Li Zicheng's rebel forces captures Beijing, on April 24, 1644, marking the effective end of the Ming dynasty as the last emperor, the Chongzhen Emperor, commits suicide. The fall of Beijing opened the path for the Manchu-led Qing dynasty to eventually take control of China.
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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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Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a settlement at Cape Town, South Africa.
Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament in England, leading to the rule of the Protectorate.
The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb orders the destruction of the Hindu temple at Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, India on April 9, 1669.
The Convention Parliament meets in England, beginning the Restoration of the monarchy under Charles II.
John Milton sells the copyright of "Paradise Lost" for £10.
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.
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."