1646
Qing Dynasty Completes Southern Conquest
Manchu armies swept into the last pockets of Ming resistance in southern China, capturing the Longwu Emperor and executing him. Millions of Han Chinese were forced to adopt the Manchu queue or face death. The conquest was methodical, merciless, and far from over - loyalist holdouts would flicker on for another decade and a half.
Charles I Surrenders to the Scots
With his army destroyed and royalists collapsing across England, Charles I rode quietly into the Scottish camp at Newark and gave himself up. The Scots, after months of haggling, sold him to the English parliament for four hundred thousand pounds. Europe's first captive king was now a bargaining chip, and the question of what to do with an anointed monarch in chains had no precedent.
Eliot Preaches to the Massachusetts Algonquians
The Puritan minister John Eliot delivered his first sermon in the Massachusett language to Native Americans at Nonantum. He would spend decades translating the Bible into Wampanoag, creating praying towns, and earning, or at least claiming, the title Apostle to the Indians. His Wampanoag Bible, printed in 1663, was the first complete Bible published anywhere in the Americas.
Fall of Gage's Royalist Oxford
After a prolonged siege, the Royalist garrison at Oxford surrendered to Parliamentary forces. Charles I had already fled in disguise. The university city that had served as the king's wartime capital for nearly four years handed over its keys, its cannons, and whatever remained of the Cavalier dream of a swift royal victory.
Want 1646 in context? Print the whole 17th century as a one-sheet timeline chart.
Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1646?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1646. The most significant is Qing Dynasty Completes Southern Conquest: Manchu armies swept into the last pockets of Ming resistance in southern China, capturing the Longwu Emperor and executing him.
What era was 1646 part of?
1646 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1646?
The curated events from 1646 span East Asia, Europe and North America.