1659 - Political Events

Political Events

France's house of Savoie ends January 14 with the death at Paris of Henri II de Savoie, duc de Nemours, of epilepsy at age 33. Named archbishop of Reims in 1651, he was relieved of his vows in order that he might succeed his childless brother, but although he was married in May of last year to Marie d'Orléans, daughter of Henri II, duc de Longueville, he too has died childless.

England's Protectorate Parliament collapses and a new Parliament meets January 27 with Sir Arthur Hesilrige as its most prominent member, but it soon bogs down in a dispute with the army (see 1658). The new lord protector Richard Cromwell dissolves Parliament April 22 at the behest of the army, a new Rump Parliament meets May 7 with William Lenthall as speaker. Charles Fleetwood leads a group of officers that induces the ineffectual Cromwell to resign in May. The New Royalists led by Sir George Booth, 37, join with the Cavaliers in August to restore the monarchy. Playwright-stage manager William Davenant is imprisoned briefly for alleged complicity in the revolt. Soldiers under the command of John Lambert suppress the insurrection in Cheshire and appoint a military committee of safety to replace the Rump Parliament in October, but General George Monck orders restoration of the Rump Parliament December 26 (see 1660).

The Treaty of the Pyrenees November 7 ends the ascendancy of Spain, which has been exhausted by war and by the domestic misgovernment that has produced the revolt in Catalonia, which ends this year. Under terms of the treaty signed on the Isle of Pheasants in the Bidassoa River, France's Louis XIV receives the Spanish frontier fortresses in Flanders and Artois, and Spain's Felipe IV cedes part of Roussillon, Contans, and Cerdagne along with some towns in Hainault and Luxembourg. Felipe IV makes other concessions, France annexes Roussillon and makes it a province, the walled city of Carcassonne ceases to be a frontier fortress, and the 21-year-old Spanish infanta Maria Theresa is betrothed to Louis XIV with a dowry of 500,000 crowns (she renounces her claims to the Spanish throne for herself or for any issue that she may have by Louis, provided that Spain pay her dowry, but since no such payment is likely Louis will entertain ideas of controlling the Spanish throne).

The Ottoman grand vizier Mehmed Köprülü gains ascendancy over rebel pashas, has them executed in February, and sends an inspector to Anatolia in the summer with authority to exclude from the state registers all non-Muslim taxpayers (reaya) who claim to belong to the military class. Intended to suppress the private mercenaries (sekbans), the measure reestablishes central authority in the region.

The Muslim sultan of Bijapur in southern India sends a 20,000-man army under the command of Afzal Khan against the 32-year-old Marathan rebel Shivaji, who has been raiding his territory in the Deccan area. Shivaji's own ancestral estates are in the region, and since age 16 Shivaji has been trying to rally opposition to Muslim oppression and perscution of Hindus. He feigns a retreat, calls for peace talks, lures Afzal Khan into the mountains, murders him, and then ambushes his leaderless army, seizing the Bijapur guns, horses, ammunition, and supplies (see 1665).

The Battle of Deorai in northeastern India April 12 to 14 brings victory to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and confirms his possession of the throne (see 1658). Relying on promised support from Jaswant Singh of Marwar, Aurangzeb's brother and rival prince Dara Shikoh has continued his opposition to Aurangzeb's claims to power, but Jaswant deserts him, and after 3 days' resistance he is captured and will be executed next year.

Chinese imperial troops under the command of Hong Chengchou (Hung Cheng-chou), 65, crush major Ming resistance in the South, leaving only the island of Taiwan (Formosa) under Ming control (see 1644; Taiwan, 1683). A Ming official earlier in his career, Hong was captured by Qing (Ch'ing, or Manchu) forces, has served the emperor as grand secretary (chief minister), and has persuaded much of the gentry to accept the new dynasty, raising funds and providing food for Qing armies. Many of the Qing suspect him of having secret ties with Ming officials, but he drives the Ming prince into Burma. Refusing to pursue him further, Hong permits the prince to retire from the campaign and will continue to serve as grand secretary for more than a year before being allowed to remove himself from public life.

The Ming pirate-patriot Zheng Chenggong (Cheng Ch'eng-kung) tries to capitalize on the absence of Qing forces fighting in the south to lead an army of more than 100,000 men up the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River (see 1653); he reaches the gates of Nanjing before suffering a disastrous defeat and being forced back to his base at Amoy (see Taiwan, 1661).