1696
Famine Devastates Finland and the Baltics
A succession of crop failures brought on by volcanic cooling and brutal winters killed roughly a third of Finland's population and devastated the Baltic…
Peter the Great Captures Azov
After a failed attempt the previous year, the young Russian tsar personally led a second campaign against the Ottoman fortress of Azov on the Don.
Calculus War Erupts Between Newton and Leibniz
The simmering priority dispute between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the invention of calculus burst into open acrimony when followers…
Window Tax Introduced in England
William III's government imposed a tax on houses according to the number of windows, believing it an easy way to tax wealth without requiring income returns.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1696?
Saeculum lists 4 events from 1696. The most significant is Famine Devastates Finland and the Baltics.
What era was 1696 part of?
1696 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1696?
The events from 1696 span Europe.