The Battle of Dunbar takes place during the English Civil War, resulting in a decisive victory for the English Parliamentarians over the Scottish Covenanters. More
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What Happened in September?
Battles, deaths, and monumental religious moments. Explore significant events from September that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell decisively defeat the Royalists at the Battle of Worcester.
Peter Stuyvesant, Director-general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland surrenders to the overwhelming larger and more powerful English forces. Following its capture, the name of New Amsterdam, the successful Dutch settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan, was changed to New York, in honor of the Duke of York.
In 1673, the Dutch retook the colony but relinquished it under the Treaty of Westminster on February 19, 1674 that ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The origin of the Dutch colony, went back to 1609, when Englishman Henry Hudson had charted the area on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch had laid claim to a wide area of the East Coast, originally covered an area including all or parts of five future states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania. More
The Great Fire of London starts at a bakery in Pudding Lane shortly and spreads rapidly. It swept through central London for four days gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the wall to the west. More
1682 CE, Circa September
Astronomer Edmond Halley observes the comet that bears his name. September 1682
The Battle of Vienna occurs, as an alliance of European powers successfully repels the Ottoman Empire's siege of the city. The decisive European victory halted Ottoman expansion into Central Europe and led to a major shift in the balance of power in favor of the European powers.
The Battle of Vienna takes place, with the Holy League forces defeating the Ottoman Empire and ending their siege of Vienna.
The last hangings of the Salem Witch Trials takes place as six women and two men are hanged on September 22. On October 29, 1692, the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps. He also prohibited more arrests and released many accused witches. By May 1693, Phips had pardoned all those imprisoned on witchcraft charges, effectively ending the trials. More
Spanish King Charles II ratifies the Treaty of Ryswick, ending the Nine Years' War.between France and the Grand Alliance, (Spain, England, the Dutch Republic, and the Holy Roman Empire).
The treaty returned territories like Luxembourg and Kortrijk to Spain, securing peace, though issues like the Spanish succession remained unresolved, leading to future conflict.
The signing of the Treaties of Ryswick begins, bringing an end to the Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance of European powers (which included England, Spain, the Dutch Republic, and the Holy Roman Empire). The last treaty was signed on October 30th 1697, with the Holy Roman Empire
These were some of the most significant agreements reflected on the treaties:
- Louis XIV officially recognized William III as the King of England and withdrew support for the Jacobite claimant, James II.
- Most territories captured since the 1679 Treaty of Nijmegen were returned to their pre-war status.
- France retained Strasbourg and Alsace.
- Spain formally ceded the western third of the island of Hispaniola (renamed Saint-Domingue, now Haiti) to France.
- The Dutch Republic gained favorable commercial concessions and the right to garrison "barrier fortresses" in the Spanish Netherlands to protect against future French aggression.
The treaty is often viewed as a temporary truce because it failed to resolve the critical issue of Spanish Succession—who would inherit the throne from the childless King Charles II. This unresolved tension led directly to the outbreak, five years later, to of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702. More
Russia's Peter the Great imposes a tax on beards on September 5, 1698 as part of his efforts to modernize the country.
Tsar Peter I of Russia ("Peter the Great") imposes a tax on beards as part of his efforts to modernize and Westernize the country. Officials were empowered to publicly and forcibly shave anyone who refused to pay. The tax was formally repealed in 1772 by Catherine the Great.
The Battle of Rio de Janeiro starts. It was a raid in September 12–22, 1711 on the port of Rio de Janeiro during the War of Spanish Succession by a French squadron under René Duguay-Trouin.
The Portuguese defenders, including the city's governor and an admiral of the fleet anchored there, were unable to put up effective resistance in spite of numerical advantages and the city had to pay a ransom to avoid destruction of its defenses.
The South Sea Company Bubble bursts, c. September 15, 1720, leading to a financial crisis in England and affecting the stock market.
The South Sea Bubble was the financial collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720. The company had been formed in 1711 in London to supply slaves to Spanish America and it had bought from the British government for a significant amount of money, the rights to supply slaves to Spanish America that Britain ad secured at the Treaty of Utrecht and went on to sell stock to the public. Speculators paid inflated prices for the stock, leading eventually to the company’s spectacular financial collapse in September 1720. A large number of people were ruined by the share collapse, and the national economy was greatly reduced as a result. A parliamentary inquiry held afterwards, found that many had profited unlawfully from the company and had their assets confiscated.
The Battle of Soor takes place during the Second Silesian War (part of the War of the Austrian Succession), between Frederick the Great's Prussian army and an Austro-Saxon army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. The battle occurred in the vicinity of Soor, also known as Hajnice, in the modern day Czech Republic. The Prussian army managed to defeat the Austrians.
Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, flees to France on September 20, 1746, following the final defeat of the Jacobite Rising in Scotland at the Battle of Culloden in April of that year. His exit marked the end of serious Stuart efforts to reclaim the British throne.
The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days to correct the discrepancy with the Julian calendar.
The pivotal Battle of Quebec (Battle of Plains of Abraham) takes place during the Seven Years' War, leading to the British capture of Quebec City from the French and ultimately changing the course of Canadian history.
British General James Wolfe and French General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm, were both, mortally wounded during the battle. More
The first session of the Continental Congress convenes at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Delegates from twelve of the thirteen American colonies, except for Georgia, convened to discuss their future under growing British aggression and to formulate a unified colonial response.
Georgia did not attend because it was in a conflict with Native American nations and relied on British military support, which it feared jeopardizing by joining the other colonies in protest of British policies. The colony had many Loyalists and was hesitant to break from Great Britain. The meeting was organized by the delegates after the British Navy implemented a blockade of Boston Harbor and the Parliament of Great Britain passed the punitive Intolerable Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party. The Congress session lasted until October 26, 1774. More
During the Revolutionary War, the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was the first use of a submarine in warfare. More