1657 | Political Events
Political Events
The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III concludes an alliance with Poland to check the aggressions of Sweden's Karl X Gustav, who is driven out of Poland (see 1656). The emperor dies at Vienna April 2 at age 48 and is succeeded by his son, 16, who will reign until 1704 as Leopold I.
Transylvania's György Rákóczi II retreats from Poland under pressure from the Crimean Tatars and is deposed later in the year by the diet, which takes its orders from Constantinople (see 1656). He will be reinstated next year (but see 1660).
Cossack leader Bogdan Chmielnicki prepares to conclude a secret treaty with Sweden against the Poles but dies at Chigirin August 16 (August 6 Old Style) at age 62 (approximate), having tried to gain autonomy for the Cossacks but succeeded rather in devastating the territory along the Dnieper and subjecting his people to Russian rule (see Mazepa, 1687).
The Ottoman Turks defeat a Venetian fleet in the Dardanelles July 19, retake Tenedos September 4, and retake Lemnos November 15, gaining prestige for the grand vizier Mehmed Köprülü, who came to power last year in his late 70s.
English royalist George Villiers, 2nd duke of Buckingham, returns in secret from exile and marries the daughter of Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Baron Fairfax (of Cameron), the parliamentary general to whom his lands were assigned after he fought beside Charles II at the Battle of Worcester in 1651; now 29, Buckingham is imprisoned by the Commonwealth government and will not be released until February 1659.
Onetime Leveller propagandist John "Free-born John" Lilburne dies at Eltham, Kent, August 29 at age 43 (approximate).
Sweden and Denmark go to war as Karl X Gustav tries to extend his holdings on the southern coast of the Baltic (see 1644). The Swedish royal chancellor Per Brahe moves south from the town of Laholm into the province of Scania with a 3,000-man army. The Göinge chieftain Svend Povlsen marshals a small force of two companies and tries to stop him at the Ridge of Hallandsasen, all but 30 of the defenders are killed at the town of Hemmerslöv, the survivors escape to Engelholm, and the Dutch intervene under the leadership of their councillor pensionary Johan de Witt to prevent the Swedes from gaining exclusive control of the Baltic fishery (see 1658).
A Royal Navy force under the command of Admiral Robert Blake attacks the Spanish West Indian fleet April 20 off Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Blake destroys the Spanish ships and coastal defenses without losing even one ship but dies at sea August 7 at age 57 just an hour before his triumphant fleet enters Plymouth Harbor. He has introduced Articles of War that will serve for generations as the basis of naval discipline.
A 4-year Dutch-Portuguese war begins over conflicting interests in Brazil, but Johan de Witt will end the hostilities with a peace advantageous to the Dutch.
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan falls ill in September at age 66 after a 30-year reign that has raised the power of the empire to its zenith and seen the growth of Delhi. Rumors spread that he has died (see 1658).