1623 - Political Events

Political Events

England's prince of Wales travels in secret to Spain with George Villiers, 1st marquess of Buckingham, who has persuaded him to seek the hand of the infanta Maria, sister of Felipe IV. "Mr. Smith" and "Mr. Brown" arrive at Madrid March 7 but find the infanta and Spanish court unenthusiastic, put off by Buckingham's arrogant manner, and distrustful of young Charles's promise to change English penal laws against Catholics (see Great Protestation, 1621). The diminutive (four foot-seven inch) Charles, now 22, makes the 30-year-old Villiers a duke May 18 (the first duke created since the execution of Norfolk in 1572), returns October 5, and will be betrothed instead to the sister of France's Louis XIII.

The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II gives the Upper Palatinate to Maximilian, duke of Bavaria, as the Thirty Years' War continues. Maximilian makes the duchy an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Upper Palatinate will be incorporated into the electorate in 1628. Papal troops occupy the Valtelline and graf von Tilly advances to Westphalia after defeating Christian of Brunswick at Stadtlohn.

The Ottoman sultan Mustapha I abdicates under pressure in favor of his 14-year-old nephew and is confined in the Seraglio (see 1622). The nephew will reign until 1640 as Murad IV, with his mother, Kösem Sultana, serving as regent until his majority.

Persia's Abbas I takes Baghdad, Mosul, and all of Mesopotamia from the Ottoman Turks. Baghdad will remain in Persian hands for 15 years.

Japan's shōgun Hidetada Tokugawa abdicates at age 45, having consolidated his family's rule, eliminated Christianity, and begun the process of closing the country to outsiders. He is succeeded by his son 19-year-old son Iemitsu, who will raise the shōgunate to its greatest glory in the next 28 years, eliminating the emperor's few remaining prerogatives while continuing his father's campaign against Christians.

Ndongo princess Nzinga succeeds to the throne after poisoning her brother. Her small monarchy is dwarfed by the neighboring Portuguese colony of Angola, but she is determined to resist the depredations of slave traders. She travels to Angola, where she negotiates with the governor and allows herself to be baptized into Christianity as Dona Aña de Souza (but see 1624).

Dutch forces seize the Brazilian port of Pernambuco that will later be called Recife.