1631
Calendar year
May 20 : The city of Magdeburg is sacked by the army of the Holy Roman Empire and 20,000 residents are killed
September 17 : The first Protestant victory in the Thirty Years' War is accomplished by Sweden at the Battle of Breitenfeld , almost four months after Tilly's massacre of Protestants at Magdeburg.
September 12 –13 : The Netherlands sinks 83 Spanish ships in the Battle of the Slaak .
1631 (MDCXXXI ) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar , the 1631st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 631st year of the 2nd millennium , the 31st year of the 17th century , and the 2nd year of the 1630s decade. As of the start of 1631, the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
Calendar year
Events
January–March
April–June
April 13 – Thirty Years' War : Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden defeats an imperial garrison at the city of Frankfurt an der Oder .
May 18 – In Dorchester, Massachusetts , John Winthrop takes the oath of office, and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts .
May 20 – Thirty Years' War : After a two-month siege, the army of the Holy Roman Empire , under the command of Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly sacks the Protestant German city of Magdeburg , and massacres over 20,000 inhabitants . Shocked by the massacre, many Protestant states in the Holy Roman Empire decide to ally with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , and support his ongoing invasion.
May 28 – William Claiborne sails from England to establish a trading post on Kent Island , the first English settlement in Maryland .[ 4]
May 30
June 17 – The death in childbirth of Mumtaz Mahal at Burhanpur causes her husband Shah Jahan to commission the Taj Mahal at Agra , as a mausoleum for her. Construction is started in 1632 , and finished in 1653 .
June 19 – War of the Mantuan Succession : The Treaty of Cherasco is signed, ending the War of the Mantuan Succession.
June 20 – Algerian pirates sack Baltimore, County Cork , in Ireland.
July–September
July 9 – Koca Musa Pasha , the Ottoman Governor of Egypt, arranges the murder of Emir Kitas Bey, commander of Turkish troops who had been scheduled to invade Persia.
July 16 – The city of Würzburg is taken by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , putting an end to the Würzburg witch trials , but not before an estimated 900 people from the city and its environs have been burned at the stake for witchcraft .
July 22 – Thirty Years' War – Battle of Werben : Tilly defeats Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , but not decisively.
August 22 – The Treaty of Werben is signed as an alliance between Hesse-Cassel and Sweden .
August 29 – (1 Safar 1041 A.H.) Abd Allah ibn Hasan , Emir of Mecca , abdicates in favor of two successors, his son Muhammad ibn Abd Allah and his great-nephew Zayd ibn Muhsin .
August – Thirty Years' War : Running out of supplies, Tilly is forced to send his army into the Electorate of Saxony in order to secure supplies, as well as to force a reaction from John George, Elector of Saxony and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden .
September 11 – Thirty Years' War : As a result of Tilly 's invasion, John George, Elector of Saxony , who has until now stayed neutral, allies with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , in order to drive the Imperial army out of Saxony.
September 12 – Eighty Years' War – Battle of Albrolhos : A Spanish fleet, under the command of Admiral Antonio de Oquendo , defeats a Dutch fleet off the coast of Brazil .
September 13 – Eighty Years' War – Battle of the Slaak : A Spanish fleet of 95 ships, carrying 5,500 soldiers tasked with taking over the Dutch Republic, is almost completely destroyed (with 83 ships sunk) the day after being intercepted by a Dutch fleet off of the coast of the Netherlands.
September 17 – Thirty Years' War – Battle of Breitenfeld : Tilly 's Holy Roman Imperial army is decisively defeated by Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden, shattering the imperial army of the Holy Roman Empire , and marking the first significant victory for the Protestants in the war.
October–December
Date unknown
Births
John Dryden
Stanislaus Papczyński
Christoffel Pierson
Johann Heinrich Roos
January–March
January 1 or 1632 – Katherine Philips , Anglo-Welsh poet (d. 1664 )[ 6]
January 2 – Anthonie van Borssom , Dutch painter (d. 1677 )
January 6 – Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton , Scottish peeress (d. 1716 )
January 12 – Hasanuddin of Gowa , 16th Ruler of The Sultanate of Gowa (d. 1670 )
January 23 – Vincent Houdry , French Jesuit preacher and writer on ascetics (d. 1729 )
February 6 – Edward Abney , English politician (d. 1727 )
February 10 – Louise of Anhalt-Dessau , Duchess suo jure of Oława and Wołów (1672–1680) (d. 1680 )
February 22 – Peder Syv , Danish historian (d. 1702 )
March 3 – Esaias Boursse , Dutch painter (d. 1672 )
March 9 – Claude-François Ménestrier , French heraldist, Jesuit, courtier (d. 1705 )
March 13 – Lodewijck Huygens , Dutch diplomat (d. 1699 )
March 16 – René Le Bossu , French critic (d. 1680 )
April–June
April 8 – Cornelis de Heem , Dutch painter (d. 1695 )
April 15
April 21 – Francesco Maidalchini , Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1700 )
April 29 – Joseph Bridger , Colonial Governor of Virginia (d. 1686 )
May 2 – John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl (d. 1703 )
May 4 – William Brereton, 3rd Baron Brereton , English politician (d. 1680 )
May 10 – Flavio Chigi , Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1693 )
May 18 – Stanislaus Papczyński , Polish priest (d. 1701 )
May 19 – Christoffel Pierson , Dutch painter (d. 1714 )
May 28 – Louis André , French Jesuit priest, missionary and translator (d. 1715 )
May 29 – Robert Paston, 1st Earl of Yarmouth , English politician, earl (d. 1683 )
June 13 – Gilbert Hay, 11th Earl of Erroll , Scottish noble (d. 1674 )
June 17 – Gauharara Begum , Mughal noblewoman (d. 1706 )
June 22 – Francis Rombouts , Dutch Mayor of New York City (d. 1691 )
June 25 – António das Chagas , Portuguese Franciscan friar and ascetical writer (d. 1682 )
June 26 – Vincenzo Albrici , Italian composer (d. 1695 )
July–September
October–December
October 1
October 3 – Sebastian Anton Scherer , German organist and composer (d. 1712 )
October 6 – Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen , German prince of the House of Ascania (d. 1670 )
October 12 – George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton , English Member of Parliament (d. 1714 )
October 13 – Richard Hampden , English politician (d. 1695 )
October 18
October 22 – Gilles Boileau , French translator (d. 1669 )
October 26 – Leopold Karl von Kollonitsch , Hungarian Catholic cardinal (d. 1707 )
October 30 – Pierre Beauchamp , French choreographer, dancer and composer (d. 1705 )
November 4 – Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (d. 1660 )
November 10 – Daniel Harvey , English merchant and politician (d. 1672 )
November 17 – Marco d'Aviano , Italian Capuchin friar (d. 1699 )
November 21 – Catharina Questiers , Dutch poet (d. 1669 )
November 28 – Abraham Brueghel , Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1690 )
December 14 – Anne Conway , English philosopher (d. 1679 )
December 24
Date unknown
Deaths
Jacob Matham
John Smith
January 1 – Thomas Hobson , English carrier and origin of the phrase "Hobson's choice " (b. 1544 )
January 3 – Michelagnolo Galilei , Italian composer and lutenist, younger brother of Galileo Galilei (b. 1575 )
January 14 – Charlotte of the Palatinate , German noble (b. 1628 )
January 20 – Jacob Matham , Dutch artist (b. 1571 )
January 26 – Louis Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Montbéliard (1617–1631) (b. 1586 )
January 30 – Sophie Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , duchess consort of Pomerania-Wolgast (1577-1592) (b. 1561 )
February 7 – Gabriel Harvey , English writer (b. c. 1552/3)
February 14 – Tsugaru Nobuhira , Japanese daimyō (b. 1586 )
March 24 – Philipp Dulichius , German composer (b. 1562 )
March 31 – John Donne , English writer and prelate (b. 1572 )[ 9]
March 28 – Juan van der Hamen , Spanish artist (b. 1596 )
April 2 – Nicolò Contarini , Doge of Venice (b. 1553 )
April 5 – Sinibaldo Scorza , Italian painter (b. 1589 )
April 23 – Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino , last Duke of Urbino (b. 1549 )
May 6 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington , English politician (b. 1570 )
May 26 – Enrico Caterino Davila , Italian historian and diplomat (b. 1576 )
June 17 – Mumtaz Mahal , favorite wife of Shah Jahan (b. 1593 )
June 18 – Robert Payne , English politician (b. 1573 )
June 21 – John Smith of Jamestown , English soldier and colonist (b. 1580 )
July 16 – Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scottish noble (b. 1564 )
July 19 – Cesare Cremonini , Italian philosopher (b. 1550 )
July 28 – Guillén de Castro y Bellvis , Spanish dramatist (b. 1569 )[ 10]
August 3 – Kim Jang-saeng , Korean scholar and writer (b. 1548 )
August 8 – Konstantinas Sirvydas , Lithuanian religious leader (b. 1579 )
September 6 – Honda Tadamasa , Japanese daimyō (b. 1575 )
September 18 – Countess Palatine Dorothea of Simmern (b. 1581 )
September 21 – Federico Borromeo , Cardinal Archbishop of Milan (b. 1564 )
October 14 – Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow , queen and regent of Denmark (b. 1557 )
October 20 – Michael Maestlin , German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1550 )
October 26 – Catherine de Parthenay , French noblewoman and mathematician (b. 1554 )
October 28 – Sir Richard Beaumont, 1st Baronet , English politician (b. 1574 )
November 1 – Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria (b. 1589 )
November 7 – Patrick Fleming , Irish Franciscan friar and scholar (murdered) (b. 1599 )
November 29 – Edmond Richer , French theologian (b. 1559 )
December 5 – Tommaso Caracciolo , Field Marshal of Spanish forces in the Thirty Years' War (b. 1572 )
December 7 – Johannes Hartmann , German chemist (b. 1568 )
December 9 – Liborius Wagner , German Roman Catholic priest (b. 1593 )
December 10 – Hugh Myddelton , Welsh businessman (b. 1560 )[ 11]
December 23 – Michael Drayton , English poet (b. 1563 )
December 30 – Frederick Achilles, Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt (b. 1591 )
References
^ Kenneth Meyer Setton (1991). Venice, Austria, and the Turks in the Seventeenth Century . American Philosophical Society. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-87169-192-7 .
^ Reuben Aldridge Guild (1886). Footprints of Roger Williams . Tibbitts & Preston. p. 7.
^ "Fires, Great", in The Insurance Cyclopeadia: Being an Historical Treasury of Events and Circumstances Connected with the Origin and Progress of Insurance , Cornelius Walford, ed. (C. and E. Layton, 1876) p29
^ William R. Howell (1931). The Government of Kent County, Maryland, Historical and Descriptive . Published through the cooperation of Washington College. p. 1.
^ "Vesuvius | Facts, Location, & Eruptions" . Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved April 7, 2019 .
^ National Library of Wales (1942). Cylchgrawn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru . Council of the National Library of Wales. p. 51.
^ Restoration and 18th-Century Drama . Macmillan International Higher Education. November 1, 1980. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-349-16422-6 .[permanent dead link ]
^ Miralpeix Vilamala, Francesc. "Joaquim Juncosa Donadeu" . Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved November 26, 2023 .
^ John Donne; Gary A. Stringer (1995). The Variorum Edition of the Poetry of John Donne: The epigrams, epithalamions, epitaphs, inscriptions, and miscellaneous poems . Indiana University Press. p. 202. ISBN 0-253-31812-2 .
^ Merimee, Ernest (May 8, 2018). Revival: A History of Spanish Literature (1930) . Routledge. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-351-34931-4 .
^ Bernard Rudden; Professor of Comparative Law Bernard Rudden (May 16, 1985). The New River: A Legal History . OUP Oxford. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-19-825497-3 .