1710s (1710–1719): a decade of war, succession, and early Enlightenment change

Overview of the 1710s decade: major wars and treaties, dynastic changes, colonial shifts, cultural works, scientific advances and notable births and deaths.

The 1710s covers the years 1710 through 1719. It was a transitional decade in which long wars were wound down, dynasties shifted, and early Enlightenment ideas spread alongside expanding colonial empires. Military conflict, diplomatic settlements and financial innovations shaped politics in Europe and overseas; literature, science and urban foundations left a cultural imprint still remembered today.

Politics and warfare

The decade saw the closing stages of the War of the Spanish Succession (ended by treaties beginning with Utrecht in 1713) and continuing great-power rivalry across Europe. The death of Queen Anne of Great Britain in 1714 brought the Hanoverian succession with George I, provoking Jacobite uprisings in 1715. France lost its long-reigning monarch Louis XIV in 1715 and entered a regency period for the young Louis XV. Northern and eastern Europe were transformed by the Great Northern War and Russia's growing role in the Baltic under Peter the Great.

Colonies, piracy and finance

Treaties and campaigns rearranged colonial possessions: the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) redistributed territories in North America and overseas. Piracy peaked in the Caribbean and Atlantic, leading to legal and naval crackdowns late in the decade. New financial institutions and companies—such as the South Sea Company in Britain and banking initiatives in France—began projects that would feed wider market developments in the 1720s.

Culture, science and city foundations

The decade produced enduring cultural works and founders: Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe appeared in 1719, and composers and thinkers were active across Europe. Scientific and administrative reforms advanced in states such as Russia. In North America, New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718, becoming an important colonial port.

Notable births and deaths

Notable births: philosopher David Hume (1711) and other figures who would shape mid‑18th‑century thought.
Notable deaths: Louis XIV of France (1715) and Queen Anne of Great Britain (1714), among others.

Although the 1710s are sometimes overshadowed by later 18th‑century transformations, the decade set political, economic and cultural patterns—succession crises, territorial realignments, financial experimentation and literary production—that influenced the century ahead.