1691

1691 (MDCXCI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 1691st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 691st year of the 2nd millennium, the 91st year of the 17th century, and the 2nd year of the 1690s decade. As of the start of 1691, the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

1691 Overview

1691 (MDCXCI) was a common year beginning on Monday in the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday in the Julian calendar. It marked the 1691st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 691st year of the 2nd millennium, the 91st year of the 17th century, and the 2nd year of the 1690s decade. As of January 1, 1691, the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which continued to be used in certain regions until 1923.

Significant Events

January–March

January 6 – King William III of England departs from Margate to address affairs in the Netherlands.
January 14 – A fleet carrying 827 Spanish Navy sailors arrives at Manzanillo Bay, Hispaniola, and joins 700 Spanish cavalry to invade the French side of the island.
January 15 – King Louis XIV of France prohibits games of chance, imposing a fine for violations.
January 23 – Spanish official Domingo Terán de los Ríos becomes the first Governor of the new province “Coahuila y Tejas”.
February 13 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony issues the first paper money in North America.
February 28 – An annular solar eclipse is visible across the Philippines and surrounding regions.
March 5 – French forces besiege Spanish-held Mons during the Nine Years’ War.
March 14 – Establishment of the Public Security Police Force in Macau.
March 17 – Launch of the Athenian Mercury publication in London.
March 20 – Jacob Leisler surrenders to a new governor in New York, ending Leisler’s Rebellion.
March 29 – The Siege of Mons concludes with the city’s surrender.

April–June

April 9 – A fire at the Palace of Whitehall in London destroys the Stone Gallery.
May 6 – The Spanish Inquisition condemns 219 Xuetas in Palma, Majorca.
May 16 – Jacob Leisler is hanged for treason.
June – The semi-opera King Arthur is performed for the first time.
June 23 – Ahmed II succeeds Suleiman II as Ottoman Emperor.

July–September

July 12 – Pope Innocent XII is elected as the 242nd pope.
August 11 – The Battle of La Prairie sees the French and their allies repel an English-Iroquois attack.
August 19 – The Battle of Slankamen results in heavy Ottoman losses against the Holy Roman Empire.
August 23 – A total solar eclipse is observable across the Americas.
September 3 – HMS Coronation and HMS Harwich are lost in a storm, resulting in about 900 casualties.
September 18 – The War of the Grand Alliance sees English and Dutch forces defeated by the French at the Battle of Leuze.

October–December

October 3 – The Treaty of Limerick is signed, ending the Williamite War in Ireland.
October 17 – Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony unite under royal authority.
November 26 – A prayer of thanksgiving for the success of British forces is celebrated across Anglican churches.
December 6 – During the Morean War, Captain Luca Dalla Rocca betrays Venice.
December 22 – Patrick Sarsfield and 19,000 troops leave Ireland for France.

Notable Births

January 8 – George Charles of Hesse-Kassel, Prince (d. 1755)
February 3 – George Lillo, British writer (d. 1739)
March 30 – Charles Hamilton, Count of Arran (d. 1754)
April 2 – Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode, Count (d. 1771)
May 25 – Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja (d. 1742)
June 23 – John Thomas, Bishop of Lincoln (d. 1766)
October 20 – Tsarevna Catherine Ivanovna of Russia (d. 1733)
December 30 – Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch, composer (d. 1765)

Notable Deaths

January 13 – George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends (b. 1624)
February 1 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
June 22 – Suleiman II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1642)
July 12 – Marquis de St Ruth, killed at the Battle of Aughrim (b. 1650)
November 18 – Sir John Brookes, 1st Baronet, Member of Parliament (b. 1635)
December 31 – Robert Boyle, natural philosopher (b. 1627)