1666 | Political Events
Political Events
France's queen mother Anne of Austria dies of breast cancer at Paris January 20 at age 64. Armand I de Bourbon, prince de Conti and governor of Languedoc, dies at Pézénas February 21 at age 36, having married a niece of the late Cardinal Mazarin in 1654 and, like his sister, become a Jansenist. His 28-year-old widow, Anne-Marie (née Martiniozzi), will survive only until 1672.
Acting Rear Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, Royal Navy, distinguishes himself in the Four Days' Battle in January as the Second Anglo-Dutch War continues (see 1665), but he draws condemnation in August when he raids the Dutch islands of Vlie and Schelling and starts a fire that destroys 250 Dutch merchant ships.
France allies herself with the Dutch and declares war on England; French forces take Antigua, Montserrat, and Saint Kitts in the Greater Antilles (see 1627). An English privateer takes Tobago (see 1651; 1662), but the island will eventually return to French control and remain French until 1763. The Dutch sign a treaty of alliance with the elector of Brandenburg Friedrich Wilhelm and form a quadruple alliance with Brunswick, Brandenburg, and Denmark.
Hungarian noblemen revolt against the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.
India's former Mughal emperor Shah Jahan dies in captivity at Agra January 22 at age 74 (see 1658). His son Aurangzeb continues the oppressive rule he began in 1659, but the Maratha leader Shivaji escapes from Agra August 16 (see 1665). Although he was facing execution at any time while living under house arrest, Shavaji did not give up hope; pretending to be ill, he sent out large baskets filled with sweets to be distributed among the poor, and his followers have used these baskets to carry him and his son past their guards. He reorganizes his army, begins building a naval force, and by 1668 will have regained all the territory that he has lost and more besides, collecting tribute from some Mughal districts and instituting reforms that benefit his largely Hindu followers (see 1667).