| 1606–1657 | Ottoman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, Hungary, Transylvania [treaties] | The 1606 peace treaties between the Habsburg and Ottoman empires lead to half a century of peace and stability in Hungary; no major campaigns are fought between the two, though frontier skirmishes and raids are endemic, and Transylvania develops into a rich regional power. |
| 1607–1700 | North America, UK [food and drink] | Fruits introduced to the North American colonies from England include apples, which adapt well in New England, and peaches, which grow easily in Virginia and other warmer regions. Native vegetables like pumpkins, squash, and beans are favoured over European vegetables. |
| 1640–1700 | North America [literature and language] | Literacy rates in the colonies, particularly in New England, are high relative to those in the Old World. Shipton, New England has a 95% literacy rate; males in Virginia have a literacy rate between 54% and 60%. |
| 1651 | England [thought and scholarship] | English philosopher Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan, his major philosophical work. |
| 1651 | UK [thought and scholarship] | English poet John Milton publishes his pamphlet Pro populo Anglicano defensio/In Defence of the English People, a reply to those who condemned the execution of Charles I of Britain. |
| 1651 | Japan [administration] | Tokugawa Ietsuna, the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu and a minor, becomes shogun (military ruler) of Japan. |
| 1651 | England [astronomy] | The English scientist William Gilbert's book A New Philosophy of Our Sublunar World is published posthumously, proposing theories that the fixed stars are not all at the same distance from Earth. |
| 6 February 1651 | France [crime and punishment] | Cardinal Jules Mazarin is dismissed and a few days later flees from Paris, France, after a fortnight-long siege of the Palais-Royal by the mob, motivated by the demands of the Parlement for his dismissal and the release of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, and other Fronde leaders. Condé is subsequently released. |
| 3 September 1651 | UK, France [British Civil Wars (1642–51)] | English supreme commander Oliver Cromwell defeats King Charles II at the battle of Worcester, England. Charles subsequently escapes, arriving in France in mid-October. |
| 5 September 1651 | France [Fronde (1648–52)] | Louis XIV of France attains his majority. At the same time, the charges against Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, are withdrawn. However, Condé leaves Paris, France, and forges an alliance with Spain, while Marshal Henri de Turenne, previously in the service of the Spanish, now refuses to fight the French king and, in March 1652, takes command of his army. |
