John Milton sells the copyright of "Paradise Lost" for £10.
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What Happened in April?
Sieges, raids, and monumental deaths. Discover key historical events from April that influenced the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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France officially declares war on the Dutch Republic on April 6, 1672, initiating the Franco-Dutch War.
René-Robert Cavelier claims the Mississippi River basin for France, naming it Louisiana.
William III and Mary II are crowned joint sovereigns of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The Siege of Derry, a key event in the Williamite War in Ireland begins when Jacobite forces, loyal to King James II, laid siege to the city. The siege lasted for 105 days, ending on August 1, 1689, when supply ships broke through a boom on the River Foyle and relieved the city. The siege is remembered as a pivotal moment in the conflict between William of Orange and James II for control of the British Isles. More
The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the Austro-Ottoman War.
The window tax, a property tax based on the number of windows in a house, is imposed in England. While the Act was passed during the 1695 parliamentary session, it did not become law until April 10,1696.
1700, April 5 - English pirate William Kidd is captured in Boston and sent to England for trial.
The privateer-turned-pirate Captain Kidd is captured in Boston and sent to England to stand trial.
Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession) begins between England and Spain.
The Great Storm of 1703, one of the worst storms to strike southern Great Britain, causes widespread damage and thousands of deaths.
The Battle of Culloden takes place in Scotland during the Jacobite rising, resulting in a victory for the government forces.
The first copyright legislation in Great Britain, known as the Statute of Anne comes into force on April 10, 1710.
The Statute of Anne, the first fully-fledged copyright law, comes into force in Great Britain.
The major treaties of Utrecht, were signed on April 11, 1713, ending the War of the Spanish Succession, settling dynastic issues and reshaping European and colonial territories. The peace conference at Utrecht, Netherlands, known as the "Congress of Utrecht", officially began on January 29, 1712. Secret peace talks between Great Britain and France in 1711 paved the way for the formal conference.
The Treaty of Utrecht refers to a series of peace treaties signed in Utrecht, Netherlands, between 1713 and 1715, that concluded the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) by settling the Spanish throne with Philip V, grandson of France's Louis XIV, renouncing his claim to the French throne, preventing a Bourbon superstate and establishing European balance of power. The treaties also granted Britain key territories like Gibraltar, Minorca and Nova Scotia plus the lucrative Asiento (slave trade monopoly) marking Britain rise as a world power The conflict officially ended with later treaties in 1714 and 1715.
Daniel Defoe publishes "Robinson Crusoe."
Robinson Crusoe, the novel by Daniel Defoe is published in London quickly becoming a major success, having four editions printed in the first year of publication. The book tells the story of Robinson Crusoe, who defies his family's wishes and goes to sea, only to be shipwrecked on a deserted island.
He survives for many years by his own ingenuity, adapting to his environment, learning to farm, and eventually befriending a native man he names Friday. The novel explores themes of survival, resilience, and the human spirit's resilience. The book went on to become the second-most translated book in the world. More
On Easter Sunday, Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen makes the first-recorded European contact with Easter island and names the Island "Easter" He visited for a week and estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants on the island.
The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant, monumental stone statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. The island had rich soil and a good climate and mostly under cultivation". Later Fossil-pollen analysis shows that the main trees on the island had gone 72 years earlier in 1650.
A fleet from Spain arrives in St. Augustine, Florida, capturing a British merchant ship.
The Molasses Act is passed by the British Parliament, imposing duties on molasses, sugar, and rum imported from non-British territories to the North American colonies.