| 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%. |
| 1656–1657 | France [thought and scholarship] | The French mathematician and religious thinker Blaise Pascal publishes Lettres provinciales/Provincial Letters, a series of 18 anonymous pamphlets written in support of Jansenist views. |
| 1657 | UK [health and medicine] | When tea goes on sale in England it is claimed to have medicinal properties. |
| 1657 | UK [food and drink] | Drinking chocolate and coffee are first sold in London, England. Coffee is promoted as a patent medicine, capable of curing a variety of ailments. |
| 1657 | India, Mogul Empire [wars] | The Great Mogul Shah Jahan, conqueror of South India and builder of the Taj Mahal, falls ill and makes a will bequeathing the empire to his eldest son. This is disputed by his other sons, causing civil war to break out. |
| 22 January - 31 July 1657 | Poland, Ottoman Empire, Sweden, Transylvania [wars] | György II Rákóczy, Prince of Transylvania, invades Poland but is forced to withdraw in July 1657 when King Charles X of Sweden deserts him and the Ottoman Empire takes military action against him. The remainder of his troops in Poland, under János Kemény, are defeated by a combined Ottoman and Tatar force at the battle of Trembowla on 31 July. Kemény is taken and imprisoned in the Crimea. |
| 2 April 1657 | Holy Roman Empire [administration] | The death of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III inaugurates an interregnum in the Holy Roman Empire. |
| August 1657 | Ottoman Empire, Venice, Italy [Ottoman–Venetian Wars (1499–1687)] | The Ottoman Turks re-capture the island of Tenedos from the Venetians. In November they also gain Lemnos. The two victories free the Dardanelles from the Venetian threat and reestablish the preeminence of the Ottoman navy in the Aegean Sea. |
| November 1657 | Portugal, United Netherlands [wars] | Following the loss of Brazil in 1654 and seeing the trading privileges granted to Britain by the Portuguese in the same year, the Dutch declare war on Portugal. |
| 6 November 1657 | Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Poland, Russia, Sweden [treaties] | By the Treaty of Bromberg, Brandenburg allies with Poland against Sweden. Faced with the loss of his ally and a strengthened Austro-Polish alliance, King Charles X of Sweden withdraws from Poland, occupying Danish Jutland instead. |
