1650 CE
The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of the two administrative boards of Harvard, is established (the first legal corporation in the Americas). William III of Orange becomes Prince of the House of Orange at the moment of his birth, succeeding his father, who had died a few days earlier. He does not become stadtholder, so the United Provinces becomes a true republic. Anne Greene is hanged at Oxford Castle in England for infanticide, having concealed an illegitimate stillbirth. The following day she revives in the dissection room and, being pardoned, lives until 1659.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- March 10 – João Rodrigues de Vasconcelos, Portuguese Count of Castelo Melhor, becomes the new Governor of Brazil.source
- September 19 – Treaty of Hartford: the English Commonwealth's Connecticut Colony and the Dutch Republic's colony of New Netherland establish their frontiers in North America.source
- October 17 – The Western Remonstrance is signed by members of the Parliament of Scotland who condemn the recognition of Charles II being crowned King of Scotland, and pledging allegiance to England's General Oliver Cromwell.source
- October 30 – The Commonwealth of England government passes a law prohibiting trade between English merchants and English colonies that had sided with Charles II over Oliver Cromwell. Specifically labeled as rebel colonies for purposes of the ban are the North American colonies of Virginia and the Somers Isles (alias Bermuda), as well as the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Antigua.source
- The town of Sharon, Massachusetts is founded.source
- Jews are allowed to return to France.source
Conflict & Security
- January 18 – Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the Chief Minister of France and head of its government since 1642, learns of a plot against him and has the Prince de Condé, the Prince de Conti and the Duc de Longueville arrested, prompting a rebellion by parliament against the Crown.source
- January 28 – The Sultan bin Saif of Oman expels the Portuguese colonial government from Muscat, forcing the surrender of the port of Muttrah and of Fort Capitan, and captures two warships, ending 35 years of Portuguese occupation.source
- February 13 – Oliver Cromwell's troops sweep through Ireland and bombard the Kiltinan Castle in County Tipperary.source
- March 10 – The Commonwealth of England's navy Robert Blake blockades a surviving English Royalist fleet commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the Tagus estuary at Lisbon. Rupert breaks out on October 12.source
- March 28 – The Siege of Kilkenny in Ireland by Oliver Cromwell ends in after six days as royalist Sir Walter Butler turns over control of the city to the Commonwealth of England forces.source
- April 27 – The Battle of Carbisdale begins when a Royalist army invades mainland Scotland from the Orkney Islands. The Royalists are defeated by a Covenanter army.source
- May 17 – A quarter of the New Model Army at the Siege of Clonmel in Ireland is trapped and killed.source
- July 22 – Having completed his invasion of Ireland, England's General Oliver Cromwell begins the war against the Kingdom of Scotland, crossing from Northumberland at Berwick-upon-Tweed into Berwickshire, and leads troops toward Edinburgh.source
- July 29 – William II, Prince of Orange, stadtholder of Holland, attempts to conquer the rest of the Netherlands and attempts a coup d'état against the Dutch Republic.source
- August 13 – Colonel George Monck forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, forerunner of the Coldstream Guards.source
- September 3 – Third English Civil War: Battle of Dunbar (1650) – Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeat a Scottish army, commanded by David Leslie.source
- December 25 – Thomas Cooper, former Usher of Gresham's School, England, is hanged as a Royalist rebel.source
- Estimation – Istanbul becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Beijing.source
Exploration & Expansion
- September 29 – Henry Robinson opens his Office of Addresses and Encounters, a form of employment exchange, in Threadneedle Street, London.source
Technology & Infrastructure
- English highwayman and Captain James Hind campaigns for the Royalist cause (according to his own account).source
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
- January 25 – As part of the purges following the Great Potosí Mint Fraud of 1649 Francisco Gómez de la Rocha, a rich former corregidor of Potosí, is executed.source
- December 14 – Anne Greene is hanged at Oxford Castle in England for infanticide, having concealed an illegitimate stillbirth. The following day she revives in the dissection room and, being pardoned, lives until 1659.source
- Puritans chop down the original Glastonbury Thorn in England.source
Climate & Environment
- September 27 – The Kolumbo volcano on Santorini experiences a massive eruption (VEI 6).source
Culture & Society
- February 1 – The French verse play Andromède, commissioned by Cardinal Mazarin, written by Pierre Corneille and with elaborate sets designed by Giacomo Torelli, premieres before the royal family at the Théâtre Royal de Bourbon.source
- June 9 – The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of the two administrative boards of Harvard, is established (the first legal corporation in the Americas).source
- June 23 – Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland (at Garmouth), the only one of the three kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler.source
- July 1 – Einkommende Zeitungen, the first daily printed newspaper, begins publication in Leipzig (ceases 1918).source
- October 20 – Christina, Queen of Sweden, who has been the legal ruler of Sweden for almost 18 years, has an elaborate coronation ceremony at the castle of Jacobsdal near Stockholm. The coronation had originally been planned for her 18th birthday in 1644 but was delayed by a war with Denmark-Norway.source
- The first modern Palio di Siena horserace is held in Italy.source
Births
- January 10 – Countess Sophie Amalie of Nassau-Siegen, Duchess consort of Courland (1682–1688) (d. 1688)source
- February 2 – Nell Gwyn, English actress and royal mistress (d. 1687)source
- February 26 – Tomás Marín de Poveda, 1st Marquis of Cañada Hermosa, Royal Governor of Chile (d. 1703)source
- March 24 – Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet, British bishop (d. 1721)source
- April 27 – Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen Consort of Denmark (1670–1699) (d. 1714)source
- May 19 – Cornelis HrR Ridder de Graeff, Dutch nobleman and chief landholder of the Zijpe and Haze Polder (d. 1678)source
- July 6 – Frederick Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia (d. 1698)source
- August 16 – Vincenzo Coronelli, Franciscan friar, Italian cartographer, encyclopedist (d. 1718)source
- September 20 – Adrian Beverland, Dutch philosopher and jurist who settled in England (d. 1716)source
- September 23 – Jeremy Collier, English theatre critic, non-juror bishop and theologian (d. 1726)source
- October 20 – Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, English peer and courtier (d. 1717)source
- November 18 – Robert Walpole (1650–1700), English politician (d. 1700)source
- December 6 – Johann Friedrich Mayer (theologian), German Lutheran theologian (d. 1712)source
- December 10 – Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1701)source
Deaths
- January 7 – Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, dies after a reign of more than 63 years. The area is now part of the northeastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.source
- January 23 – Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke (b. 1584)source
- March 25 – John Williams, Welsh clergyman and political advisor to King James I (b. 1582)source
- April 3 – Christian Gueintz, German teacher and writer-grammarian (b. 1592)source
- April 18 – Simonds d'Ewes, English antiquarian and politician (b. 1602)source
- June 8 – Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff, Austrian diplomat (b. 1584)source
- August 16 – Cesare Monti, Italian cardinal, Archbishop of Milan (b. 1593)source
- August – John Parkinson, English herbalist and botanist (b. 1567)source
- September 8 – Elizabeth Stuart, second daughter of King Charles I of England (b. 1635)source
- September 24 – Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême, son of Charles IX of France (b. 1573)source
- October 25 – Franciscus Quaresmius, Italian writer and orientalist (b. 1583)source
- October 29 – David Calderwood, Scottish historian (b. 1575)source
- November 4 – William III of Orange becomes Prince of the House of Orange at the moment of his birth, succeeding his father, who had died a few days earlier. He does not become stadtholder, so the United Provinces becomes a true republic.source
- December 31 – Dorgon, Manchu prince (b. 1612)source