The Peace Treaty of Stolbovo was signed on February 27, 1617 ending the 7-year Ingrian War between Sweden and Russia which had been fought between 1610 and 1617. Sweden secured major territorial gains, including Ingria and Kexholm, while Russia lost its access to the Baltic Sea
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What Happened in February?
Emperor ascensions, legendary battles, and assassinations. Discover what happened this month in history. Explore pivotal events from February that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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1632 c. February 22
Galileo Galilei publishes "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems," defending the Copernican theory of heliocentrism, the idea that the Earth orbits the Sun, leading to his trial for heresy by the Roman Inquisition in 1633. The book was published in Florence, Italy, with the first copy being received by his patron on February 22, 1632.
The Scottish National Covenant is signed on February 28, 1638, in Edinburgh, opposing religious reforms imposed by King Charles I of England.
The Scottish National Covenant is signed, on February 28, 1638, at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, opposing Charles I's religious policies leading to major revolt against King Charles I's attempts to impose Anglican religious practices.
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John Milton, English poet and polemicist, publishes his first political treatise, "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" on February 13, 1649, arguing that a king's power comes from the people, not divine right, and that he is accountable to them and stating the right of the people to depose and execute a tyrannical ruler.
His treatise was written in the aftermath of King Charles I's execution. arguing for popular sovereignty and the rule of law. His work justifies the English revolutionaries' actions by asserting that a ruler who violates the law and oppresses his people forfeits his right to rule. A second, expanded edition was published on February 15, 1650.
The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (later New York City) is incorporated on February 2, 1653.
New Amsterdam is given municipal rights and becomes a city. In 1664, the English took over New Amsterdam and renamed it New York after the Duke of York (later James II & VII).
The Dutch East India Company retakes the city of Quilon in India from the Portuguese on February 16, 1661, landing their troops near Palliport and advancing to the main fortress to complete the recapture of the city. The fall of Quilon was only one of the actions in the Dutch takeover of Portuguese strongholds on the Malabar Coast, leading to their dominance in the area.
The Treaty of Westminster is signed on February 19, 1674 ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War, with England (allied with France) making peace with the Dutch Republic which also formally ceded New Netherland (Parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut;) to England.
King Charles II of England dies on February 6, 1685 and his brorther, the Duke of York ascends to the throne as James II of England and Ireland, and James VIII of Scotland. He was the last Catholic King of England . He was deposed by William of Orange in the so called, Glorious Revolution." More
William of Orange and Mary II were proclaimed joint sovereigns of Britain on February 13, 1689, after King James II had fled to France as a result of the "Glorious Revolution" in England.
They were later crowned on April 11, 1689.On April 4, 1689 he also became King William II of Scotland. He ruled jointly with his wife, Mary II, until her death in 1694, after which he ruled as sole monarch.
The first warrant of the Salem Witch Trials was issued on February 29, 1692, for the arrest of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, as they are accused of witchcraft in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
Over the next year, over 200 people were accused of witchcraft, and 20 were executed, with 19 being hanged and one being pressed to death. The trials eventually came to an end in early 1693, with the governor eventually pardoning those who had been convicted. More
The Great Northern War begins between Sweden and the coalition of Russia, Saxony, Poland, and Denmark-Norway, during the reign of Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great), who wanted to gain access to the Black Sea.
In 1715 Prussia and Hannover joined the war against Sweden. The King of Hannover was also King George II of Great Britain. Many battles were fought over the 21 years, but Russia finally defeated Sweden at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, although a formal peace treaty was not signed until 1721. More
The Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, is rescued from the uninhabited island of Más a Tierra on February 2, 1709, by the British privateer Captain Woodes Rogers and his expedition aboard the ship Duke. Selkirk had been marooned on the island for over four years. The story inspired Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe." The Island is now called Robinson Crusoe.
Sir Christopher Wren, the English architect, mathematician and astronomer dies on February 25, 1723 at the age of 90. He is best known for rebuilding London after the Great Fire of 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral.
Peter I, also known as Peter the Great dies from bladder gangrene on February 8, 1725, at he age of 52. He was a very controversial and absolute monarch that managed to expand and westernize Russia's culture and to establish it as a major European power and an empire.
Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg. where it remained the capital of Russia until the communist revolution in 1918. More
The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia on February 8, 1726. by Empress Catherine I. The Council was designed to advise the sovereign and streamline administration, effectively surpassing the Senate influence and increasing executive power. It functioned from 1726 to 1730, when it was abolished following Anna Ioannovna's ascension.
The first president of the United States, George Washington, is born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia at the Pope's Creek plantation. Born to his parents, Augustine and Mary Ball Washington.
James Oglethorpe and 130 English colonists arrive at Charleston, South Carolina, establishing the colony of Georgia.
The Battle of Karnal is fought on February 24, 1739, between Nader Shah of Persia and the Mughal Emperor of India, Muhammad Shah; resulting in a decisive victory for Persia's smaller but better- rained forces. The victory weakened the Mughal Empire, lead to the sack of Delhi and eventually to British control.