France establishes the Académie Française, a council for matters related to the French language and literature.
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What Happened in January?
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Dutch attempt to capture the Portuguese fort at Elmina in West Africa but fail.
The Puritan political leaders in Connecticut, representing the populations of Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield, approved and adopt a set of written laws agreed upon by the colonists, known as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut which stated the powers and limits of government. This document became the first complete, written constitution in the history of the world.
The Treaty of Madras is signed between the English East India Company and the Maratha Empire.
Cardinal Richelieu lays the foundation stone for the Church of the Sorbonne in Paris.
The United East India Company (VOC) conquers Malacca from the Portuguese.
Abel Tasman's expedition reaches Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga.
Archbishop William Laud is executed in London for high treason during the English Civil War.
The Royalist stronghold of Bolesworth Castle surrenders to the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.
King Charles I of England is executed on January 30, 1649 by beheading, after being found guilty of treason. Thousands had perished during the seven years of fighting between Charles’ supporters and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians. More
Charles II of England is crowned king of Scotland at Scone.
The Dutch East India Company's forces defeat the Portuguese at the Battle of Colombo in Sri Lanka.
The Dutch surrender Recife, Brazil, to the Portuguese after an unsuccessful attempt to regain control.
The Portuguese defeat the Dutch at the Battle of São Jorge da Mina, leading to the recapture of Elmina Castle in West Africa.
Swedish troops under Charles X Gustav invade Denmark during the Dano-Swedish War.
The Treaty of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain, ending the Franco-Spanish War.
The first portrait of a reigning monarch, King Charles II of England, is painted by Sir Peter Lely.
The Ottoman Empire agrees to the Peace of Vasvar with Austria and Holy Roman Empire, ending the Fifteen Years' War.
England's King Charles II grants a trading charter to the Royal African Company to facilitate the Atlantic slave trade.
The Treaty of Andrusovo ends the Russo-Polish War and establishes the Truce of Andrusovo between Russia and Poland.