1640 – 1650s

Events in the 1640s 10

• 1336 – 1646 Vijayanagara Empire The great Hindu empire of the south As the Sultanate pressed south, the Vijayanagara Empire rose to become the dominant Hindu power of southern India for three centuries. Its capital Hampi was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, famed for its temples and markets, until its defeat at Talikota in 1565.
• 1368 – 1644 Ming Dynasty — the Great Wall and Zheng He's voyages Native Chinese rule restored — isolation and grandeur The Ming dynasty restored native Han Chinese rule and presided over one of China's most prosperous and culturally rich periods. The Forbidden City was built in Beijing (1406–20), the Great Wall was rebuilt in brick and stone to its present form, and Admiral Zheng He led seven enormous naval expeditions across Southeast Asia, India and East Africa (1405–33). China then turned inward, abandoning maritime expansion and eventually falling to the Manchu Qing.
• 1564 – 1642 Galileo Galilei Astronomer, physicist, and father of observational astronomy Galileo Galilei was an Italian polymath whose work in astronomy, physics, and the scientific method fundamentally reshaped humanity's understanding of the universe. He built and refined the telescope to reveal the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the true nature of the Milky Way, providing powerful evidence for the Copernican, Sun-centered model of the solar system. His insistence on empirical observation over inherited authority brought him into direct conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, culminating in his 1633 trial by the Inquisition and years of house arrest. Despite this persecution, his final work on motion and mechanics laid essential groundwork for Newtonian physics, earning him lasting recognition as one of the founders of modern science.
• 1567 – 1643 Claudio Monteverdi Father of opera Italian composer who bridged the Renaissance and Baroque eras. His opera L'Orfeo (1607) is one of the earliest operas still regularly performed.
• 1568 – 1648 Eighty Years' War Dutch Revolt against Spain The Dutch provinces fought for independence from Spanish rule.
• 1577 – 1640 Peter Paul Rubens Baroque · Flanders Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a Flemish Baroque painter whose exuberant, dynamic compositions defined the Counter-Reformation aesthetic. He ran a vast workshop and also served as a diplomat.
• 1583 – 1643 Girolamo Frescobaldi Italian keyboard composer Girolamo Frescobaldi was the greatest keyboard composer of the early Baroque period. His toccatas, ricercars and fantasias transformed the possibilities of keyboard music.
• 1618 – 1648 Thirty Years' War Religious war in the Holy Roman Empire One of the most devastating wars in European history ravaged the German states, causing massive destruction and population loss.
• 1642 – 1651 English Civil War Royalists versus Parliamentarians Civil war erupted between supporters of King Charles I and Parliament.
• 1644 – 1912 Qing Dynasty — China's last imperial dynasty Manchu rule, the Opium Wars and the collapse of empire The Qing dynasty was founded by the Manchu people of northeastern Asia who conquered a weakened Ming China. At its height under Kangxi and Qianlong emperors (1661–1799), the Qing ruled the largest empire in Chinese history. But the 19th century brought catastrophe — the Opium Wars forced humiliating concessions to Britain, the Taiping Rebellion killed 20–30 million people, and the empire failed to modernise in the face of Western imperialism. The last emperor Puyi abdicated in 1912.