On This Day
·

Denmark-Norway, Holstein-Gottorp, and the Swedish Empire sign the Treaty of Travendal

The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden was a European great power...

The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region. During this period it also held territories on the North Sea and some overseas colonies, including New Sweden. The beginning of the period is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, and its end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War.

After the death of Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, the empire was controlled for lengthy periods by part of the high nobility, such as the Oxenstierna family, acting as regents for under-aged monarchs.

Historical Significance

The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region.

Events Before

  1. Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

    Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

  2. Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time

    Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time Ottomans concede significant territory

  3. rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

    rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

  4. French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi rive

    French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi river [1]

  5. Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

    Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

Events After

  1. William Penn presents the Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing religious freedom for the colony of Pennsylvania

    William Penn presents the Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing religious freedom for the colony of Pennsylvania

  2. Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar

    Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar

  3. Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte of Hanover crowned king and queen of Prussia

    Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (26 March [O.S. 16 March] 1687 – 28 June 1757; German: Sophie Dorothea von Hannover) was Queen in Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg during the reign of her husband, King...

  4. France, Cologne & Bavaria sign alliance

    The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

  5. The War of the Spanish Succession begins

    The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict, fought between 1701 and 1714.

More from the 1700s

Protestant Western Europe, except England, begins to use the Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it...

John V succeeds his father, Peter II, as King of Portugal

Dom John V (Portuguese: João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (o Magnânimo) and the Portuguese Sun King (o Rei-Sol Português), was King…

Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony, Russia, and the Swedish Empire

Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony, Russia, and the Swedish Empire

Queen Anne of England knights scientist Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge

Sir Isaac Newton (4 January [O.S. 25 December] 1643 – 31 March [O.S. 20 March] 1727) was an English polymath who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author and…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 18, 1700?
The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region. During this period it also held territories on the North Sea and some overseas colonies, including New Sweden. The beginning of the period is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, and its end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War.
Why is Denmark-Norway, Holstein-Gottorp, and the Swedish Empire sign the Treaty of T... significant?
The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region.

Explore More

August 18 in HistoryYear 1700