1637

1637 was a year in the early modern era characterized by significant regional conflicts, colonial activity, and political realignments across the world. In Europe the ongoing Thirty Years’ War created a backdrop of military and religious tension that shaped diplomacy and warfare in the surrounding decades. Outside Europe, battles, uprisings, and governance shifts reflected the global reach of empires and the growing complexity of colonial administration.

In East Asia, the Shimabara Rebellion began in 1637 as a substantial peasant and Christian uprising in Kyushu, Japan. The rebellion lasted into 1638 and prompted a hardening of government policy toward Christianity and a strengthening of isolationist measures, reinforcing the policies that would soon define Japan’s sakoku era.

In North America, the Mystic Massacre occurred on May 26, 1637, during the Pequot War. Connecticut colonists and their Native allies attacked the Pequot fort at Mystic River, resulting in heavy casualties and fueling further conflict between English settlers and Indigenous groups in the region.

In Korea, the Second Manchu invasion of 1636–1637 concluded with Joseon’s formal submission to the Qing dynasty. The Korean court acknowledged Qing suzerainty and adopted Qing court rites, marking a decisive shift in Korea’s diplomatic alignment from Ming to Qing influence.

The year also saw ongoing colonial administration and exploration by European powers in the Americas and Asia, alongside the broader geopolitical shifts of the era. 1637 thus sits at a hinge point of regional insurgencies, imperial policy, and cross-cultural interactions that would shape the balance of power in the subsequent decades.