Directory

1627 CE

Turkish Abductions: Barbary corsairs from Salé raid the fishing village of Grindavík in Iceland and take captives into slavery, the first of several raids. An earthquake destroys the cities of San Severo and Torremaggiore in southern Italy. Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Oliwa – A Polish-Lithuanian fleet defeats a Swedish fleet.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • March 17 – Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, is forced to abdicate after his spending brings Hesse-Kassel to bankruptcy. His son takes over as William V and cedes much of the landgravate in September to bring peace in its war against Hesse-Darmstadt.source
  • May 10 – The Kingdom of England reaches an agreement with Sidi Al-Ayyashi, a Moroccan Mujahidin leader to obtain his help in releasing English captives seized by Barbary corsairs.source
  • May 13 – France and England sign an agreement on dividing the island of Saint Kitts.source
  • May 23 – Ngarolamo becomes the new Sultan of Tidore in the Maluku Islands in modern-day Indonesia.source
  • June 15 – The States of Friesland promulgate the Resolution on the April 17 appeal about abuses.source
  • September 24 – William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, landgrave of the German state Hesse-Kassel, signs the Hauptakkord with George II of Hesse-Darmstadt, ceding much of its territory.source
  • September 30 – The reign of China's 21-year old ruler, the Ming dynasty Tianqi Emperor, Zhu Youjiao, ends after seven years.source
  • December 27 – In Madrid, ministers of King Philip IV of Spain, draw up proposals for a "Kingdom and Republic of Ireland" that would break with England, to have two Captains General to be executives of the Republic.source

Conflict & Security

  • March 3 – After the First Manchu invasion of Korea, the Joseon dynasty of Korea becomes a tributary state of the Manchus, but still pays respects to the Ming dynasty of China. After rejecting a Manchu alteration to the original diplomatic terms in 1636, the Manchus invade again in 1637.source
  • March – Start of the Trịnh–Nguyễn War in modern-day Vietnam: Trịnh Tráng leads an army of 200,000 troops southward to attack the Đàng Trong governed by Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên.source
  • July 20 – Eighty Years' War: Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, begins the Siege of Grol, the last Spanish stronghold in the eastern Netherlands, and captures it after 30 days.source
  • July 22 – The English, under the Duke of Buckingham, invade the Île de Ré off the coast of France in support of the Huguenots in La Rochelle; the invasion fails.source
  • August 19 – Eighty Years' War: Grol, in the Spanish Netherlands, is captured after the siege started on July 20 by Prince Frederick Henry.source
  • September 10 – The Siege of La Rochelle begins as the Roman Catholic nations of France and Spain move to suppress the revolt of Protestant Huguenots in the western French city.source
  • November 20 – Thirty Years' War: Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania, signs the Capitulation of Franzburg, in which Pomerania is forced to pay for the Imperial army that Wallenstein sent to occupy it. Nonetheless, despite the treaty, Pomerania is devastated by the Imperial troops.source
  • November 28 – Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Oliwa – A Polish-Lithuanian fleet defeats a Swedish fleet.source
  • December 30 (Jumada-l awwal 2, 1037 AH) – Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram, son of the later Emperor Jahangir, enters Lahore after defeating his brother Shahryar Mirza. He is proclaimed as Shah Jahan.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • January 26 – The Dutch ship t Gulden Zeepaert, skippered by François Thijssen, makes the first recorded European sighting of the coast of South Australia.source
  • February 17 – England lands the first European settlers on Barbados.source
  • April 10 – The t Gulden Zeepaert reaches Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.source
  • June 20 – Turkish Abductions: Barbary corsairs from Salé raid the fishing village of Grindavík in Iceland and take captives into slavery, the first of several raids.source
  • July 5–13 – Turkish Abductions: Barbary corsairs from Algiers raid the East Fjords of Iceland and take captives into slavery.source

Religion & Belief

  • November 7 – Shahryar Mirza, the 22-year-old son of Jahangir and son-in-law of Jahangir's widow Nur Jahan, is installed as the new Mughal Emperor at Lahore.source

Economy & Finance

  • Habsburg Spain suffers an economic collapse.source

Technology & Infrastructure

  • Rock blasting is invented: Black gunpowder is first used in mining, in a mineshaft under Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia.source

Health & Medicine

  • April 17 – The States of Friesland agree on the 28-point Appeal about Abuses after allowing the citizens to voice their complaints.source

Crime & Justice

  • June 20 – Hinchingbrooke House in the east of England is sold by Sir Oliver Cromwell, to Sidney Montagu.source
  • July 16 – Turkish Abductions: the Barbary corsairs from Algiers raid the island of Heimaey off Iceland, take captives into slavery and kill others.source

Disasters & Accidents

  • August 16 – In a persecution of Christians in Japan, 14 Franciscan missionaries and converts are killed.source

Climate & Environment

  • July 27 – An earthquake destroys the cities of San Severo and Torremaggiore in southern Italy.source
  • The last recorded aurochs die in the Jaktorów Forest of Poland.source

Culture & Society

  • October 2 – The Tianqi Emperor's 16-year-old brother, Zhu Youjian, is enthroned as the Chongzhen Emperor.source
  • December 18 – La selva sin amor (The Forest without Love), written by Lope de Vega and with music by Alessandro Piccinini, premieres as the first Spanish opera.source

Births

  • February 15 – Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (d. 1698)source
  • March 27 – Sir Stephen Fox, English politician (d. 1716)source
  • April 9 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German baroque composer and organist (d. 1693)source
  • May 29 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess and duchess (d. 1693)source
  • July 1 – Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, consort of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (d. 1669)source
  • July 3 – Juan Ortega y Montañés, Spanish Catholic bishop, colonial administrator in Guatemala and New Spain (d. 1708)source
  • July 20 – Thomas Wynne, English personal physician of William Penn (d. 1691)source
  • August 2 – Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, Dutch painter of the Golden Age (d. 1678)source
  • September 27 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (d. 1704)source
  • November 12 – Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary to Guam (d. 1672)source
  • November 17 – John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1660–1693) (d. 1693)source
  • November 20 – Charlotte, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel, German noble (d. 1686)source
  • November 29 – John Ray, English biologist (d. 1705)source
  • December 7 – Countess Louise Henriette of Nassau, Electress Consort of Brandenburg (1646–1667) (d. 1667)source

Deaths

  • January 27 – Princess Cecilia of Sweden (b. 1540)source
  • March 10 – Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Derby, British businessman (b. 1575)source
  • March 20 – Johann Jacob Grasser, Swiss poet, historian and theologian (b. 1579)source
  • March 23 – Lodovico Zacconi, Italian composer and music theorist (b. 1555)source
  • May 3 – Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford, son of Sir Francis Russell (b. 1572)source
  • May 19 – Katharina Henot, German General Postmaster, alleged witch (b. 1570)source
  • May 24 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet (b. 1561)source
  • June 4 – Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (b. 1605)source
  • August 27 – Francesco Maria del Monte, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1549)source
  • September 12 – Mohammed Adil Shah begins his reign as the new Sultan of Bijapur in south India, after the death of his father, Ibrahim Adil Shah II.source
  • October 28 – The Mughal Emperor Jahangir dies of a respiratory illness near Bhimber while attempting to return to his palace at Lahore.source
  • December 25 – Vincenzo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, dies of poor health at the age of 33. Charles I Gonzaga becomes the Duke over the objections of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, leading to the War of the Mantuan Succession.source
  • December 25 – Vincenzo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, Italian duke and Catholic cardinal (b. 1594)source
  • December – Madame Ke, influential nanny of the Tianqi Emperor of China (b. c. 1588)source