Timeline October 1723

Events in October 1723 3

• 1642 – 1723 Cosimo III de' Medici (1642-1723) Died 31 October 1723, aged 81 Cosimo III ruled as Grand Duke of Tuscany for fifty-three years, one of the longest reigns in Italian history, overseeing a period of economic decline and rigid religious conservatism in Florence. His reign saw the Medici dynasty's influence wane as Tuscany's finances and population shrank. He was succeeded by his son Gian Gastone, the last Medici Grand Duke.
• 1646 – 1723 Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Died 19 October 1723, aged 77 Kneller was the leading portrait painter in England for more than four decades, serving as Principal Painter to the monarch under five successive English rulers. He produced portraits of most of the notable figures of his era, including the Kit-Cat Club and the Hampton Court Beauties series. He was made a baronet in 1715.
• 1723 Benjamin Franklin arrives in Philadelphia The future statesman and scientist begins his printing career Seventeen-year-old Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia after running away from his apprenticeship in Boston, arriving with little money and seeking work as a printer. He soon found employment in the city's printing trade, the start of a career that led to his later prominence as a writer, scientist, and statesman. The episode became one of the best-known anecdotes of his autobiography.