Timeline of the Baroque Period – In Detail

1602-1603
In 1602, the Dutch East India Company (a chartered company) was established in order to seek benefits
from the Malukan spice trade, as also to secure their trade in the Indian Ocean. The company lasted well
with immense prosperity through the 17th century, before it met its end in 1799. The last crowned head
of the Tudor Dynasty, Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, was
born on 7 September 1533.Elizabeth I died in 1603.

Elizabeth Tudor
A queen at 25, Elizabeth Tudor, Queen Regnant of England, and Queen Regnant of Ireland, ruled
successfully, despite inheriting a nation which looked like it has no future when compared to mighty
Spain and France. Elizabeth Tudor had a fulfilling life for the most of it and died on 24 March 1603.

1607-1610
Situated on the North American mainland, the Jamestown settlement was the first flourishing English
settlement that had been established by the London Company, called the Virginia company. There were
in all about 100 odd members who led the voyage. The settlement was founded by the banks of the
James river.

Problems Faced by the Jamestown

Settlement
There were innumerable reasons like famine, disease, and fights which almost erased the settlement
until it was revived by another group of settlers in 1610. Named so in honor of King James I of England,
the Jamestown Settlement was founded on the 14th of May, 1607, in the Colony of Virginia.

Louis XIII
Born on 27 September, 1601, at Château de Fontainebleau, Louis XIII ruled as the King of France and
Navarre from 14 May 1610 to 14 May 1643. Crowned as the king at the age of 9, Louis XIII became king
upon the assassination of his father in 1610. However, since he was a minor at the time, France was ruled
by a Regnant; in this case, his mother, Marie de Medici.

Louis XIII was engaged to Anne of Austria which strengthened the ties between France and Spain. At this
time of the Baroque period, there was widespread religious upheaval which the king had to address to.
The king and his wife Anne were blessed with a son, Louis IV. The son died due to tuberculosis at a
young age of 41.

The Thirty Year War (1618-1648)

Possibly one of the most apocalyptic conflicts that European history may have seen, the Thirty Years War
happened partially as a result of the ongoing struggle between the Protestants and the Catholics, but
that wasn’t all. Political issues were also very evidently a major reason for this long-lasting war which
finally came to an end in 1648, in the part of Europe that we today know as Germany.
The war began when there occurred the Protestant revolt against the Holy Roman Empire. This was a
massive war that had engulfed almost all the European countries. The religious reasons dominated over
the political, however, it was a battle for the attainment of power in the later part of the war years.

1620-1625
The year 1620 was the year of arrival of the settlers at the Plymouth Colony. The settlers were basically a
group of English Separatists, the Pilgrims, who had dissociated themselves from the Church of England
because they were not convinced that the church had completed the work of Reformation.

The ship of these people landed on the present day Massachusetts, following which there was formed a
permanent settlement by the name of Plymouth Colony. Its inhabitants were known as the Pilgrim
Fathers, or simply, the Pilgrims.

Charles I
After the demise of his brother, Charles I was the next heir to the throne. He was not a very able ruler,
for there were contant wars during his reign. However, he was considered a man of good taste, and
there were a lot of artistic endeavors that happened during his time. There was also a widespread feud
with foreign countries like France and Spain. He was executed in 1649.

1626-1642
It is in 1626 that Dutch explorers are said to have discovered New York. The man was Henry Hudson, and
it was 4 centuries ago that New York was discovered. A land of immigrants today, New York first came
into existence thanks to the Dutch settling in here. As a matter of fact, the Hudson river, Hudson bay,
and Hudson strait, are all named in honor of Henry Hudson.

Galileo Galilei’s Death

On the 8th of January, 1642 that the world lost a true genius. Philosopher, astronomer, physicist, and
mathematician, Galileo Galilei died at the age of 77 in Arcetri, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Italy.

1643-1660
Known as the Sun King, King Louis XIV reigned over France for 72 years, starting from 1643, and going
all the way up to 1715. The King of France and Navarre, he has had the longest rule that any country has
ever seen.

Louis XIV
Louis XIV got an early start at the age of 4, though he couldn’t rule since he was a minor. However, once
he did take over in 1661, he ruled like a king truly should. This period marked the end of the
Commonwealth of England & the return of monarchy. The republic rule over England, Scotland, and
Ireland since 1649, came to an end after 11 years in 1660.

A “de facto” governance in the form of the Crowned Republic Military dictatorship, and executive
governance such as that of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector (1653-1658), and Richard Cromwell, Lord
Protector (1658-1659), all came to an end in 1660. It was then, that the rule of the Royal family, and
Queen Elizabeth returned.
1656-1677
Gian Lorenzo Bernini spent long years in the completion of St. Peter’s Square during this period. The
open arena which is directly in front of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the place we all know as the
papal enclave, took from 1656 to 1667 for completion.

William III
The son of William II of Orange and Mary Stuart, William III never knew his father, due to his father’s
death because of smallpox before his birth. He rose to the throne as crowned king on April 11, 1689,
with his wife Queen Mary II (daughter of James II and Anne Hyde), whom he had married in 1677.

1689-1694
By himself, King William III ruled England all the way until his death in 1702, but together, King William III
and Queen Mary II ruled until 1694, the year of the death of the queen. Since the king and queen had
never been blessed with children, they had no successors to the throne, thus making Mary’s sister, Anne,
successor.

Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts

An age filled with Puritanism, the Salem Witch Trials are definitely amongst the more commonly known
events from this time period. Between the months of June to September 1692, at least 19 men and
women were labelled for witchcraft and were hauled for hanging near Salem village. The Salem Witch
Trials in Massachusetts are unquestionably always going to be part of those incidents which can never
be forgotten.

We’ve always known about the more aesthetic aspects, such as music, literature, architecture, etc., of the
Baroque period. Hopefully, now you’ll have a better idea of the significant historical events during the
Baroque period too.

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/5-greatest-baroque-painters/