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1673 CE

This year falls in the Early modern period (c. 1500–1800). European ships link the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia into one trading world, and the conquest of the Americas and the Atlantic slave trade follow. Large land empires, among them the Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal and Qing, rule much of Asia, while printing and the Scientific Revolution change how knowledge spreads in Europe.

Within fifteen years

Ruler · Early modern period · RussiaPeter the Great1672–1725Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, born in 1672, who dragged Russia toward the west by force. He built a navy, reorganized the army, and founded Saint Petersburg as a new capital on the Baltic. His victory over Sweden at Poltava in 1709 made Russia a great power.

Philosopher · Early modern period · IrelandGeorge Berkeley1685–1753Irish thinker and Anglican Bishop of Cloyne who argued that to be is to be perceived: matter does not exist apart from minds. His immaterialism was meant to defend religion against skepticism. He lived 1685 to 1753.