1734 CE
Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. French and Swiss troops suppress the slave insurrection in the Danish West Indies on the island of Saint John (part of the modern-day U.S. Virgin Islands) after six months and restore control of the plantations to the Danish owners. War of the Polish Succession: Russian troops take Gdańsk (German: Danzig), which had been besieged since February 1734, after the failure of a French expedition to relieve the city.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- February 16 – The Ostend Company, established in 1722 in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) to compete for trade in the West Indies (the Caribbean islands) and the East Indies (south and southeast Asia), ceases business as part of the agreement by Austria in the Second Treaty of Vienna.source
- May 27 – French and Swiss troops suppress the slave insurrection in the Danish West Indies on the island of Saint John (part of the modern-day U.S. Virgin Islands) after six months and restore control of the plantations to the Danish owners.source
- June 6 – With the conclusion of the British general election (voting having begun in some constituencies on April 22), the Whigs, led by Prime Minister Robert Walpole, lose 85 seats but retain their majority.source
- September 28 – Abdu'llah bin Ismail as-Samin is deposed after a 15-year reign as Sultan of Morocco.source
- November 5 – The Dzików Confederation is created in Poland.source
- Creation of the Kanem–Bornu Empire after Kanem is taken over by the Sultan of Bornu.source
Conflict & Security
- May 25 – Spanish forces under the command of José Carrillo de Albornoz, 1st Duke of Montemar, defeat the Austrian forces, completing the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples at the Battle of Bitonto.source
- June 17 – French troops take Philippsburg, but the Duke of Berwick is killed.source
- July 18 – War of the Polish Succession: The Siege of Philippsburg (an Austrian fortress near Karlsruhe, Germany) by the French Army ends after eight weeks as its Austrian defenders surrender.source
- August 6 – The armies of Spain and France, led by the Duke of Parma (and future King Charles III of Spain) storm the city of Gaeta in Naples, ending a four-month siege (War of the Polish Succession).source
- October 23 – Jamaica's Governor John Ayscough declares martial law to fight the slave rebellion that began in 1733, then drafts 600 men into the colonial army to march into the Blue Mountains. (→ First Maroon War)source
Exploration & Expansion
- January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America.source
- March 12 – Salzburgers arrive at the mouth of the Savannah River in the British Colony of Georgia.source
- June 30 – War of the Polish Succession: Russian troops take Gdańsk (German: Danzig), which had been besieged since February 1734, after the failure of a French expedition to relieve the city.source
Science & Discovery
- Anton Wilhelm Amo becomes the first African to receive a doctorate in Europe and begins teaching at the University of Halle.source
Disasters & Accidents
- June 21 – In Montreal, New France, a black slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique is tortured then hanged by the French authorities for allegedly setting a fire that destroyed part of the city.source
- December 24 – A fire destroys the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, the residence of the Spanish royal family, along with more than 400 valuable paintings, 100 sculptures and thousands of documents.source
Culture & Society
Births
- January 16 – John A. Treutlen, Governor of Georgia (d. 1782)source
- January 20 – Robert Morris, Founding Father of the United States (d. 1806)source
- February 15 – William Stacy, American Revolutionary War officer (d. 1802)source
- February 27 – Thomas Conway, American Revolutionary War general (d. 1800)source
- March 19 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1817)source
- April 17 – Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)source
- April – Elsa Beata Bunge, Swedish botanist (d. 1819)source
- May 23 – Franz Mesmer, Austrian physician (d. 1815)source
- August 10 – Naungdawgyi, Burmese king (d. 1763)source
- August 24 – Benjamin Church, first Surgeon General of the United States Army (d. 1763)source
- September 3 – Joseph Wright, British painter (d. 1797)source
- September 17 – Elizabeth Canning, English maidservant and kidnappee (d. 1773)source
- October 7 – Sir Ralph Abercromby, British general (d. 1801)source
- December 31 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese poet (d. 1819)source
Deaths
- February 9 – Diego de Astorga y Céspedes, Spanish Catholic cardinal (b. 1663)source
- April 25 – Johann Konrad Dippel, German alchemist (b. 1673)source
- May 15 – Sebastiano Ricci, Italian painter (b. 1659)source
- May 24 – Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)source
- June 12 – James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, illegitimate son of James II of England and French military commander (b. 1670)source
- June 21 – Marie-Joseph Angélique, African slavesource
- July 22 – Peter King, 1st Baron King, Lord Chancellor of England (b. c. 1669)source
- October 12 – Simon Henry Adolph, Count of Lippe-Detmold, ruler of the county of Lippe (b. 1694)source
- November 14 – Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, French-born mistress of Charles II of England (b. 1649)source
- November 21 – Alexis Simon Belle, French portrait painter (b. 1674)source
- November 23 – Eugene Jean, Count of Soissons, Prince of Savoy (b. 1714)source
- December 5 – Peter Tillemans, Flemish painter (b. c. 1684)source
- December 8 – James Figg, English prizefightersource
- December 28 – Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish clan chief (b. 1671)source