1700
Death of Charles II of Spain
The last Habsburg king of Spain died childless in Madrid, his body so disfigured by inbreeding that courtiers whispered of curses.
Forty-Seven Rōnin Incident Begins
In Edo Castle, Lord Asano Naganori drew his sword on the court official Kira Yoshinaka for a perceived insult and was ordered to commit seppuku the same day.
Asante Confederacy Consolidates
In the forests of present-day Ghana, Osei Tutu and the priest Okomfo Anokye bound the Akan clans beneath the Golden Stool, which they claimed had descended…
Great Northern War Begins
A coalition of Denmark, Saxony, and Russia struck at Sweden's Baltic empire, expecting easy spoils from the teenage Charles XII.
Battle of Narva
Charles XII, just eighteen, marched eight thousand Swedes through a November blizzard and fell upon Peter the Great's army of forty thousand.
Russia Adopts the Julian Calendar
Peter the Great decreed that Russia would count years from the birth of Christ rather than the creation of the world…
Ethiopia's Gondarine Peak
By the final year of the century, the Ethiopian emperor Iyasu I had rebuilt Gondar as the great stone capital of a Christian highland kingdom, with painted…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1700?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1700. The most significant is Death of Charles II of Spain: The last Habsburg king of Spain died childless in Madrid, his body so disfigured by inbreeding that courtiers whispered of curses.
What era was 1700 part of?
1700 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1700?
The events from 1700 span Europe, East Asia and Africa.