- — Africa:
A haunt of pirates
For a century and a half the empty islands were used by pirates as a hideout and watering place while they preyed on Indian Ocean shipping.
Era: Empty Islands and Pirates
Sources: History of Seychelles · Holidify, Seychelles History — Timeline · SeyVillas Seychelles Travel Guide
- — Europe:
War of the Spanish Succession
A European war over the Spanish throne ended with the Bourbon Philip V confirmed as king by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which stripped Spain of its European territories and Gibraltar.
Era: Decline, the Bourbons and the Napoleonic Crisis
Sources: Treaties of Utrecht · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Anglo-Dutch capture of Gibraltar
During the War of the Spanish Succession an Anglo-Dutch force took Gibraltar; by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 Spain ceded it to Britain in perpetuity, and Spain continues to seek its return.
Era: Decline, the Bourbons and the Napoleonic Crisis
Sources: The Closure of the Border, 1969–2019 · HM Government of Gibraltar, Gibraltar: working paper prepared by the Secretariat (A/AC.109/2023/8) · United Nations, Special Committee on Decolonization
- — North America:
Nassau becomes a pirate haven
Amid a collapse of royal authority, Nassau became the base of a loose pirate republic, home to Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny and others who preyed on Atlantic shipping.
Era: English settlers and the Republic of Pirates
Sources: The Bahamas — British colonization (History) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bahamas: Local History and Genealogy — Research Guide · Library of Congress
- — Europe:
Battle of Poltava
Peter the Great of Russia routed Charles XII's invading army at Poltava in Ukraine, a decisive defeat that broke Swedish military power and began Russian supremacy in eastern Europe.
Era: Stormaktstiden: The Swedish Empire and Its Fall
Sources: Battle of Poltava · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Russia takes Riga
During the Great Northern War the forces of Peter the Great captured Riga from Sweden; the cession of Swedish Livonia was confirmed at the Peace of Nystad in 1721, bringing the region into the Russian Empire.
Era: Poland, Sweden, Courland and the Russian Empire
Sources: Latvia: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Latvia · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
- — Africa:
Cassard's French raid destroys the city
The French corsair Jacques Cassard stormed and looted Ribeira Grande, stripping its churches and houses; the coastal town, already declining, never recovered from the assault.
Era: Entrepôt of the slave trade — and its decline
Sources: Cassard expedition (1712) · Wikipedia, Cidade Velha · Wikipedia, History of Cape Verde · Wikipedia
- — Asia:
A Chinese imperial army enters Bhutan
Qing forces invade and briefly establish control — the first of three outside powers to reach into the valleys within two centuries.
Era: Civil Strife and the British Treaties
Sources: Bhutan country profile · BBC News
- — Asia:
Afghan sack of Isfahan and Safavid decline
Afghan invaders besiege and sack Isfahan, shattering Safavid power; the dynasty formally ends in 1736, opening a period of instability before the rise of the Qajars.
Era: Turkic and Mongol Rule and the Safavids
Sources: Safavid dynasty · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Safavid Iran · Wikipedia
- — Asia:
The 'Great Disaster' of the Dzungar wars
Devastating invasions by the Buddhist Dzungar confederation drive Kazakhs from their pastures with great loss of life, an episode remembered as the Aktaban Shubyryndy that gravely weakens the khanate.
Era: The Kazakh Khanate and the Three Jüz
Sources: History of Kazakhstan · Encyclopædia Britannica, Kazakhstan · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Africa:
Dahomey conquers Allada
King Agaja's army overran Allada, the parent kingdom of the Fon dynasty, beginning Dahomey's drive toward the coast and the Atlantic trade.
Era: The Fon Kingdom of Dahomey and the palaces of Abomey
Sources: Dahomey — historical kingdom, Africa · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of the Kingdom of Dahomey · Wikipedia
- — South America:
Spain expels the Portuguese at Montevideo
A Spanish force under Bruno Mauricio de Zabala drives out a Portuguese garrison that had begun fortifying the bay of Montevideo, opening the way for a Spanish town.
Era: The Contested Frontier: Colonia and Montevideo
Sources: Montevideo · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Conquest of Ouidah (Whydah)
Agaja seized the major slaving port of Whydah (Ouidah), giving Dahomey direct control of one of the busiest points of embarkation on the Slave Coast.
Era: The Fon Kingdom of Dahomey and the palaces of Abomey
Sources: Dahomey — historical kingdom, Africa · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727–1892 (Robin Law) · Boydell & Brewer via Cambridge Core, Ouidah · Wikipedia
- — Africa:
Kong expands northward
Under Seku Watara and his kin the empire of Kong extended its reach, conquering toward Bobo-Dioulasso and cementing its dominance over the regional trade routes before central authority weakened after his death about 1745.
Era: The northern savannas, the Dyula, and the Empire of Kong
Sources: Kong Empire · Wikipedia
- — Asia:
Persian invasion amid Yarubid civil war
A succession dispute fractured the Yarubid state, and the Persian ruler Nadir Shah's forces invaded and occupied parts of Oman, plunging the country into crisis.
Era: The Portuguese, Hormuz and the Yarubid Recovery
Sources: Oman: The early period · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ahmad ibn Said, imam of Oman · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
The Alberoni occupation
Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, papal legate of Ravenna, occupied San Marino with troops, suspended its constitution and sought to annex it to the Papal States, abolishing the Captains Regent.
Era: The Alberoni Occupation and Restored Liberty
Sources: San Marino Liberation Day (Alberoni occupation and 1740 restoration) · Office Holidays, History of San Marino · Visit San Marino (official tourism site)
- — South America:
Treaty of Madrid and the Guarani War
A planned transfer of seven mission towns to Portugal provokes Guarani resistance and a Spanish-Portuguese campaign, hardening official hostility to the Jesuits.
Era: The Jesuit Missions and the Colonial Province
Sources: Paraguay: The colonial period · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
French and Indian War
Britain's victory in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War expelled France from the continent but left Britain heavily indebted, prompting new colonial taxes.
Era: European colonisation and the Thirteen Colonies
Sources: Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation; U.S. History Collections · Library of Congress
- — Asia:
Reconquest of Lower Burma
Alaungpaya's forces capture Pegu and subdue the Mon south, reuniting the country under Konbaung rule.
Era: Empires Reborn: Toungoo and Konbaung
Sources: Alaungpaya Dynasty (Konbaung) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
British forces defeated the French outside Quebec City in the decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the turning point of the Seven Years' War in North America that led to the fall of New France.
Era: New France and the fur trade
Sources: Canada · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Quebec Act, 1774 · The Canadian Encyclopedia
- — North America:
Tacky's Revolt
A major slave rebellion led by the Akan leader Tacky sweeps the island before being crushed with the aid of the Maroons.
Era: Sugar, Slavery, and Resistance
Sources: Jamaica: British rule · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Treaty of Paris cedes New France to Britain
The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War, with France ceding its North American mainland territories to Britain and bringing the French Catholic population of Canada under British rule.
Era: British conquest and colonial British North America
Sources: British North America Act · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Quebec Act, 1774 · The Canadian Encyclopedia
- — South America:
The Berbice slave rebellion
Enslaved Africans led by Cuffy rise in Berbice, holding much of the colony for almost a year in one of the largest slave revolts in the Americas before being suppressed.
Era: The Dutch Colonies and the Engineered Coast
Sources: Guyana — History (Colonialism, Independence, Culture) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, The 1763 Monument · National Trust of Guyana
- — Asia:
Sack of Ayutthaya by Burma
A Burmese army storms and burns Ayutthaya after a prolonged siege, ending the kingdom and leaving the celebrated city in ruins.
Era: The Kingdom of Ayutthaya
Sources: Thailand · Encyclopædia Britannica, Taksin · Encyclopædia Britannica, Historic City of Ayutthaya · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- — Asia:
- — Asia:
The first British intervention
A century before the Duar War, British forces intervene in Bhutan — the beginning of the Raj's long pressure on its southern frontier.
Era: Civil Strife and the British Treaties
Sources: Bhutan country profile · BBC News
- — Asia:
The Lao kingdoms become Siamese vassals
Divided and weakened, the rulers of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak each fall under a Siamese commissioner and must pay tribute to Bangkok.
Era: Three Kingdoms and Siamese Vassalage
Sources: Lan Xang · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Laos: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
First Cape Frontier War
As trekboers reached the Great Fish River they clashed with the Xhosa, beginning a century-long series of frontier wars along the colony's eastern edge.
Era: The Dutch Cape Colony and the frontier
Sources: South Africa (country, history and government) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
The Great Siege of Gibraltar
During the American Revolutionary War, Spain and France besieged British Gibraltar from June 1779 to February 1783 in an unsuccessful attempt to capture it.
Era: Decline, the Bourbons and the Napoleonic Crisis
Sources: Great Siege of Gibraltar · Wikipedia
- — South America:
Revolt of Tupac Amaru II
Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui, taking the name Tupac Amaru II, leads a vast Indigenous uprising against Spanish rule across the southern Andes.
Era: Rebellion and Independence
Sources: Tupac Amaru II · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Peru: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
Tupac Katari besieges La Paz
The Aymara leader Tupac Katari, part of the great Andean rebellion begun by Tupac Amaru II, lays siege to La Paz before being captured and executed.
Era: The Revolt of Tupac Katari and Independence
Sources: Tupac Amaru II · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bolivia: A Country Study · Library of Congress, Federal Research Division
- — South America:
Execution of Tupac Amaru II
Captured by the Spanish, Tupac Amaru II is forced to witness the deaths of his family and is then executed at Cusco; the rebellion is suppressed but remembered.
Era: Rebellion and Independence
Sources: Tupac Amaru II · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Treaty of Paris
Great Britain recognised the independence of the United States, ending the Revolutionary War and ceding territory east of the Mississippi.
Era: Revolution and the founding of the Republic
Sources: Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation; U.S. History Collections · Library of Congress
- — Asia:
Annexation of Arakan
Konbaung expansion absorbs the kingdom of Arakan on the western coast, bringing the Burmese frontier up against British-held Bengal.
Era: Empires Reborn: Toungoo and Konbaung
Sources: History of Myanmar · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Anglo-Burmese Wars · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Malagasy slaving raids
Sakalava and Betsimisaraka war-fleets from Madagascar raid the Comoros for captives over several decades, devastating communities across the archipelago.
Era: The Swahili-Muslim Sultanates
Sources: Slavery in the Comoros · Wikipedia, Comoros: History · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Europe:
Storming of the Bastille
The opening act of the French Revolution; later France's national day.
Era: Revolution & Empire
Sources: French Revolution · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — North America:
The slave uprising begins
A massive revolt of the enslaved erupts on the northern plain of Saint-Domingue, opening the Haitian Revolution.
Era: The Haitian Revolution and Independence
Sources: Haitian Revolution · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Revolutionary France annexes Monaco
Revolutionary France abolished the Grimaldi sovereignty and annexed the principality, expelling the dynasty and scattering the palace's art collections.
Era: Revolution, the Cession of 1861 and the Birth of Monte-Carlo
Sources: Secession of Menton and Roquebrune (Treaty of 1861) · Government of Monaco (gouv.mc), Monaco - Prince's Palace · Government of Monaco (gouv.mc)
- — South America:
Death of the Maroon leader Boni
Boni, leader of the Aluku, is killed after years of guerrilla war against colonial forces, becoming an enduring symbol of resistance.
Era: Plantation Colony and the Maroons
Sources: Suriname: People · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Suriname: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Capitulations during the Napoleonic Wars
Administrator Quéau de Quincy surrendered the islands to British squadrons several times, restoring French rule whenever they left.
Era: British Rule and Emancipation
Sources: History of Seychelles · Wikipedia, Seychelles History — Timeline · SeyVillas Seychelles Travel Guide
- — Europe:
French annexation of the southern Netherlands
Revolutionary France annexed the Austrian Netherlands and the prince-bishopric of Liège, ending Habsburg rule and governing the region directly from Paris for twenty years.
Era: Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom
Sources: Belgium: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Revolutionary France captures the fortress
After a long blockade, French Revolutionary forces took the fortress in 1795 and Luxembourg was annexed to the French Republic, ending the era of Habsburg rule.
Era: The Gibraltar of the North and the First Partition
Sources: History of the City of Luxembourg · Ville de Luxembourg (City of Luxembourg), History of the city of Luxembourg · Luxembourg City Tourist Office
- — North America:
Britain captures Trinidad
A British expedition under Sir Ralph Abercromby took Trinidad from Spain almost without a fight; the last Spanish governor, Chacón, signed the capitulation at the Valsayn estate.
Era: British conquest and the much-contested Tobago
Sources: T&T History Timeline · National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Battle of St. George's Caye
In engagements off St. George's Caye, the outnumbered Baymen, a small British force and enslaved Africans repelled a Spanish fleet from the Yucatán; the Spanish withdrew on 10 September, ending the last attempt to expel the settlers.
Era: The Baymen, the forest and the slaves
Sources: History of Belize · Encyclopædia Britannica, Our History · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Belize, A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country: Belize · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — Europe:
Napoleon seizes Malta
On his way to Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte captured Malta from the Knights of St John, whose rule collapsed almost without a fight, ending two and a half centuries of the Order's sovereignty.
Era: Napoleon, British Rule and the Naval Fortress
Sources: History of Malta · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Knights Hospitaller · World History Encyclopedia
- — Europe:
Maltese uprising and French surrender
French seizures of church property triggered a Maltese revolt; with British and Sicilian naval support the insurgents blockaded the French garrison in Valletta until it surrendered in 1800.
Era: Napoleon, British Rule and the Naval Fortress
Sources: History of Malta · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
French invasion and the Helvetic Republic
Revolutionary France conquered Switzerland and replaced the old Confederation with the Helvetic Republic, a centralised unitary state that abolished cantonal sovereignty and the privileges of the patrician towns.
Era: The Helvetic Republic, Napoleon and the Recognition of Neutrality
Sources: Helvetic Republic · Encyclopaedia Britannica, The History of Switzerland · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch)
War & Rupture in the 18th century
Every event in the Terralore archive tagged war and rupture — wars, invasions, conquests, battles and armed conflict, narrowed to the 18th century — 47 of them, drawn from 37 nations, running from 1700 to 1798. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.
- Events
- 47
- Nations
- 37
- Earliest
- 1700
- Latest
- 1798
- Europe
- 13
- Asia
- 10
- North America
- 9
- Africa
- 8
- South America
- 7
Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.