18th Century (1701 - 1800)

## Introduction

The **18th century** lasted from January 1, 1701 to December 31, 1800 in the Gregorian calendar. During the 18th century, the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions. Philosophy and science increased in prominence. Philosophers dreamed of a brighter age. This dream turned into a reality with the French Revolution, although it was later compromised by the excesses of the Reign of Terror of Maximilien Robespierre. At first, the monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but with the French Revolution they feared losing their power and formed broad coalitions for the counter-revolution. The Ottoman Empire underwent a protracted decline, as it failed to keep up with the technological advances in Europe. The Tulip period symbolized a period of peace and reorientation towards European society, after victory against a burgeoning Russian Empire in the Pruth River Campaign. Throughout the century various reforms were introduced with limited success.

The 18th century also marked the end of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as an independent state. The once-powerful and vast kingdom, which was able to conquer Moscow and defeat the great Ottoman armies, collapsed under numerous invasions. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring monarchies of the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire and the Archduchy of Austria which divided the Commonwealth territories among them, changing the landscape of Central European politics for the next hundred years.

European colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world intensified and the associated mass migrations of people grew in size as the Age of Sail continued. Great Britain became a major power worldwide with the defeat of France in North America in the 1760s and the conquest of large parts of India. However, Britain lost many of its North American colonies after the American Revolution, which resulted in the creation of the newly independent United States of America. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the 1770s with the production of the improved steam engine. Despite its modest beginnings in the 18th century, steam-powered machinery would radically change human society and the environment.

## Important things from 1750 to 1800

### 1750's

* 1750: Peak of the Little Ice Age.
* 1754: The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah as Nawab of the Carnatic.
* 1754: King's College is founded by a royal charter of George II of Great Britain.[20]
* 1754–1763: The French and Indian War, the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.

### 1760's

* 1760: George III becomes King of Britain.
* 1760: Zand dynasty is founded in Iran.
* 1761: Maratha Empire defeated at Battle of Panipat.
* 1762–1796: Reign of Catherine the Great of Russia.
* 1763: The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War and Third Carnatic War.

### 1770's

* 1770: James Cook claims the East Coast of Australia (New South Wales) for Great Britain.
* 1770–1771: Famine in Czech lands kills hundreds of thousands.
* 1770: James Cook stops at Onrust Island in the Bay of Batavia for repairs to his ship *Endeavour* on his voyage around the world.[23]
* 1771: The Plague Riot in Moscow.
* 1771: Richard Arkwright and his partners build the world's first water-powered mill at Cromford.
* 1772: Reformer Johann Friedrich Struensee executed in Denmark.
* 1772: Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.
* 1772–1779: Maratha Empire fights Britain and Raghunathrao's forces during the First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 1772–1795: The Partitions of Poland end the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.
* 1775–1783: American Revolutionary War.
* 1776: Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt.
* 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

### 1780's

* 1780: Outbreak of the indigenous rebellion against Spanish colonization led by Túpac Amaru II in Peru.
* 1781: The city of Los Angeles is founded by Spanish settlers.
* 1781–1785: Serfdom is abolished in the Austrian monarchy (first step; second step in 1848).
* 1783: Famine in Iceland, caused by the eruption of the Laki volcano.
* 1783: Russian Empire annexes the Crimean Khanate.
* 1783: The Treaty of Paris formally ends the American Revolutionary War.

### 1790's

* 1790: The United States of Belgium is proclaimed following the Brabant Revolution.
* 1790: Suppression of the United States of Belgium and re-establishment of Austrian control.
* 1790: Establishment of the Polish-Prussian Pact.
* 1791: The Constitutional Act (or Canada Act) creates the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada in British North America.
* 1791: Suppression of the Liège Revolution by Austrian forces and re-establishment of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
* 1791–1795: George Vancouver explores the world during the Vancouver Expedition.

### 1800

* 1800: 1 January, The bankrupt Dutch East India Company (VOC) is formally dissolved and the nationalised Dutch East Indies are established.