On This Day

England grants a patent to Providence Plantations for what is now Rhode Island

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly more than 1.11 million residents as of 2025. The state's population, however, has continually recorded growth in every decennial census since 1790, and it is the second-most densely populated state after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though most of its land area is on the mainland.

Historical Significance

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

Events Before

  1. Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven form the United Colonies of New England

    The United Colonies of New England, commonly known as the New England Confederation, was a confederal alliance of the New England colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Saybrook (Connecticut), and…

  2. Pavonia Massacre: Dutch US colonists kill 120 Algonquin Native Americans at Communipaw (New Jersey)

    Pavonia Massacre: Dutch US colonists kill 120 Algonquin Native Americans at Communipaw (New Jersey)

  3. Tirso de Molina's "Bellaco Sois, Gomez" premieres in Madrid

    Tirso de Molina's "Bellaco Sois, Gomez" premieres in Madrid

  4. Lady Blanche Arundell, surrenders Wardour Castle, which she had led the defense of against a siege by Parliamentarian fo

    Lady Blanche Arundell, surrenders Wardour Castle, which she had led the defense of against a siege by Parliamentarian forces [1]

  5. Essex County, Massachusetts is founded, which contains the town of Salem in which the notorious witch-trials will occur

    Essex County, Massachusetts is founded, which contains the town of Salem in which the notorious witch-trials will occur in 1692

Events After

  1. English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, a significant step toward the New M

    English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, a significant step toward the New Model Army

  2. Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament's New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeats the Royal

    Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament's New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeats the Royalist forces of English King Charles I

  3. French nobleman and soldier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier marries Julie d'Angennes finally, four years afte

    French nobleman and soldier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier marries Julie d'Angennes finally, four years after he gifted her manuscript Guirlande de Julie, composed of 61 madrigals by famous poets

  4. Battle of Jankau in Bohemia: Sweden defeats Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III

    The Battle of Jankau, took place on 6 March 1645 during the later stages of the Thirty Years' War, near Jankov in Bohemia (today the Czech Republic).

  5. Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, resigns as Parliament's supreme commander during the English Civil War

    Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, resigns as Parliament's supreme commander during the English Civil War

More from the 1640s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 14, 1644?
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S.
Why is England grants a patent to Providence Plantations for what is now Rhode Island significant?
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

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