1683 facts for kids

The year 1683 was a common year that started on a Friday in the Gregorian calendar. Many important events happened this year, including major battles, the founding of new places, and the opening of the world's first university museum.

Major Events of 1683

• June 6 – The Ashmolean Museum opened its doors. It was the very first university museum in the world.
• June 12 – A secret plan called the Rye House Plot was discovered. This plot aimed to harm Charles II of England.
• July 8 – Shi Lang, an admiral from the Qing dynasty in China, led a large fleet. He sailed with 300 ships and 20,000 soldiers from Fujian. Their goal was to take control of the Kingdom of Tungning, which is now part of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands.
• July 14 – A huge army of 140,000 soldiers from the Ottoman Empire arrived at Vienna. They began to surround and attack the city.
• September 12 – The siege of Vienna was broken. A force of 70,000 soldiers from Poland, Austria, and Germany arrived. They were led by King Jan III Sobieski of Poland-Lithuania. Their cavalry (soldiers on horseback) attacked the Ottoman army's side, leading to a big victory. This battle is seen as a major turning point for the Ottoman Empire.
• July 16 and July 17 – The Battle of Penghu took place. The Qing Chinese admiral Shi Lang won a very important naval victory against the forces of Zheng Keshuang.
• September 5 – Admiral Shi Lang officially received the surrender of Zheng Keshuang. This led to the end of the Kingdom of Tungning, which then became part of the Qing Empire. Shi Lang reached Taiwan on October 3 and took control of what is now Kaohsiung City.
• October 6 – Germantown, Pennsylvania, was founded in America. Years later, in 1983, the U.S. President Ronald Reagan celebrated its 300th year. In 1987, this day became an annual holiday called German-American Day.
• November 1 – The British crown colony of New York was divided into 12 different counties.
• December – The River Thames in London froze over. This allowed for a special winter market called a frost fair to be held on the ice.

Other Events

• Wild boars were hunted so much in Britain that they became extinct there.

Famous Births in 1683

• February 28 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, a French scientist (died 1757).
• March 1 – Caroline of Ansbach, who later became queen to George II of Great Britain (died 1737).
• April 3 – Mark Catesby, an English naturalist who studied nature (died 1749).
• June 23 – Etienne Fourmont, a French expert in Eastern languages (died 1745).
• September 11 – Farrukhsiyar, who became a Mughal Emperor (died 1719).
• September 25 – Jean-Philippe Rameau, a famous French composer (died 1764).
• October 25 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, a British politician (died 1757).
• November 10 – King George II of Great Britain (died 1760).
• November 30 – Ludwig Andreas Graf Khevenhüller, an Austrian field marshal (died 1744).
• December 19 – King Philip V of Spain (died 1746).
• December 27 – Conyers Middleton, an English minister (died 1750).

Notable Deaths in 1683

• January 21 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, a British politician (born 1621).
• February 18 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, a Dutch painter (born 1620).
• March 19 – Thomas Killigrew, an English writer for plays (born 1612).
• March 29 – Yaoya Oshichi, a young girl who faced a severe punishment for setting a fire in 17th Century Japan (born 1667).
• July 10 – François-Eudes de Mézeray, a French historian (born 1610).
• July 13 – Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, an English statesman (born 1631).
• July 30 – Marie-Thérèse, the first wife of Louis XIV of France (born 1638).
• August 18 – Charles Hart, an English actor (born 1625).
• August 24 – John Owen, an English theologian (born 1616).
• September 6 – Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a French minister of finance (born 1619).
• September 12 – King Afonso VI of Portugal (born 1643).
• October 25 – William Scroggs, a lord chief justice of England (born c.1623).
• December 7 – John Oldham, an English poet who died from smallpox (born 1653).
• December 7 – Algernon Sydney, an English politician (born 1623).
• December 15 – Izaak Walton, an English writer (born 1593).

Images for kids

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  September 12: The Battle of Vienna painted by Frans Geffels

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  Maria Anna of Austria

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  Julien Maunoir

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  Cesare Facchinetti

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  Afonso VI of Portugal

See also

In Spanish: 1683 para niños