented performance of the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell takes place at Josias Priest's girls' school in Chelsea, London, with a libretto based on Virgil's Aeneid.
 * Boston suffers a smallpox epidemic.

Births

January

 * January 7 – Robert Murray, Brigadier-General, Scottish soldier, Member of Parliament (d. 1738)
 * January 11 – Charles Parkin, English clergyman and antiquarian (d. 1765)
 * January 15 – Giovanni Gaetano Bottari, Italian scholar and critic (d. 1775)
 * January 16 – Edmond Jean François Barbier, French historian (d. 1771)
 * January 18
 * Montesquieu, French social commentator and political thinker (d. 1755)
 * Jan Abel Wassenbergh, painter from the Northern Netherlands (d. 1750)
 * January 21 – Daniel Henchman, bookseller (d. 1761)
 * January 22 – Philibert Orry, French politician (d. 1747)
 * January 23 – Joseph Ames, English bibliographer and antiquary (d. 1759)
 * January 24 – Gaspare Diziani, Italian painter (d. 1767)
 * January 29 – James Rait, Bishop of Brechin (d. 1777)

February

 * February 1 – Thomas Jenner, English academic (d. 1768)
 * February 3 – Blas de Lezo, admiral of the Spanish Empire (d. 1741)
 * February 23 – Leonardo Antonio Olivieri, Italian painter (d. 1752)
 * c. February 23 – Samuel Bellamy, English pirate captain (d. 1717)
 * February 27
 * Pietro Gnocchi, Italian composer (d. 1775)
 * John Roosevelt, American businessman and alderman (d. 1750)
 * Maximilian Emanuel of Württemberg-Winnental, German noble (d. 1709)

March

 * March 3 – Thomas Ingoldsby, British politician (d. 1768)
 * March 3 – Mattias Alexander von Ungern-Sternberg, Swedish politician and field marshal (d. 1763)
 * March 7 – Charles-Michel Mesaiger, Jesuit priest (d. 1766)
 * March 11
 * Roger Handasyd, British Army officer (d. 1763)
 * Nanbu Toshimoto, mid-Edo period Japanese samurai, the 6th daimyō of Morioka Domain (d. 1725)
 * March 19 – Pierre-Joseph Alary, French ecclesiastic and writer (d. 1770)
 * March 20 – Thomas Robie, Colonial American scientist and physician (d. 1729)
 * March 25 – Peder Hersleb, Norwegian bishop (d. 1757)
 * March 26 – Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria, Austrian Royal (d. 1743)

April

 * April 2 – Arthur Dobbs, Irish politician, governor of the Province of North Carolina (d. 1765)
 * April 5 – William Holmes, English academic and Dean of Exeter (d. 1748)
 * April 14 – William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine, Scottish army officer and Jacobite leader (d. 1746)
 * April 15 – Richard Ward, American colonial governor (d. 1763)
 * April 18 – Marie Anne de Bourbon, French noble (d. 1720)
 * April 21 – Johann Jakob Fried, German obstetrician (d. 1769)
 * April 24 – Giovanni Antonio Faldoni, Italian painter and engraver (d. 1770)
 * April 30 – Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou, French politician (d. 1749)

May

 * May 1 – Martha Fowke, English poet (d. 1736)
 * May 2 – Franz de Paula Ferg, Austrian painter (d. 1740)
 * May 5 – John Tufts, American minister and music educator (d. 1750)
 * May 10 – José Manso de Velasco, 1st Count of Superunda, Royal Governor of Chile (d. 1767)
 * May 11 – Heinrich Karl Ludwig de Herault, Prussian Army general (d. 1757)
 * May 15 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, writer and poet from England (d. 1762)
 * May 16 – Samuel Adams Sr., American brewer (d. 1748)
 * May 21 – André-François Deslandes, French philosopher (d. 1757)
 * May 24 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, British politician (d. 1769)
 * May 27 – Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein, Archbishop of Salzburg (d. 1753)
 * May 28 – Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel, German prince (d. 1753)
 * May 29 – Louis de Gramont, 6th Duke of Gramont, French general (d. 1745)

June

 * June 1 – Henri François, comte de Ségur, French general (d. 1751)
 * June 2 – Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, British politician, bibliophile, collector and patron of the arts (d. 1741)
 * June 6 – Algernon Coote, 6th Earl of Mountrath, Irish politician (d. 1744)
 * June 7 – Antoine Louis Rouillé, French noble (d. 1761)
 * June 12 – Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet, British politician; (d. 1732)
 * June 19 – Montague Blundell, 1st Viscount Blundell, Irish Viscount (d. 1756)
 * June 23 – George Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull, British diplomat (d. 1758)
 * June 24 – Giovanni Casini, Portrait painter and sculptor (d. 1748)
 * June 26
 * Edward Holyoke, American academic administrator, 9th president of Harvard (d. 1769)
 * James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, English noble (d. 1716)

July

 * July 6 – Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 1763)
 * July 9 – Alexis Piron, French writer (d. 1773)
 * July 14 – Antoine Gaubil, French missionary (d. 1759)
 * July 15 – Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu (d. 1751)
 * July 16 – Samuel Molyneux, Irish politician (d. 1728)
 * July 17 – Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels (d. 1755)
 * July 21 – John Quincy, American soldier and politician (d. 1767)
 * July 22 – Szymon Czechowicz, Polish artist (d. 1775)
 * July 24 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne (d. 1700)
 * July 26 – Maria Anna Josepha Althann, Spanish noble (d. 1755)

August

 * August 1 – Pedro de Calatayud, writer (d. 1773)
 * August 3 – Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny, Marshal of France (d. 1778)
 * August 4 – James Cotter the Younger, Leader of the Catholics of Cork (d. 1720)
 * August 7 – Henric Benzelius, Swedish archbishop (d. 1758)
 * August 8 – Wenzel Lorenz Reiner, Czech painter (d. 1743)
 * August 19 – Samuel Richardson, English writer and printer (d. 1761)
 * August 21 – Josep Prades i Gallent, Organist and composer (d. 1757)

September

 * September 1
 * Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, Czech architect (d. 1751)
 * Philipp Segesser, Swiss missionary (d. 1762)
 * September 4
 * Hugh Bethell, British Member of Parliament (d. 1747)
 * Thomas Lawrence, American mayor (d. 1754)
 * Anna Sophie Schack, Danish noblewoman (d. 1760)
 * September 13 – Johan Fredrik Peringskiöld, Swedish translator (d. 1725)
 * September 17 – Ferdinand Charles, comte d'Aspremont-Lynden, army general (d. 1772)
 * September 18 – Gabriel Malagrida, Italian missionary (d. 1761)
 * September 21 – Jan Klemens Branicki, Polish noble (d. 1771)
 * September 22 – Catharina Backer, painter from the Northern Netherlands (d. 1766)
 * September 23 – Antonio Denzio, Italian opera singer (d. 1763)
 * September 24 – Johann Adam Steinmetz, German pastor (d. 1762)
 * September 26 – Nijō Yoshitada, Japanese noble (d. 1737)
 * September 27 – Edward Stanley, 11th Earl of Derby, English noble and politician (d. 1776)
 * September 29 – Henry Perrot, British Member of Parliament (d. 1740)
 * September 30 – Jacques Aubert, French composer and violinist (d. 1753)

October

 * October 10 – Francesco Maria Pratilli, Italian priest, antiquarian, famed for skilled forgeries (d. 1763)
 * October 15 – Nicolas-Ignace de Beaubois, French missionary (d. 1770)
 * October 22
 * King John V of Portugal, Portuguese king (d. 1750)
 * Matthew Skinner, English serjeant-at-law, judge and politician (d. 1749)
 * October 29 – Tokugawa Yoshimichi, daimyo (d. 1713)
 * October 31 – Mildmay Fane, British politician (d. 1715)

November

 * November 2
 * Michael Cox, Anglican archbishop in Ireland (d. 1779)
 * Charles-François Panard, French chansonnier and poet (d. 1765)
 * Joan Paul Schaghen, Dutch governor (d. 1746)
 * November 3
 * Jan Josef Ignác Brentner, Czech composer (d. 1742)
 * John Crowley, British Member of Parliament (d. 1728)
 * November 4 – Luís Carlos Inácio Xavier de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Louriçal, Portuguese nobleman and statesman (d. 1742)
 * November 6
 * Reynolds Calthorpe, politician (d. 1714)
 * Christoph Schütz, German theologian (d. 1750)
 * November 8 – Henry XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (d. 1758)
 * November 17 – Jean François Foppens, Flemish historian (d. 1761)
 * November 21 – Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, Prince consort of Monaco (d. 1751)
 * November 29 – Johann Theodor Eller, German chemist and physician (d. 1760)
 * November 30
 * Lars Gathenhielm, Swedish privateer (d. 1718)
 * Joseph Wamps, French painter (d. 1744)

December

 * December 1 – Hieronymus Albrecht Hass, harpsichord maker (d. 1752)
 * December 4 – Gottfried Lengnich, historian and politician (d. 1774)
 * December 8 – Albert Wolfgang of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Titular margrave of Brandenburg, imperial general (d. 1734)
 * December 11 – Ignatius van der Beken, Flemish painter (d. 1774)
 * December 14 – Agostino Veracini, Italian painter (d. 1762)
 * December 21 – Arthur Ingram, 6th Viscount of Irvine, British peer and politician (d. 1736)
 * December 23 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
 * December 24 – Frans van Mieris the Younger, Dutch painter (d. 1763)
 * December 27 – Jacob August Franckenstein, Encyclopedia editor, professor (d. 1733)

Deaths

January

 * January 6
 * Cristoforo Ivanovich, Venetian historian and librettist of Serb origin (b. 1628)
 * Bishop Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury, mathematician and astronomer (b. 1617)
 * January 9 – Sir Hugh Cholmeley, 4th Baronet, English politician (b. 1632)
 * January 16 – Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare, English politician (b. 1633)
 * January 18
 * Ernest Günther I, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (b. 1609)
 * Humphrey Lloyd, British bishop (b. 1610)
 * January 24 – Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave, English peer and Jacobite supporter (b. 1661)
 * January 27
 * Robert Aske, merchant & haberdasher in the City of London (b. 1619)
 * Sir Henry Beaumont, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1638)
 * Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, English noble and colonial governor of Virginia (b. 1635)
 * January 28 – Bernardino Corniani, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Pula (b. 1626)
 * January 29 – Maria van Cortlandt van Rensselaer, Dutch director of Rensselaerswyck (Albany, New York) (b. 1645)
 * January 31 – Manuel de Herrera, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Durango (b. 1635)

February

 * February 1 – Sir John Borlase, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1642)
 * February 4 – Moshe ben Yonatan Galante, Ottoman rabbi (b. 1621)
 * February 5 – William Coddington Jr., Rhode Island colonial governor (b. 1651)
 * February 6 – Metcalfe Robinson, English politician (b. 1629)
 * February 8 – Sir John Gell, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1613)
 * February 12 – Marie Louise d'Orléans, Queen of Spain as the wife of King Charles II (b. 1662)

 * February 13 – Carlo Pio di Savoia, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1622)

 * February 18 – Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, Spanish politician and military personnel (b. 1635)
 * February 19 – Khushal Khattak, Afghan poet (b. 1613)
 * February 21 – Isaac Vossius, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1618)
 * February 22 – Willem Ogier, Flemish playwright (b. 1618)
 * February 24 – Elsa Elisabeth Brahe, Swedish countess and duchess (b. 1632)
 * February 28 – Thomas Benedict, American settler (b. 1617)

March

 * March 7 – Franz Johann von Vogt von Altensumerau und Prasberg, Bishop of Constance (b. 1611)
 * March 8 – Alexander Parker, British minister (b. 1628)
 * March 9 – François Adhémar de Monteil, French priest, Bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (b. 1603)
 * March 10 – Philip Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg (b. 1620)
 * March 11
 * Kim Ik-hun, Korean General and philosopher, soldier, politician (b. 1619)
 * Sambhaji, High Protector of the Maratha Empire (b. 1657)
 * March 14 – Anthony Coucheron, Norwegian engineer (b. 1650)
 * March 15 – Yolo, Qing dynasty prince (b. 1625)
 * March 18 – John Dixwell, regicide (b. 1607)
 * March 24
 * Thomas Ballard, American politician (b. 1630)
 * Michiel ten Hove, Grand Pensionary of Holland (b. 1640)
 * March 26 – Gabriel Milan, Governor of the Danish West Indies (b. 1631)
 * March 29 – Sir John Hotham, 2nd Baronet, Member of the House of Commons of England (b. 1632)
 * March 30 – Kazimierz Łyszczyński, Polish philosopher (b. 1634)
 * March 31 – Tommaso Caracciolo, Bishop of Gerace (b. 1640)

April

 * April 4 – Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, youngest surviving daughter of Ferdinand III (b. 1654)
 * April 12 – John Hunting, first ruling elder of the church of Dedham, Massachusetts (b. 1602)
 * April 14 – Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, Italian noble (b. 1637)
 * April 16 – Aphra Behn, British playwright, poet and spy (b. 1640)
 * April 18 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, Welsh judge, aka the Hanging Judge (b. 1645)
 * April 19 – Christina, Queen of Sweden, ruled from 1632 until abdication in 1654 (b. 1626)
 * April 22 – Thomas Proby, English politician (b. 1632)

May

 * May 11 – Charles Goodall, English poet (b. 1671)
 * May 12 – Sir John Reresby, 2nd Baronet, English politician and diarist (b. 1634)
 * May 15 – Jean Paul Médaille, French Jesuit missionary (b. 1618)
 * May 20 – Estevão Brioso de Figueiredo, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Funchal of Olinda (b. 1630)
 * May 23 – Charles Erskine, Earl of Mar, Scottish noble (b. 1650)
 * May 25 – Charles Errard, French painter (b. 1606)

June

 * June 4 – René Gaultier de Varennes, New France governor (b. 1635)
 * June 7 – Alphonse de Berghes, Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1624)
 * June 8 – Decio Azzolino, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1623)
 * June 9 – François Bonnemer, French painter and engraver (b. 1638)
 * June 10 – Christophe Veyrier, sculptor (b. 1637)
 * June 13 – William Annand, Minister of the Church of Scotland and the Church of England (b. 1633)
 * June 14 – Conyers Darcy, 1st Earl of Holderness, English noble (b. 1598)
 * June 17
 * Jan Baptist de Crépu, Flemish painter and army officer (b. 1631)
 * Marcin Zamoyski, Polish noble (b. 1637)
 * June 20
 * Willem Coucheron, Dutch general in the Dano-Norwegian army (b. 1600)
 * Richard Sherlock, English Anglican priest (b. 1612)
 * June 21 – Thomas Blanchet, French painter (b. 1614)
 * June 25 – William Thomas, Welsh Anglican bishop (b. 1613)
 * June 27 – Richard Waldron, colonial settler, acting President of the Province of New Hampshire (b. 1615)
 * June 28 – Thomas Mainwaring, English politician (b. 1623)

July

 * July 1 – Anne Crawford-Lindsay, Scottish nobility (b. 1631)
 * July 2 – Edward Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (b. 1620)
 * July 7 – Princess Louise of Savoy, Hereditary Princess of Baden-Baden (b. 1627)
 * July 8
 * Menahem Mendel Auerbach, Austrian banker and rabbi (b. 1620)
 * Edward Wooster, English Connecticut pioneer (b. 1622)
 * July 19 – Song Si-yeol, Korean philosopher (b. 1607)
 * July 23 – Frederick Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg, German noble (b. 1665)
 * July 27 – John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (b. 1648)

August

 * August 6 – Princess Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg (b. 1636)
 * August 9 – Dionisio Lazzari, Italian sculptor and architect (b. 1617)
 * August 12 – Pope Innocent XI, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1611)
 * August 13 – Count Maximilian I, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (b. 1636)
 * August 15 – John Gregory, Connecticut settler (b. 1612)
 * August 17
 * William Boynton, English politician (b. 1641)
 * Thomas Street, astronomer (b. 1621)
 * August 20 – Antonio Marinari, Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Ostia-Velletri, Titular Bishop of Thagaste (b. 1605)
 * August 21 – William Cleland, Scottish poet and soldier (b. c. 1661)
 * August 28
 * Claude-Jean Allouez, French Jesuit missionary and explorer of North America (b. 1622)
 * Alexander Coosemans, Flemish still life painter (b. 1627)
 * August 29 – Curwen Rawlinson, English politician (b. 1641)
 * August 30 – John Lake, English bishop (b. 1624)

September

 * September 6 – Torii Tadanori, Daimyo who ruled the Takatō Domain in Shinano Province (b. 1646)
 * September 9 – Jane Lane, Lady Fisher, English Royalist (b. 1626)
 * September 10 – John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse, English politician and noble (b. 1614)
 * September 13 – Ciro Ferri, Italian painter, engraver, sculptor and architect (b. 1634)
 * September 15
 * Balthasar Cellarius, German theologian (b. 1614)
 * Timoléon Cheminais de Montaigu, French theologian (b. 1652)
 * September 18 – Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet, English politician (b. 1600)
 * September 26 – August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (b. 1652)
 * September 30 – Julius Francis, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, Bohemian noble (b. 1641)

October

 * October 1 – Alexander Voet the Elder, Flemish engraver (b. 1608)
 * October 4 – Quirinus Kuhlmann, German Baroque poet and mystic (b. 1651)
 * October 11 – Fyodor Shaklovity, Russian diplomat (b. 1640)
 * October 13 – George Ent, English scientist and physician; (b. 1604)
 * October 14 – Adolph John I, Count Palatine of Kleeburg, Swedish prince (b. 1629)
 * October 15 – Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1650)
 * October 24 – Stephan Farffler, German inventor (b. 1633)
 * October 25 – Joseph Maynard, English politician (b. 1639)
 * October 30 – Pier Antonio Capobianco, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Lacedonia (b. 1619)

November

 * November 9 – Enea Silvio Piccolomini, imperial general (b. 1651)
 * November 12 – Justus de Verwer, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1625)
 * November 13
 * Matteo Borboni, Italian painter (b. 1610)
 * Philipp von Zesen, German poet (b. 1619)
 * November 16 – Cornelis Mahu, Flemish painter (b. 1613)
 * November 18 – Jacob van der Ulft, painter from the Northern Netherlands (b. 1621)
 * November 19 – Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire, English noblewoman; (b. 1619)
 * November 20 – Samuel Peterson, American city founder (b. 1639)
 * November 24 – Carey Dillon, 5th Earl of Roscommon, Irish nobleman and professional soldier (b. 1627)
 * November 26 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist (b. 1635)

December

 * December 2 – George Speke, English politician (b. 1623)
 * December 6 – Pjetër Bogdani, Albanian priest and writer (b. c. 1630)
 * December 12 – Louis Ferdinand Elle the Elder, French painter (b. 1612)
 * December 15 – Anne Neville, abbess of Pontoise (b. 1605)
 * December 16
 * Cornelis Geelvinck, Dutch mayor (b. 1621)
 * Thomas Wyndham, English Member of Parliament (b. 1640)
 * December 25 – Oliver Montagu, English Member of Parliament (b. 1655)
 * December 27 – Gervase Bryan, English clergyman (b. 1622)
 * December 28 – Pietro Montanini, Italian painter (b. 1626)
 * December 29
 * Olfert Dapper, Dutch physician and writer (b. 1636)
 * George Kinnaird, 1st Lord Kinnaird, Scottish aristocrat (b. 1622)
 * Françoise Bertaut de Motteville, French writer (b. 1621)
 * Thomas Sydenham, English physician (b. 1624)
 * December 31
 * Felipe Fernandez de Pardo, Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Manila (b. 1611)
 * Gilbert de Choiseul Duplessis Praslin, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1613)
 * Anders Sinclair, Scottish soldier who joined Swedish service during the Thirty Years' War (b. 1614)

title: 1689


text:
Talk:1954

Hickland

 * February 11 - Catherine Hickland, actress - an alternative source gives 1956.

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Hickland,+Catherine lists Catherine Hickland's birthday as 1956. What source listed it as '54? (My source can beat up your source?) --Koyaanis Qatsi — Preceding undated comment added 08:20, 11 December 2001 (UTC)

Page layout years
There is a discussion on my talk page on page layout.

For most of the last three hundred years there is inconsistency and duplication between the year in topic paragraph, the "see also" box and what is on the year by topic pages. Prior to 1950 I am pretty convinced we can painlessly (except for sore fingers) delete all of the year in topic paragraphs and ensure that the material goes into a "see also" box, creating such a box where none exists. Post 1950, particularly from the "year in US television" link a lot of material has been added to this paragraph as highlights (sometimes making up most of the page content pointed at).

Personally I think we should still delete the paragraph, keep the box linking to the topic sites and move any particularly important parts of the year in topic paragraph to the main chronological list. This does involve undoing quite a bit of work which someone has done.

Therefore, unlike for prior to 1950 (where I've said no objection= I do it) for post 1950 I won't touch these pages unless a significant number of people agree with the change. (I am also unlikely to get the pre 1950 stuff done before summer unless the service speed improves dramatically). (talk)--BozMo 14:26, 7 May 2004 (UTC)

Births / deaths in main calendar?
Despite the existence of the separate births and deaths sections, two births are listed in the calendar, both on April 29, of Jerry Seinfeld and Jake Burton Carpenter. I don't think they belong there.

The three deaths: Alan Turing's suicide (June 7); Emilie Dionne's asphyxiation (August 6); and Getulio Vargas' suicide (August 24) are perhaps more newsworthy (especially that last - a national president shooting himself to death while in office,) but I'm wondering if there is, or should be, a policy about this.

I'll take a look around.... --Eliyahu S Talk 19:51, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Contradiction
This page says RCA manufactured the first color TV this year; 1953 says the first set went on sale. They can't both be right... TREK philer  any time you're ready, Uhura  09:56, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:23, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Alan Turing Aged 16.jpg

title: Talk:1954


text:
610

Year 610 (DCX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 610th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 610th year of the 1st millennium, the 10th year of the 7th century, and the 1st year of the 610s decade. The denomination 610 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * October 4 – Heraclian revolt: Heraclius arrives with a fleet from Africa at Constantinople. Assisted by an uprising in the capital, he overthrows and personally beheads Emperor Phocas. Heraclius gains the throne with help from his father Heraclius the Elder. His first major act is to change the official language of the Eastern Roman Empire from Latin to Greek (already the language of the vast majority of the population). Because of this, after AD 610, the Empire is customarily referred to as the Byzantine Empire (the term Byzantine is a modern term invented by historians in the 18th century; the people of the Empire itself always referred to themselves as "Ρωμαῖος" — tr. Rōmaios, Roman).

Europe

 * The Avars invade the Duchy of Friuli, an important buffer between the Kingdom of the Lombards in Italy and the Slavs. During the fighting Gisulf II dies and his duchy is overrun (approximate date).
 * King Witteric is assassinated during a banquet at Toledo, by a faction of Catholic nobles. He is succeeded by Gundemar, duke of Narbonne, who becomes king of the Visigoths in Hispania.
 * King Theuderic II loses Alsace, Champagne and Thurgau to his elder brother Theudebert II of Austrasia. His Burgundian army is defeated east of the Jura Mountains against the Alemanni.
 * The Volga Bulgaria arises on the territory of modern Russia, being the first civilization in the region to arise from the Early Slavs (approximate date).

Britain

 * Selyf ap Cynan succeeds his father Cynan Garwyn as king of Powys (Wales).

Arts and sciences

 * Paper technology is imported into Japan from China by the Korean Buddhist priest, Dam Jing (approximate date).

Religion

 * Muhammad, Islamic prophet, begins at 40 years old to preach a religion which will be called Islam. According to Islamic teachings, the angel Gabriel appears to him in a cave on Mount Hira near Mecca (Saudi Arabia) and calls him: "The Prophet of Allah". Muhammad gathers followers, reciting to them the first verses of Qur'an(Iqra), thus beginning the revelation of the Qur'an.
 * Pope Boniface IV presides over a Council of Rome for the restoration of monastic discipline. Attendees include Mellitus, first bishop of London.
 * Columbanus and Gallus begin their missionary work in Bregenz, near Lake Constance (Switzerland).
 * John V (the Merciful) becomes patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date).

Births

 * Anania Shirakatsi, Armenian astronomer (d. 685)
 * Barbatus, bishop of Benevento (approximate date)
 * Ergica, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)
 * Grimoald, King of the Lombards (approximate date)
 * Lai Ji, official of the Tang dynasty (d. 662)
 * Nanthild, Frankish queen (approximate date)
 * Safiyya bint Huyayy, wife of Muhammad (approximate date)

Deaths

 * October 5 – Phocas, Byzantine emperor
 * Gisulf II, Lombard duke of Friuli (approximate date)
 * Heraclius the Elder, Byzantine general
 * Tassilo I, King of Bavaria (b. 560)
 * Waraka ibn Nawfal, the paternal first cousin of Khadija, the first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
 * Witteric, king of the Visigoths

title: 610


text:
61 Cygni

61 Cygni is a binary star system in the constellation Cygnus, consisting of a pair of K-type dwarf stars that orbit each other in a period of about 659 years. Of apparent magnitude 5.20 and 6.05, respectively, they can be seen with binoculars in city skies or with the naked eye in rural areas without light pollution.

61 Cygni first attracted the attention of astronomers when its large proper motion was first demonstrated by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1804. In 1838, Friedrich Bessel measured its distance from Earth at about 10.4 light-years, very close to the actual value of about 11.4 light-years; this was the first distance estimate for any star other than the Sun, and first star to have its stellar parallax measured. Among all stars or stellar systems listed in the modern Hipparcos Catalogue, 61 Cygni has the seventh-highest proper motion, and the highest among all visible stars or systems.

Over the course of the twentieth century, several different astronomers reported evidence of a massive planet orbiting one of the two stars, but recent high-precision radial velocity observations have shown that all such claims were unfounded. No planets have been confirmed in this stellar system to date.

Name
61 Cygni is relatively dim, so it does not appear on ancient star maps, nor is it given a name in western or Chinese systems.

The name "61 Cygni" is part of the Flamsteed designation assigned to stars. According to this designation scheme, devised by John Flamsteed to catalog his observations, stars of a particular constellation are numbered in the order of their right ascension, not in Greek letters as the Bayer designation does. The star does not appear under that name in Flamsteed's Historia Coelestis Britannica, although it has been stated by him that 61 Cygni actually corresponds to what he referred to as 85 Cygni in the 1712 edition. It has also been called "Bessel's Star" or "Piazzi's Flying Star". It features as "the Swan" (from its Latin origin, "cygnus") in Alastair Reynolds' science fiction novel Chasm City (London: Victor Gollancz, 2001).

Early observations
The first well recorded observation of the star system using optical instruments was made by James Bradley on 25 September 1753, when he noticed that it was a double star. William Herschel began systematic observations of 61 Cygni as part of a wider study of binary stars. His observations led to the conclusion that binary stars were separated enough that they would show different movements in parallax over the year, and hoped to use this as a way to measure the distance to the stars.

In 1792, Giuseppe Piazzi noticed the high proper motion when he compared his own observations of 61 Cygni with those of Bradley, made 40 years earlier. This led to considerable interest in 61 Cygni by contemporary astronomers, and its continual observation since that date. Piazzi's repeated measurements led to a definitive value of its motion, which he published in 1804. It was in this record he christened the system as the "Flying Star".

Piazzi noted that this motion meant that it was probably one of the closest stars, and suggested it would be a prime candidate for an attempt to determine its distance through parallax measurements, along with two other possibilities, Delta Eridani and Mu Cassiopeiae.

Parallax measurement
A number of astronomers soon took up the task, including attempts by François Arago and Claude-Louis Mathieu in 1812, who recorded the parallax at 500 milliarcseconds (mas), and Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters used Arago's data to calculate a value of 550 mas. Peters calculated a better value based on observations made by Bernhard von Lindenau at Seeburg between 1812 and 1814; he calculated it to be 470 ±510 mas. Von Lindenau had already noted that he had seen no parallax, and as Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve pointed out after his own test series between 1818 and 1821, all of these numbers are more accurate than the accuracy of the instrument used.

Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel made a notable contribution in 1812 when he used a different method to measure distance. Assuming the orbital period of the two stars in the binary to be 400 years, he estimated the distance between the two this would require, and then measured the angular distance between the stars. This led to a value of 460 mas. He then followed this up with direct parallax measurements in a series of observations between 1815 and 1816, comparing it with six other stars. The two sets of measurements produced values of 760 and 1320 mas. All of these estimates, like earlier attempts by others, retained inaccuracies greater than the measurements.

When Joseph von Fraunhofer invented a new type of heliometer, Bessel carried out another set of measurements using this device in 1837 and 1838 at Königsberg. He published his findings in 1838 with a value of 369.0 ±19.1 mas to A and 260.5 ±18.8 to B, and estimated the center point to be at 313.6 ±13.6. This corresponds to a distance of about 600,000 astronomical units, or about 10.4 light-years. This was the first direct and reliable measurement of the distance to a star other than the Sun. His measurement was published only shortly before similar parallax measurements of Vega by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve and Alpha Centauri by Thomas Henderson that same year. Bessel continued to make additional measurements at Königsberg, publishing a total of four complete observational runs, the last in 1868. The best of these placed the center point at 360.2 ±12.1 mas, made during observations in 1849. This is close to the currently accepted value of 287.18 mas (yielding 11.36 light-years).

Only a few years after Bessel's measurement, in 1842 Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander noted that Groombridge 1830 had an even larger proper motion, and 61 Cygni became the second highest known. It was later moved further down the list by Kapteyn's Star and Barnard's Star. 61 Cygni has the seventh highest proper motion of all stellar systems listed in the modern Hipparcos Catalogue, but retains the title of highest proper motion among stars visible to the naked eye.

Binary observations
Due to the wide angular separation between 61 Cygni A and B, and the correspondingly slow orbital motion, it was initially unclear whether the two stars in the 61 Cygni system were a gravitationally bound system or simply a juxtaposition of stars. von Struve first argued for its status as a binary in 1830, but the matter remained open.

However, by 1917 refined measured parallax differences demonstrated that the separation was significantly less. The binary nature of this system was clear by 1934, and orbital elements were published.

In 1911, Benjamin Boss published data indicating that the 61 Cygni system was a member of a comoving group of stars. This group containing 61 Cygni was later expanded to include 26 potential members. Possible members include Beta Columbae, Pi Mensae, 14 Tauri and 68 Virginis. The space velocities of this group of stars range from 105 to 114 km/s relative to the Sun.

Observations taken by planet search programs show that both components have strong linear trends in the radial velocity measurements.

Amateur observation
An observer using 7×50 binoculars can find 61 Cygni two binocular fields southeast of the bright star Deneb. The angular separation of the two stars is slightly greater than the angular size of Saturn (16–20″). So, under ideal viewing conditions, the binary system can be resolved by a telescope with a 7 mm aperture. This is well within the capability for aperture of typical binoculars, though to resolve the binary these need a steady mount and some 10x magnification. With a separation of 28 arc-seconds between the component stars, 10× magnification would give an apparent separation of 280 arc-seconds, above the generally regarded eye resolution limit of 4 arc-minutes or 240 arc-seconds.

Properties
Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, 61 Cygni is a widely-separated binary star system, composed of two K class (orange) main sequence stars, the brighter 61 Cygni A and fainter 61 Cygni B, which have apparent magnitudes of 5.2 and 6.1, respectively. Both appear to be old-disk stars, with an estimated age that is older than the Sun. At a distance of just over 11 light-years, it is the 15th-nearest-known star system to the Earth (not including the Sun). 61 Cygni A is the fourth-nearest star that is visible to the naked eye for mid-latitude northern observers, after Sirius, Epsilon Eridani, and Procyon A. This system will make its closest approach at about 20,000 CE, when the separation from the Sun will be about 9 light-years. Smaller and dimmer than the Sun, 61 Cygni A has about 70 percent of a solar mass, 72 percent of its diameter and about 8.5 percent of its luminosity and 61 Cygni B has about 63 percent of a solar mass, 67 percent of its diameter, and 3.9 percent of its luminosity. 61 Cygni A's long-term stability led to it being selected as an "anchor star" in the Morgan–Keenan (MK) classification system in 1943, serving as the K5 V "anchor point" since that time. Starting in 1953, 61 Cygni B has been considered a K7 V standard star (Johnson & Morgan 1953, Keenan & McNeil 1989 ).

61 Cygni A is a typical BY Draconis variable star designated as V1803 Cyg while 61 Cygni B is a flare type variable star named HD 201092 with their magnitudes varying 5.21 V and 6.03, respectively. The two stars orbit their common barycenter in a period of 659 years, with a mean separation of about 84 AU—84 times the separation between the Earth and the Sun. The relatively large orbital eccentricity of 0.48 means that the two stars are separated by about 44 AU at periapsis and 124 AU at apoapsis. The leisurely orbit of the pair has made it difficult to pin down their respective masses, and the accuracy of these values remain somewhat controversial. In the future this issue may be resolved through the use of asteroseismology. 61 Cygni A has about 11% more mass than 61 Cygni B.

The system has an activity cycle that is much more pronounced than the solar sunspot cycle. This is a complex activity cycle that varies with a period of about 7.5±1.7 years. The starspot activity combined with rotation and chromospheric activity is a characteristic of a BY Draconis variable. Because of differential rotation, this star's surface rotation period varies by latitude from 27 to 45 days, with an average period of 35 days.

The outflow of the stellar wind from component A produces a bubble within the local interstellar cloud. Along the direction of the star's motion within the Milky Way, this extends out to a distance of 30 AU, or roughly the orbital distance of Neptune from the Sun. This is lower than the separation between the two components of 61 Cygni, and so the two most likely do not share a common atmosphere. The compactness of the astrosphere is likely due to the low mass outflow and the relatively high velocity through the local interstellar medium.

61 Cygni B displays a more chaotic pattern of variability than A, with significant short-term flares. There is an 11.7-year periodicity to the overall activity cycle of B. Both stars exhibit stellar flare activity, but the chromosphere of B is 25% more active than for 61 Cygni A. As a result of differential rotation, the period of rotation varies by latitude from 32 to 47 days, with an average period of 38 days.

There is some disagreement over the evolutionary age of this system. Kinematic data gives an age estimate of about 10 Gyr. Gyrochronology, or the age determination of a star based on its rotation and color, results in an average age of 2.0 ±0.2 Gyr. The ages based on chromospheric activity for A and B are 2.36 Gyr and 3.75 Gyr, respectively. Finally the age estimates using the isochrone method, which involve fitting the stars to evolutionary models, yield upper limits of 0.44 Gyr and 0.68 Gyr. However, a 2008 evolutionary model using the CESAM2k code from the Côte d'Azur Observatory gives an age estimate of 6.0 ±1.0 Gyr for the pair.

Claims of a planetary system
On different occasions, it has been claimed that 61 Cygni might have unseen low-mass companions, planets or a brown dwarf. Kaj Strand of the Sproul Observatory, under the direction of Peter van de Kamp, made the first such claim in 1942 using observations to detect tiny but systematic variations in the orbital motions of 61 Cygni A and B. These perturbations suggested that a third body of about 16 Jupiter masses must be orbiting 61 Cygni A. Reports of this third body served as inspiration for Hal Clement's 1953 science fiction novel Mission of Gravity. In 1957, van de Kamp narrowed his uncertainties, claiming that the object had a mass of eight times that of Jupiter, a calculated orbital period of 4.8 years, and a semi-major axis of 2.4 AU, where 1 AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. In 1977, Soviet astronomers at the Pulkovo Observatory near Saint Petersburg suggested that the system included three planets: two giant planets with six and twelve Jupiter masses around 61 Cyg A, and one giant planet with seven Jupiter masses around 61 Cygni B.

In 1978, Wulff-Dieter Heintz of the Sproul Observatory proved that these claims were spurious, as they were unable to detect any evidence of such motion down to six percent of the Sun's mass—equivalent to about 60 times the mass of Jupiter.

In 2018, analysis of the DR2 data gathered by the Gaia space telescope revealed significant proper motion anomalies in the orbits of the binary stars around each other; the stars were not quite orbiting around their centre of mass with 61 Cygni B also orbiting too slowly for its assumed mass. These anomalies taken together are indicative of the possible presence of a perturbing third object in orbit around 61 Cygni B.

The habitable zone for 61 Cygni A, defined as the locations where liquid water could be present on an Earth-like planet, is 0.26–0.58 AU. For 61 Cygni B, the habitable zone is 0.24–0.50 AU.

Refining planetary boundaries
Since no certain planetary object has been detected around either star so far, McDonald Observatory team has set limits to the presence of one or more planets around 61 Cygni A and 61 Cygni B with masses between 0.07 and 2.1 Jupiter masses and average separations spanning between 0.05 and 5.2 AU.

Because of the proximity of this system to the Sun, it is a frequent target of interest for astronomers. Both stars were selected by NASA as "Tier 1" targets for the proposed optical Space Interferometry Mission. This mission is potentially capable of detecting planets with as little as 3 times the mass of the Earth at an orbital distance of 2 AU from the star.

Measurements of this system appeared to have detected an excess of far infrared radiation, beyond what is emitted by the stars. Such an excess is sometimes associated with a disk of dust, but in this case it lies sufficiently close to one or both of the stars that it has not been resolved with a telescope. A 2011 study using the Keck Interferometer Nuller failed to detect any exozodiacal dust around 61 Cygni A.

Object for biosignature research
The two stars are among five (all nearby star) paradigms listed among those K-type stars of a type in a 'sweet spot' between Sun-analog stars and M stars for the likelihood of evolved life, per analysis of Giada Arney from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

title: 61 Cygni


text:
1221

Year 1221 (MCCXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * November – Emperor Theodore I Laskaris dies after a 16-year reign and is succeeded by his son-in-law John III Doukas Vatatzes. John fends off Theodore's brothers, who believe that they have the better claim for the throne of the Empire of Nicaea. In December, he becomes the sole ruler, and during his reign, the Empire becomes the most powerful of the Byzantine successor states and the frontrunner in the race to recover Constantinople from the Latin Empire. John also cultivates a close relationship with Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and negotiates with Pope Honorius III about the possibility of reuniting the Church.

Fifth Crusade

 * June – Sultan Al-Kamil again offers peace terms to Cardinal Pelagius with the cession of Jerusalem and all Palestine apart from Oultrejordain, together with a 30 years' truce and money compensation for the dismantling of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, a German contingent under Louis I of Bavaria arrives at Damietta, with orders from Frederick II not to launch an attack on Cairo until the emperor's arrival. Louis and Pelagius decide to advance into Egypt towards Mansoura, where Al-Kamil has built a fortress to protect Cairo. The Crusaders assemble their armies and tents are set up just up the Nile, on June 29.
 * July 4 – Pelagius orders a three-days fast in preparation for the advance. King John I of Jerusalem arrives at Damietta to rejoin the Crusade at the command of Honorius III. The Crusader force moves towards Sheremsah, halfway between Faraskur and Mansoura on the east bank of the Nile, occupying the city on July 12. Sources tell of 630 ships of various sizes, 5,000 knights, 4,000 archers, and 40,000 men. A horde of pilgrims march with the army. They are ordered to keep close to the river, to supply the Crusaders with water. Pelagius plans a new offensive and leaves a large garrison at Damietta.
 * July 24 – Pelagius moves the Crusader forces near Ashmun al-Rumman, on the opposite bank from Mansoura. Queen-Regent Alice of Cyprus and leaders of the military orders warn Pelagius of a large Muslim army being formed in Syria. Meanwhile, the Egyptian army under Al-Kamil crosses the Nile near Lake Manzaleh and establishes themselves between the Crusader camp and Damietta. In the Ushmum canal at Sheremsah, Al-Kamil's ships sail down the Nile and block the Crusaders' line of communications to Damietta. In August, Pelagius orders a retreat, but the route is cut off by Egyptians.
 * August 26–28 – Battle of Mansoura: The Crusader army led by Pelagius and John I of Jerusalem is defeated by the Egyptian forces at Mansoura. John and the military orders fight a last stand on the river banks of the Nile. He beats off a Nubian assault (supported by elite Turkish cavalry) and drives them back, but only after thousands of soldiers have perished. The remaining Crusaders are surrounded by Al-Kamil's forces and begin a desperate retreat to Damietta. The city is well-garrisoned and supplied with arms; a naval squadron under Henry, Count of Malta ("Enrico Pescatore") defends the harbour against the Egyptians. The Crusaders retreat under cover of darkness. Many of the soldiers cannot bear to abandon their stores of wine, and drink them all rather than leave them. The Teutonic Knights set fire to the stores that they cannot carry, thus informing the Egyptians that they are abandoning their positions. In the meantime, Al-Kamil orders opening of the sluices along the right bank of the Nile, flooding the area. Pelagius on his ship is carried by the floodwaters past the blockading Egyptian fleet. Other ships, carrying the medical supplies of the army and much of its food, escape, but many are captured.
 * August 28 – Pelagius sues for peace and sends an envoy to Al-Kamil. The terms of surrender are accepted, which includes the retreat from Damietta – leaving Egypt with the remnants of the Crusader army and an 8-year truce. After prisoners are exchanged, Al-Kamil enters Damietta on September 8. The Fifth Crusade ends with nothing gained for the West, with much lost, men, resources and reputations. The Crusaders blame Frederick II for not being there. Pelagius is accused of ineffectual leadership and a misguided view, which has led to rejecting the sultan's peace offerings.

Mongol Empire

 * Spring – Genghis Khan orders an armed reconnaissance expedition into the Caucasus (consisting of Georgia and Armenia) under the command of Subutai and Jebe ("the Arrow"). The Mongols defeat two Georgian armies around Tbilisi, but lack the will or equipment to besiege the capital city. During the fighting, King George IV of Georgia himself is severely wounded and his elite knights are massacred. The Mongols then return to Azerbaijan and Persia, and burn and pillage a few more cities.
 * February – The cities of Merv (perhaps the world's largest up to this date), Herat and Nishapur which have peacefully surrendered rise up in arms. Genghis Khan sends his son Tolui to spend an extra month to subdue the revolts. Contemporary scholars report over a million people are systematically killed in a genocide.
 * September – Battle of Parwan: Sultan Jalal al-Din Mangburni recruits an army of Turkic and Afghan warriors numbering some 60,000 men. As soon as news of this reaches Genghis Khan he sends a Mongol army of 30,000 men, led by his stepbrother Shikhikhutug. Meanwhile, Jalal al-Din moves to Parwan (modern Afghanistan), where the two armies meet in a narrow valley. Jalal al-Din takes the initiative, ordering his right-wing of Turks to dismount and engage in a skirmish. On the third day, the Mongols are finally defeated by the Khwarezmian forces and are forced to retreat. Shikhikhutug is driven off in defeat, losing over half his army.
 * October – The Mongol army raids Georgia for the second time, and Subutai and Jebe allow their forces to pass through the Caucasus Mountains.
 * November 24 – Battle of the Indus: Left with some 20,000 men, Jalal al-Din Mangburni has headed for the Indus River where Genghis catches up with him. In a desperate battle the Khwarezmain forces are destroyed, completing the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire, while Jalal al-Din flees across the river and escapes into India.

Europe

 * June 16 – The Jewish population of Erfurt (Duchy of Thuringia) is massacred after a ritual murder libel. A crowd storms the synagogue where the Jews have gathered with the threat of baptism or death. The Jewish quarter, including the synagogue, is razed: many Jews are tortured and killed.
 * Siege of Tallinn: An Estonian Crusader army tries to conquer the Danish stronghold of Tallinn with the help of Revalians, Harrians and Vironians. They besiege the stronghold for 14 days but finally retreat their forces.

Britain

 * June 21 – 10-year-old Joan of England, eldest daughter of the late King John, marries the 21-year-old King Alexander II of Scotland at York Minster.

Asia

 * May 13 – Emperor Juntoku is forced to abdicate, and is briefly succeeded by his 2-year-old son Chūkyō on the throne of Japan. Ex-Emperor Go-Toba leads the unsuccessful Jōkyū War against the Kamakura shogunate.
 * July 29 – The 9-year-old Go-Horikawa ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Kyoto Imperial Palace in Japan. He is a grandson of the late Emperor Takakura and a nephew of the exiled Go-Toba.

Mesoamerica

 * The Maya of the Yucatán revolt against the rulers of Chichen Itza.

Births

 * May 13 – Alexander Nevsky, Kievan Grand Prince (d. 1263)
 * June 4 – Przemysł I, Polish nobleman and knight (d. 1257)
 * October 9 – Salimbene di Adam, Italian chronicler (d. 1290)
 * November 2 – Saif al-Din Qutuz, Egyptian military leader (d. 1260)
 * November 23 – Alfonso X ("the Wise"), king of Castile (d. 1284)
 * Barisone III, Sardinian judge of Logudoro (or Torres) (d. 1236)
 * Bonaventure, Italian theologian and philosopher (d. 1274)
 * Hugh XI of Lusignan, French nobleman and knight (d. 1250)
 * Margaret of Provence, queen consort of France (d. 1295)
 * Nisshō, Japanese Buddhist priest and teacher (d. 1323)
 * Theobald II, Count of Bar, French nobleman and knight (d. 1291)
 * Walter Devereux, Anglo-Norman nobleman and knight (d. 1292)
 * William Mauduit, 8th Earl of Warwick, English nobleman and knight (d. 1268)

Deaths

 * January 17 – Walter de Clifford, English nobleman (b. 1160)
 * February 18 – Theodoric I, Margrave of Meissen (b. 1162)
 * March 26 – Raoul de Neuville, French bishop and diplomat
 * March 27 – Berengaria of Portugal, queen consort of Denmark (b. 1198)
 * April 25 – Baruch ben Samuel of Mainz, German rabbi
 * July 7 – Peter of Cornwall, English priest and writer (b. 1140)
 * August 6 – Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order, canonized (b. 1170)
 * September 15 – Geoffrey of Rohan, French nobleman (b. 1190)
 * October 4 – William IV, Count of Ponthieu (Talvas), Norman nobleman (b. 1179)
 * October 21 – Alix, Duchess of Brittany (or Alis), Breton noblewoman (b. 1200)
 * October 31 – Ulrich II, Bishop of Passau, German abbot and prince-bishop
 * November – Theodore I Laskaris, emperor of Nicaea (b. 1175)
 * December – Roger of San Severino, archbishop of Benevento
 * Adam of Perseigne, French Cistercian abbot (b. 1145)
 * Albertet de Sestaro, French jongleur and troubadour
 * Asukai Masatsune, Japanese waka poet and writer
 * Lalibela (Gebre Meskel), ruler of the Ethiopian Empire (b. 1162)
 * Gruffydd Fychan ap Iorwerth, Welsh knight (b. 1150)
 * Hassan III of Alamut, ruler of the Nizari Ismaili State (b. 1187)
 * Henry I of Rodez, French nobleman and troubadour
 * John of Tynemouth, English priest, archdeacon and lawyer
 * Najmuddin Kubra, Khwarezmian philosopher (b. 1145)
 * Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, English nobleman and knight (b. 1144)
 * Walter de Lindsay of Lamberton, Scottish nobleman and knight

title: 1221