1659

Year 1659: political shifts after the English Interregnum, the Treaty of the Pyrenees ending the Franco‑Spanish war, and cultural highlights in seventeenth‑century Europe.

1659 was a common year starting on Wednesday in the Gregorian calendar. Many European countries used the Gregorian reform by this time while others, notably England, still used the Julian calendar, so dates and the observance of the year varied across states. The year falls within the broader political and cultural period often called the early modern era.

Overview

The year saw important diplomatic and domestic developments. Long wars between great powers were drawing to a close in Western Europe, while political instability continued in states that had experimented with republican or non‑monarchical government. Cultural life remained active: theatre, painting and scientific inquiry continued to advance amid shifting patronage.

Politics and diplomacy

The Treaty of the Pyrenees (signed in 1659) brought an end to the major phase of the war between France and Spain and included territorial adjustments and a dynastic marriage arrangement that reshaped Iberian and French relations.
In England the Protectorate that followed the civil wars proved unstable: the Lord Protector resigned and parliamentary authority was in flux, contributing to a series of uprisings and rapid political changes through the year.
Across Central and Eastern Europe, local conflicts and shifting alliances continued as states responded to the larger balance of power changes in the west.

Culture and society

Theatre and literature remained prominent public arts. In Paris and other cities playwrights and playwright troupes produced comedies and court entertainments that reflected social manners and satirized affectation. Scientific inquiry proceeded in correspondence networks and learned societies, building on seventeenth‑century advances in astronomy, mechanics and natural philosophy.

Notable facts and significance

1659 marked consolidation of peace in parts of Western Europe and a reconfiguration of influence that paved the way for later eighteenth‑century politics.
The coexistence of different calendars—illustrated by the phrase common year starting on Wednesday in the Gregorian system and the continued use of the Julian calendar in other realms—reminds readers that chronology in this period can require careful attention to local practice. See also the development of the Gregorian calendar.