Questions tagged [17th-century]
The 17th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1601 to December 31, 1700 in the Gregorian calendar.
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What is the meaning of the hand gesture performed by King James II in the portrait by Peter Lely?
This portrait by Peter Lely is one of the most well-known images of James II of England (aka James VII of Scotland). It is used to illustrate his Wikipedia article.
Is there some meaning behind the ...
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Which juridical reasons lead the Netherlands to lose control of the seas?
It has always been my understanding that the Netherlands lost control of the seas because of land wars against France, especially Louis XIV, and because of the difficulties involved in holding ...
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Is there a historical example or a manuscript about troop formation or fighting stance on a boat?
Is there a historical example or a manuscript about troop formation or fighting stance on any sort of boat or ship?
Especially during colonialism or the golden age of piracy, no specific location so ...
4
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Did the Portuguese Crown sponsor Brazilian gold-seeking expeditions (bandeiras) in the 17th century?
The end of the 17th century is the beginning of the gold rush in Brazil. Shortly before there were expeditions (bandeiras) of explorers (later called bandeirantes) who were seeking precious minerals ...
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William Penn and the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania
William Penn wrote three different frames of government documents. All three are different, so therefore which one do we go by? How do we read them? And which one is the final document that PA uses?
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Fermat's statement about the ancients: How serious was he?
I am extremely interested in the idea that there was a period in time when, at least in the west, people looked upon the ancients (Romans/Greeks) as possessors of wisdom that had been lost. Fermat ...
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What was the relationship between Ottoman emperor Murat IV and his mother Kosem Sultan?
Was the relationship between Murat IV and his mother Kosem Sultan really bad? Did Kosem Sultan intervene a lot when her son assumed absolute power?
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Was there a coup in the Netherlands in 1672?
From 1650 to 1672, the Dutch Republic lacked a stadtholder because the Government was dominated by Republicans who didn’t want William Prince of Orange to become stadtholder.
However in 1672, during ...
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What do we know about Hennig Brand's family?
What do we know about Hennig Brand's family? He is credited with the discovery of Phosphorus of course, but it appears he was married twice during his life. Did he have any children, and if so do we ...
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What were John Milton's daily reading habits?
In a college course on John Milton, I believe I remember the professor saying that Milton had an extremely rigorous daily reading schedule, something like one hour of Greek and two hours of Hebrew ...
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Is the historical consensus that Galileo did not drop balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
A narrative commonly taught in schools and propagated in books is that Galileo Galilei "dropped two spheres of different masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to demonstrate that their time of descent ...
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Do we have any authentic Native American flute music from the 18th century or earlier?
Just wondering if any actual music from Native Americans was recorded (written record, transcribed to some kind of sheet music) by Europeans, in the 18th century or earlier. I'm especially interested ...
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What is the earliest mention of use of spyglass by seafarers?
I am somewhat familiar with history of telescope in the scientific context however didn't find much info about history of its use for practical purposes beyond general statements. I'm more interested ...
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Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
Often in movies on the American revolution and back when muskets were common place the opposing armies would line up facing each other and take turns firing. One side, then the other. Kind of like a ...
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Did Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Finance Minister of Louis XIV, sanction mass executions for reasons of economic policies?
In his book, The Mystery of Capitalism, author De Soto claims that Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Finance Minister under Louis XIV, had people executed for economic reasons. Colbert is still a widely admired ...
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Who is the first person in the 17th century to describe themselves as a “white” person and who invented the term “white race”?
According to the Wikipedia article entitled White people
The concept of a unified white race did not achieve universal
acceptance in Europe when it first came into use in the 17th century,
or ...
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Late 17th century colonial Anglican pastor
I am preparing to play an Anglican pastor/priest at a live-action role-playing game. The (pretend) location: an English colonial outpost in the Caribbean. The (pretend) time period: circa 1695. And ...
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What 17C protocol left a princess standing whilst commoners sat?
I am reading WILLIAM AND MARY by John Van Der Kiste 2008, 2011, in which he relates William III's reluctant plans to remarry after Mary II's death. This was to ensure the Protestant succession after ...
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How did life for commoners in Okinawa change with the Satsuma invasion?
In 1609, the kingdom of Ryukyu which covers what is today known as Okinawa, was invaded by the Japanese Satsuma clan.
How did this affect the everyday life of commoners (Everybody not noble or a ...
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Were there ever instances of sailors pressed into British service in Europe ending up in the Caribbean?
I am working on a story in which I wanted to include a character who was pressed into the British Navy in 1790's England, and ended up on a ship headed to the Caribbean. This is a pretty integral ...
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What are these “Papal States” in Germany after 1648?
I don't usually watch this person's videos, but I couldn't find another one. What do the "Papal States" in Germany after the Peace of Westphalia represent? I especially want to know what affected the ...
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Was it widespread during the 17th and 18th Century for British country people to be evicted and replaced with more profitable agriculture?
We can read about the Scottish Highland clearances. It does appear that the driving motivation was that sheep pastures were more profitable.
This was the time of the Industrial Revolution, when many ...
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What was the heaviest example of horse armor (barding) from 16th and 17th centuries?
I would like to ask what the heaviest known example of armor for war horses is. Specifically, I'm asking about horse-armor in the 16th and 17th centuries (European, primarily, but I will accept other ...
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How far were early grenades thrown in the 17th century?
Early grenades weighed about three pounds, apparently, and were generally thrown by tall, strong men. I haven't been able to find a figure on how far they were normally thrown, at what range they were ...
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Was the Dutch State independent when the Dutch East India Company was founded?
How were The Dutch able to build a successful trading empire by 1602 (with The Dutch East India Company) if the Dutch State gained independence after the Thirty Year's War in 1648?
The war ends in ...
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How do I interpret this 17th century English ledger?
I'm an auditor. A colleague and I were discussing some 17th century English ledgers (pictured below). These come from the English Levant Company. However, we aren't sure how to interpret them. How ...
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Who governed London during the Great Plague?
I am writing a story for a game and I want to try to make it as accurate as possible. To this end, I would like to find who governed London, England, during the time of the Great Plague, but I can't ...
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533 views
What did Catesby and crew expect to do after the explosion?
In Britain, we are taught in school about the Gunpowder Plot, the events that led to it and to Fawkes's capture on November 5th 1605 under the Houses of Parliament and the gradual round-up of the co-...
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How did Tenures Abolition Act of 1660 change feudalism in England?
The Tenures Abolition Act of 1660, according to Wikipedia, "changed the nature of feudal land tenure in England". It:
.. replaced various types of military and religious service tenants owed to the ...
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What did the top minds of the late 17th century have to say about Salem witch trials?
I think of Newton, Hooke, Leibniz, Wren, Locke -- assuming they knew hard to believe they would not have thought it crazy but I have read nothing about Newton, et al saying anything.
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When Janszoon's expedition landed in Australia in 1606, which one-person weapons (if any) were carried?
Basically what the title says. Wikipedia mentions early 17th century exploration of New Holland beginning in the first few years of the 1600s, but insofar as I can tell doesn't really go into what was ...
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17th century Japanese colonies in Southeast Asia?
After a period of exposure to European interests, Japan secluded itself in the 1630s. George Lensen wrote in "The Russian Push Towards Japan":
On the eve of her seclusion, Japan had begun to expand ...
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What was the price of going from England to New England as a passenger in the 1600s?
Lots of places mention that traveling to New England was so expensive that many people became indentured servants to get across, but I couldn't find a place that actually says how expensive it was.
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Did Freemasons hold Enlightenment ideals?
I was doing research on early US presidents and read that men like George Washington probably were attracted to the Masonic Lodge due to the Lodge aligning well with popular Enlightenment ideas around ...
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How many people were needed to build a country house?
After visiting the Wimpole Estate in England, I'm wondering how many people would have been needed to make such a project viable.
The country house on the site today started construction in 1640, ...
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Can anyone identify this painting of a Cossack? [closed]
Can anyone identify the name and artist of this painting?
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Was there any restriction on private citizens owning cannons and other large weaponry in 17th, 18th and 19th century Europe? [closed]
Were there laws limiting what kind of guns a private citizen in Europe could own? Could John Doe go to a shop and commission a cannon to be made for his own personal use?
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Around 1640s, at what time did people eat Christmas dinner?
To my knowledge, in the past, people used to go to bed earlier; usually at sunset.
My question is, around 1640s, when candles were used to light the interiors of buildings, at what time of day did ...
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Is there any resource to learn interiors of a house for particular classes in 17th Century in Bohemia?
I would like to learn details of the living places for particular classes and professions in Bohemia in 17th Century. (For example a burgher, or carpenter guild master etc.)
I try some novels written ...
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Did 17th Cent. French Gentlemen Necessarily Use a Scabbard for Dress Swords?
I'm costuming a show that takes place in the 17th century, Paris, "Cavalier" period, as far as costumes go. I can't seem to find a conclusive answer regarding whether the gentlemen need to have a ...
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Why did Charles I not borrow abroad?
The reign of Charles I of England can be summarized to a large degree as a continued attempt to raise revenue without authorization from Parliament. As is well known, Charles and his advisers had to ...
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What is the flag in this 17th century painting?
I'm doing research on a painting 'Koppertjesmaandag' by Adriaen van Nieulandt in 1633. In the right corner of the painting you can see a couple of ships with their flags. One in particular is a gold ...
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Religion in European international politics after the Peace of Westphalia?
Thirty Years' War started out as a war of religion, and then almost all European entities got involved in it. It was concluded by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which led to a great deal of changes ...
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441 views
Why were cobblers so radical?
Peter Ackroyd writes on page 88 of his account of the English Civil War:
Cobblers were well known for their radical Protestant sympathies.
What was so special about cobblers?
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What was a “searcher” associated with a funeral in 1690?
Life In A Noble Household 1641-1700 by Gladys Scott-Thomson, 1937, analyses the household accounts of William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford. On page 236 is listed an entry from December 1690 where the ...
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Did the legal principle of conflict of interest exist in the 17th century?
17th century Europe saw many trials related to Catholic-Protestant disagreements. Was the legal principle of conflict of interest operative at the time, so that for example the same person could not ...
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When did the Hudson Bay get its current name in French?
In French, the Hudson Bay is called "La baie d'Hudson". Apparently it was originally called "mer du Nord" (North Sea) in the 1600's, the according to its french wiki page.
Now obviously, Henry Hudson ...
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How were city government and law enforcement authorities organized in Northern Italy in the 17th century?
How was it all actually working there, in the dark 16xx-s?
Who was the major of a town, what was his duties and capabilities?
How were laws issued?
How was organized the analog of police: a city ...
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At the Battle of Augusta, how did the French learn that de Ruyter was mortally wounded?
According to Wikipedia, in the Battle of Augusta (1676)
The battle was a short but intense affair and ended abruptly when
Duquesne, after hearing that De Ruyter had been mortally wounded,
...
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What other courts were similar to Louis XIV of France's court in Versailles?
After reading about feudalism in the Middle Ages it became apparent that lords lived on their lands far away from the king and provided military services themselves in exchange for said lands. However,...
