A world chronology · 1830–1839

The 1830s

68 sourced events, 50 nations, in the order they happened.

Every record below is drawn from the chronicle of the nation it belongs to, with the same citations. Read down for the whole period, or jump to a stretch of it; within each year the world is grouped by continent.

Africa
21 events · 15 nations
Europe
14 events · 10 nations
North America
13 events · 10 nations
South America
12 events · 7 nations
Asia
7 events · 7 nations
Oceania
1 event · 1 nation

13 records

Africa

  1. DZA

    Algeria · Colonisation · 5 July 1830

    France captures Algiers

    A French expeditionary force takes Algiers, ending the Ottoman regency and beginning 132 years of French rule in Algeria.

    French Conquest and Settler Colony

    Sources: France Conquers Algeria (EBSCO Research Starters) · History of Algeria (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. CAF

    Central African Republic · Politics & Power

    Dar al-Kuti founded under Wadai

    The sultanate of Dar al-Kuti was established as a tributary of Dar Runga and ultimately of Wadai, becoming a staging ground for slave raids into the Banda and Nzakara lands to the south.

    Zande States and the Slave Trade

    Sources: Dar al-Kuti (Wikipedia) · Central African Republic — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Asia

  1. IDN

    Indonesia · Economy & Trade

    The Cultivation System

    The Dutch impose the Cultuurstelsel, forcing Javanese peasants to grow export crops for the colonial state; it enriches the Netherlands while causing widespread hardship and local famines.

    The Dutch East Indies and the National Awakening

    Sources: History of Indonesia (Islamic influence; Dutch rule) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Indonesian National Awakening (Wikipedia)

Europe

  1. BEL

    Belgium · Independence · Aug–Sep 1830

    The Belgian Revolution

    Rebellion in Brussels drove out the Dutch garrison; a National Congress proclaimed independence and adopted a liberal constitution, breaking the southern provinces away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

    Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom

    Sources: Belgium: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. GRC

    Greece · Independence · 3 February 1830

    London Protocol recognizes Greek independence

    Britain, France and Russia signed the London Protocol declaring Greece an independent state, the first international act recognizing Greek sovereignty.

    Ottoman Rule and the War of Independence

    Sources: 3 February 1830: Greece becomes a state (London Protocol) (Greek News Agenda (General Secretariat for Media and Communication)) · Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire (EBSCO Research Starters)

  3. MNE

    Montenegro · Culture & Ideas · 1830–1851

    Rule of Petar II Petrovic-Njegos

    The poet-prince Petar II strengthened the state, founded schools and reformed taxation, and wrote The Mountain Wreath, becoming Montenegro's most celebrated cultural figure.

    The Prince-Bishopric and the Petrovic-Njegos Resistance

    Sources: Peter II (Petar II Petrovic-Njegos), prince-bishop of Montenegro (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · The Mountain Wreath (Gorski vijenac) (Projekat Rastko)

  4. NLD

    Netherlands · Independence

    Belgian Revolution

    The southern provinces rebel and declare independence as Belgium, dividing the United Kingdom of the Netherlands; separation is recognised in 1839.

    Decline, French Rule and the Kingdom of the Netherlands

    Sources: Netherlands (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  5. POL

    Poland · War & Rupture · 1830–1831

    The November Uprising

    Poles in the Russian partition rose against the tsar; after initial successes the rising was crushed, bringing reprisals, the end of the Kingdom's autonomy and a wave of political exile.

    The Partitions and the Long Fight for Independence

    Sources: History of Poland (1795-1918) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

  1. HND

    Honduras · Politics & Power · 1830-1840

    Morazán leads the federation

    The Honduran Liberal Francisco Morazán serves as president of the United Provinces, fighting to preserve the union against Conservative revolts.

    Independence, Federation, and Morazán

    Sources: Francisco Morazán (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

  1. COL

    Colombia · Politics & Power · 1830 CE

    Breakup of Gran Colombia

    Venezuela and Ecuador secede and Bolivar dies near Santa Marta; the union dissolves, leaving New Granada as a separate state.

    Independence and Gran Colombia

    Sources: Gran Colombia (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Simon Bolivar (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. ECU

    Ecuador · Formation · 13 May 1830

    Republic of Ecuador founded

    An assembly in Quito separates the southern district from Gran Colombia and founds the Republic of Ecuador, with Juan Jose Flores as first president.

    The Light of America: Independence and the Republic

    Sources: History of Ecuador (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Gran Colombia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  3. URY

    Uruguay · Politics & Power · 18 July 1830

    First constitution sworn

    The Oriental Republic of Uruguay adopts its first national constitution, formally organising the new state.

    Artigas, the Thirty-Three, and Independence

    Sources: Uruguay: The struggle for national identity (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  4. VEN

    Venezuela · Formation · 1830 CE

    Separation from Gran Colombia

    As Gran Colombia dissolves and Bolivar dies, Jose Antonio Paez leads Venezuela to declare itself a separate republic and becomes its first president.

    The Cradle of Independence and Simon Bolivar

    Sources: Jose Antonio Paez (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Venezuela (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6 records

Africa

  1. ZMB

    Zambia · Economy & Trade · 1831–1832

    Gamitto's mission to Kazembe

    A second Portuguese expedition, led by António Gamitto, visited the Mwata Kazembe, leaving a detailed account of a Lunda state deeply engaged in the regional trade in ivory, copper, and captives.

    Kingdoms of the Zambezi and Luapula: Lozi, Bemba, Chewa and Kazembe

    Sources: Kazembe (Lunda kingdom of the Luapula) (Wikipedia) · Zambia: External contacts and the slave and ivory trade (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

  1. BEL

    Belgium · Formation · 21 Jul 1831

    Leopold I, first King of the Belgians

    The German prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was installed as the first king and took his constitutional oath on 21 July 1831, a date still observed as Belgium's national day.

    Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom

    Sources: Leopold I, king of Belgium (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Belgium: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

  1. JAM

    Jamaica · War & Rupture · Dec 1831 - 1832

    The Baptist War

    Samuel Sharpe leads a Christmas rebellion of tens of thousands; its suppression hastens the end of slavery in the empire.

    Sugar, Slavery, and Resistance

    Sources: Jamaica: British rule (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

  1. FLK

    Falkland Islands · War & Rupture

    USS Lexington raid on Port Louis

    The U.S. warship Lexington destroyed the Argentine settlement on East Falkland in reprisal for the seizure of American sealing ships, ending Vernet's colony.

    Buenos Aires, Vernet, and 1833

    Sources: Falkland Islands — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. GUY

    Guyana · Colonisation

    Creation of British Guiana

    Britain unites the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice into a single Crown colony, British Guiana, with Georgetown as its capital.

    British Guiana: Emancipation and Indenture

    Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Guyana (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Guyana — History (Colonialism, Independence, Culture) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  3. URY

    Uruguay · War & Rupture · 11 Apr 1831

    Massacre of the Charrua at Salsipuedes

    Government forces ambush and massacre the Charrua at Salsipuedes, a campaign that destroyed them as a distinct people and is remembered as a foundational injustice.

    Blancos, Colorados, and the Guerra Grande

    Sources: Charrua (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Uruguay: The struggle for national identity (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3 records

Africa

  1. DZA

    Algeria · War & Rupture · 1832–1847

    Abd al-Qadir's resistance

    Proclaimed amir in 1832, Abd al-Qadir builds a state across much of Algeria and leads armed resistance to the French until his surrender in 1847.

    French Conquest and Settler Colony

    Sources: Abdelkader (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · France Conquers Algeria (EBSCO Research Starters)

  2. LBR

    Liberia · Culture & Ideas · c. 1832–1833

    Invention of the Vai script

    Momolu Duwalu Bukele and fellow Vai elders are credited with devising the Vai syllabary, one of the few indigenous writing systems created in sub-Saharan Africa, which remains in use; some accounts place its origin earlier.

    Indigenous peoples of the Grain Coast

    Sources: Momolu Duwalu Bukele (Wikipedia) · Vai syllabary (Wikipedia) · Liberia — People (Ethnic Groups, Languages) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

  1. GRC

    Greece · Independence · July 1832

    Treaty of Constantinople and the Kingdom of Greece

    The Ottoman sultan recognized Greek independence and the new state's frontiers in the Treaty of Constantinople; the Bavarian prince Otto was chosen as the first king of Greece.

    Ottoman Rule and the War of Independence

    Sources: War of Greek Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Otto, king of Greece (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5 records

Africa

  1. LSO

    Lesotho · Religion

    Paris missionaries arrive

    Moshoeshoe invites the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society into his kingdom; the missionaries help create a written Sesotho and advise him on dealings with Europeans.

    Moshoeshoe and the Birth of the Basotho

    Sources: Lesotho: The Sotho kingdom (1824–69) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Lesotho (Wikipedia)

Asia

  1. OMN

    Oman · Politics & Power · 21 September 1833

    Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States

    Said bin Sultan's government concluded a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States, the first bilateral treaty between Washington and an Arab Gulf state.

    The Al Bu Said Dynasty and the Empire of Zanzibar

    Sources: History of the U.S.-Oman Relationship (U.S. Embassy in Oman) · Said ibn Sultan, Omani ruler and Zanzibar sultan (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

  1. GBR

    United Kingdom · Politics & Power

    Slavery Abolition Act

    Parliament abolished slavery across most of the British Empire, effective 1834, freeing more than 800,000 people while compensating former slave-owners rather than the enslaved.

    Empire, industry, and the Victorian age

    Sources: Slavery Abolition Act (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

  1. CHL

    Chile · Politics & Power · 1833 CE

    The Constitution of 1833

    A conservative constitution shaped by Diego Portales establishes a strong centralised presidency, anchoring decades of unusual political stability.

    Independence and the Building of a Republic

    Sources: History of Chile (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. FLK

    Falkland Islands · Formation · 2 January 1833

    Britain re-establishes control (founding of continuous administration)

    A British force required the small Argentine garrison to leave Port Louis and re-asserted British control — the start of continuous British administration, which Argentina contests as illegitimate occupation.

    Buenos Aires, Vernet, and 1833

    Sources: Falkland Islands — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Our History (Falkland Islands Government) · The South Atlantic Crisis, 1982 (Conflict over the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

4 records

Africa

  1. MUS

    Mauritius · Peoples & Migration · 1834–c. 1910

    Indian indenture and the Aapravasi Ghat

    Around half a million indentured labourers from India arrive through the Port Louis depot, the 'Great Experiment', reshaping the island's population.

    British Mauritius: Abolition & Indenture

    Sources: Aapravasi Ghat (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Aapravasi Ghat (World Heritage List) (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

  2. ZAF

    South Africa · Politics & Power · 1 December 1834

    Abolition of slavery at the Cape

    Slavery was abolished across the British Empire, freeing enslaved people at the Cape and deepening Boer discontent that helped spark the Great Trek.

    British rule, the Mfecane, the Zulu kingdom and the Boer republics

    Sources: History of slavery and early colonisation in South Africa (South African History Online) · South Africa (country, history and government) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

  1. BHS

    Bahamas · Politics & Power · 1 August 1834

    Slavery Abolition Act takes effect

    The British Slavery Abolition Act came into force in the Bahamas on 1 August 1834, beginning emancipation; after an apprenticeship period, full freedom followed in 1838.

    Loyalists, slavery and emancipation

    Sources: Bahamas: Local History and Genealogy — Research Guide (Library of Congress) · The Bahamas — British colonization (History) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. TTO

    Trinidad and Tobago · Politics & Power · 1 August 1834

    Abolition of slavery

    Under Britain's Slavery Abolition Act, slavery ended in Trinidad and Tobago on 1 August 1834, though a transitional 'apprenticeship' kept the freed people tied to the estates.

    British conquest and the much-contested Tobago

    Sources: Trinidad and Tobago: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · T&T History Timeline (National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago)

8 records

Africa

  1. LBY

    Libya · Politics & Power

    Ottomans restore direct rule

    Sultan Mahmud II ends the Karamanli dynasty and reimposes direct Ottoman administration over Tripolitania.

    Ottoman Rule and the Karamanli Dynasty

    Sources: Ottoman Tripolitania (Wikipedia)

  2. MDG

    Madagascar · Religion

    Ranavalona I bans Christianity

    Fearing foreign influence, the queen proscribes Christian practice; persecution and executions follow over decades.

    The Merina Monarchy

    Sources: Ranavalona I (Wikipedia) · Madagascar (Encyclopædia Britannica)

  3. MUS

    Mauritius · Politics & Power · 1 February 1835

    Abolition of slavery

    Slavery is formally ended in Mauritius, freeing tens of thousands of enslaved people, followed by a transitional 'apprenticeship'.

    British Mauritius: Abolition & Indenture

    Sources: Mauritius (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Le Morne Cultural Landscape (World Heritage List) (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

  4. SYC

    Seychelles · Politics & Power

    Abolition of slavery

    Emancipation freed the several thousand enslaved Africans who formed the majority of the colony's population.

    British Rule and Emancipation

    Sources: History of Seychelles (Wikipedia) · History of Slavery (Seychelles National Museum)

  5. ZMB

    Zambia · Peoples & Migration · 1830s

    Ngoni incursions from the south

    Ngoni warbands driven north by the upheavals of the Mfecane crossed the Zambezi under leaders such as Zwangendaba, raiding and absorbing peoples and settling in the east of the region.

    Upheaval, the slave trade and Livingstone

    Sources: History of Zambia (Wikipedia) · History of Zambia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

  1. HRV

    Croatia · Culture & Ideas · 1830s–1840s

    The Illyrian movement and national revival

    Led by Ljudevit Gaj, intellectuals and clergy promoted a standard Croatian literary language and South Slav cultural unity, laying the foundations of the modern Croatian nation.

    The National Revival and the End of Austria-Hungary

    Sources: Croatia: The Croatian national revival (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Croatia: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. FIN

    Finland · Culture & Ideas

    Elias Lonnrot publishes the Kalevala

    Lonnrot published the Kalevala, a national epic assembled from oral folk poetry collected in Karelia; it strengthened the Finnish language and fed the national awakening that would culminate in independence.

    The Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire

    Sources: Elias Lonnrot (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Kalevala: the Finnish national epic (thisisFINLAND (Finland Promotion Board))

South America

  1. ECU

    Ecuador · Culture & Ideas · 1835 CE

    Darwin reaches the Galapagos

    The naturalist Charles Darwin visits the Galapagos aboard HMS Beagle, gathering observations that help shape his theory of evolution by natural selection.

    Cacao, Liberals and Bananas

    Sources: History of Galapagos (Galapagos Conservancy) · About Galapagos (Charles Darwin Foundation)

2 records

Africa

  1. AGO

    Angola · Politics & Power

    Portugal abolishes the slave trade

    Portugal formally outlawed the transatlantic slave trade, ending Luanda's centuries as a slaving port, though clandestine traffic and later forced labour persisted in Angola.

    The slow conquest of the interior

    Sources: Slavery in Angola (Wikipedia) · Portuguese Angola (Wikipedia)

  2. ZAF

    South Africa · Peoples & Migration · from 1836

    The Great Trek

    Thousands of Voortrekkers left the Cape Colony for the interior, seeking independence from British rule and founding new Boer communities on lands occupied by African peoples.

    British rule, the Mfecane, the Zulu kingdom and the Boer republics

    Sources: Origins of the Battle of Blood River 1838 (South African History Online) · South Africa (country, history and government) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5 records

Africa

  1. BWA

    Botswana · War & Rupture · 1830s

    Ndebele raids under Mzilikazi

    Mzilikazi's Ndebele raid Tswana communities through the 1830s, capturing cattle, women and children before migrating north across the Limpopo.

    The Tswana Nations and the Difaqane

    Sources: Matabele Wars 1836–1896 (South African History Online) · Matabeleland: The Ndebele Empire in Southern Africa (World History Encyclopedia)

  2. LBY

    Libya · Religion

    Founding of the Senussi order

    Muhammad ibn Ali al-Senussi founds the Sanusi religious order, which from the 1840s becomes the leading power in Cyrenaica and the eastern Sahara.

    Ottoman Rule and the Karamanli Dynasty

    Sources: al-Sanusi (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sanusiyya (Wikipedia)

Asia

  1. KAZ

    Kazakhstan · War & Rupture · 1837–1847

    Kenesary Kasymov's revolt

    Kenesary Kasymov, a grandson of Ablai Khan, leads the largest Kazakh uprising against Russian rule, fighting to restore the independent khanate until he is killed in 1847.

    The Russian Conquest of the Steppe

    Sources: History of Kazakhstan (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)

Europe

  1. GBR

    United Kingdom · Politics & Power · 1837–1901

    The Victorian era and the height of empire

    During Queen Victoria's long reign Britain became the world's foremost industrial and imperial power, its empire eventually spanning about a quarter of the globe.

    Empire, industry, and the Victorian age

    Sources: Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · British Empire (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

  1. CAN

    Canada · Politics & Power · 1837–1838

    Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada

    Armed uprisings against oligarchic colonial rule in both Canadas were suppressed but led to Lord Durham's report and, ultimately, to responsible government.

    British conquest and colonial British North America

    Sources: Canada (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

11 records

Africa

  1. ZAF

    South Africa · War & Rupture · 16 December 1838

    Battle of Blood River

    A Voortrekker commando under Andries Pretorius defeated a large Zulu army at the Ncome (Blood) River, a battle long mythologised in Afrikaner nationalism and preceding the rise of Boer republics.

    British rule, the Mfecane, the Zulu kingdom and the Boer republics

    Sources: Origins of the Battle of Blood River 1838 (South African History Online) · South Africa (country, history and government) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. ZWE

    Zimbabwe · Peoples & Migration · c. 1838–1840

    The Ndebele settle the south-west

    Mzilikazi led the Ndebele north during the Mfecane and established a centralised military kingdom around Bulawayo, dominating the south-western plateau and its Shona inhabitants.

    The Ndebele kingdom and British conquest

    Sources: Mzilikazi (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Lobengula (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Zimbabwe: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

  1. BLZ

    Belize · Politics & Power · 1 August 1838

    Emancipation completed

    Following abolition across the British Empire from 1834, the apprenticeship system ended in British Honduras on 1 August 1838, freeing the enslaved; the freed African population formed the core of the colony's Creole society.

    British Honduras and a plural society

    Sources: History of Belize (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Guyana and Belize: Country Studies (Federal Research Division) (Library of Congress)

  2. CRI

    Costa Rica · Politics & Power · 1838 CE

    Withdrawal from the federation

    Disenchanted with the strife of the United Provinces of Central America, Costa Rica severs its federal ties and charts an independent course.

    Independence and a Coffee Republic

    Sources: History of Costa Rica (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Costa Rica: Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  3. DOM

    Dominican Republic · Politics & Power · 16 Jul 1838

    Founding of La Trinitaria

    Juan Pablo Duarte founds the clandestine society La Trinitaria, organised in three-man cells, to undermine Haitian rule and build a movement for Dominican independence.

    Haitian Rule and Dominican Independence

    Sources: Juan Pablo Duarte (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  4. HND

    Honduras · Independence · 1838 CE

    Honduras becomes sovereign

    Amid the federation's collapse, Honduras separates to become a fully independent state.

    Independence, Federation, and Morazán

    Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Honduras (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · United Provinces of Central America (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  5. JAM

    Jamaica · Politics & Power · 1 Aug 1838

    Emancipation

    After the Abolition Act of 1833 and a period of apprenticeship, the enslaved people of Jamaica gain full freedom.

    Sugar, Slavery, and Resistance

    Sources: Jamaica: British rule (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Jamaica: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  6. NIC

    Nicaragua · Politics & Power · 1838 CE

    Separation from the Central American federation

    Amid regional rivalry, Nicaragua withdraws from the Federal Republic of Central America to become a fully sovereign state.

    Independence, Rivalry, and the Filibuster

    Sources: History of Nicaragua (Encyclopædia Britannica)

  7. TTO

    Trinidad and Tobago · Politics & Power · 1 August 1838

    Full emancipation

    The apprenticeship system ended on 1 August 1838, granting the formerly enslaved full freedom and leaving the colony's planters scrambling for new sources of labour.

    British conquest and the much-contested Tobago

    Sources: Trinidad and Tobago: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Indian Arrival Day (National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Trinidad and Tobago)

  8. USA

    United States · Peoples & Migration

    Trail of Tears

    Under the Indian Removal Act, the United States forcibly marched the Cherokee and other southeastern nations west of the Mississippi; thousands died en route.

    Expansion, slavery, and the Civil War

    Sources: Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation; U.S. History Collections (Library of Congress)

South America

  1. GUY

    Guyana · Peoples & Migration

    Emancipation and Indian indenture

    Full emancipation takes effect on 1 August 1838; the first indentured labourers from India arrive on 5 May 1838, beginning decades of immigration that reshape the colony's population.

    British Guiana: Emancipation and Indenture

    Sources: Guyana — History (Colonialism, Independence, Culture) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Guyana and Belize: Country Studies (U.S. Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)

11 records

Africa

  1. CPV

    Cape Verde · Economy & Trade · from c. 1838

    Mindelo becomes an Atlantic coaling station

    The deep harbour of Porto Grande at Mindelo on São Vicente was developed as a coaling station for transatlantic steamships and later a submarine-cable relay, briefly making the port cosmopolitan and prosperous.

    Creole culture, the coaling port, and the years of hunger

    Sources: History of Cape Verde (Wikipedia) · History of Cabo Verde (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. GAB

    Gabon · Colonisation

    France treats with King Denis

    The French officer Bouët-Willaumez signed a treaty in 1839 with the Mpongwe ruler Antchouwe Kowe Rapontchombo ("King Denis"), securing French trading and basing rights on the Gabon Estuary.

    Libreville, Brazza, and French conquest

    Sources: Libreville (Wikipedia) · History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Asia

  1. AFG

    Afghanistan · War & Rupture · 1839–1842

    First Anglo-Afghan War

    Britain invades to install a friendly ruler but is overwhelmed; a British-Indian force is destroyed during its disastrous 1842 retreat from Kabul, an early clash of the Great Game.

    The Durrani Empire and the Great Game

    Sources: Anglo-Afghan Wars — History, Significance & Facts (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. CHN

    China · Colonisation · 1839 CE

    First Opium War and the 'unequal treaties'

    War with Britain over the opium trade ends in Qing defeat and the Treaty of Nanjing (1842), ceding Hong Kong and opening treaty ports, the start of a century of foreign encroachment China calls its century of humiliation.

    Empires of Conquest and Restoration: Yuan, Ming, Qing

    Sources: China (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  3. TUR

    Türkiye · Politics & Power · 1839–1876

    The Tanzimat reforms

    A wave of modernising reforms reorganised Ottoman law, taxation, education and the military in an effort to halt the empire's decline and integrate its diverse subjects.

    The Ottoman Empire: Height and Decline

    Sources: Ottoman Empire (Encyclopædia Britannica)

  4. YEM

    Yemen · Colonisation

    Britain captures Aden

    The British East India Company seized the port of Aden, establishing a coaling station on the route to India that grew into one of the world's busiest ports after the Suez Canal opened in 1869.

    Ottomans, Britain and the Port of Aden

    Sources: Aden: Yemen, Map, Population and Facts (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · A Short History of the Aden Emergency (Imperial War Museums)

Europe

  1. BLR

    Belarus · Religion

    Suppression of the Uniate Church and Russification

    The Uniate (Greek Catholic) Church was abolished and absorbed into Russian Orthodoxy, part of a sustained imperial policy of Russification that discouraged the Belarusian language and name.

    The Commonwealth, Partition and the Russian Empire

    Sources: History of Belarus (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  2. BEL

    Belgium · Independence · 19 Apr 1839

    Treaty of London guarantees Belgian neutrality

    Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, Russia and the Netherlands recognised Belgium as an independent and perpetually neutral state and guaranteed its neutrality, the treaty later cited by Britain to enter the First World War.

    Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom

    Sources: The Treaty of London, 1839 (primary text) (FirstWorldWar.com Primary Documents) · Belgium: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

  3. LUX

    Luxembourg · Politics & Power

    Treaty of London: the cession to Belgium

    The 1839 Treaty of London partitioned the Grand Duchy a third time, ceding its larger French-speaking western half to the new kingdom of Belgium while confirming the independence of the German-speaking remainder.

    The Grand Duchy, the Second and Third Partitions, and Neutrality

    Sources: The history of the Nassau dynasty (Cour grand-ducale (Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg)) · History of the city of Luxembourg (Luxembourg City Tourist Office)

South America

  1. URY

    Uruguay · War & Rupture · 1839-1851

    The Guerra Grande

    The rivalry of Colorados and Blancos erupts into the Guerra Grande; the Blanco Oribe besieges Montevideo for nine years while the Colorados, aided by foreign legions, hold the city.

    Blancos, Colorados, and the Guerra Grande

    Sources: Uruguay: The struggle for national identity (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Uruguay (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Oceania

  1. VUT

    Vanuatu · Religion

    Missionaries arrive; Williams killed at Erromango

    Christian missions began in the islands; the LMS missionary John Williams was killed at Erromango, the first of several martyrdoms as Christianity slowly took hold.

    Sandalwood, Blackbirding and Missions

    Sources: An Archaeology of Early Christianity in Vanuatu (Ch. 2: contact, labour and missions) (ANU Press) · Vanuatu — History (Melanesian, Colonization, Independence) (Encyclopædia Britannica)