1620

1620 was a leap year in the Julian calendar, a year marked by significant political, religious, and colonial developments across Europe, Asia, and the Atlantic world.

In Europe, the Thirty Years' War continued to reshape power balances. The Bohemian Revolt, begun in 1618, culminated in the Battle of White Mountain in November 1620, where the forces of the Holy Roman Empire and its Catholic allies defeated the Protestant estates. The victory solidified Habsburg authority in Bohemia and Moravia and aided the broader counter-reformation efforts, leading to renewed Catholic influence and centralization within the empire.

In the Atlantic world, the English-led migration to North America reached a pivotal moment. A group of English Puritans, later known as the Pilgrims, sailed to the New World aboard the Mayflower and established Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. They drafted the Mayflower Compact, signed in November 1620, creating a self-governing political body and setting a precedent for colonial self-government. Early relations with Indigenous peoples, including figures such as Squanto, played a crucial role in the colony’s survival during its early years.

In East Asia, the Ming dynasty faced internal instability following the death of the Taichang Emperor in 1620. His brief reign led to a succession crisis and a power shift toward court eunuchs in the subsequent Tianqi era, contributing to renewed weaknesses that would influence events in China over the coming decades.

Overall, 1620 stands as a year of notable upheaval and foundational moments: a turning point in central European religious and political order, a milestone in early American colonial history, and a period of imperial instability in China.