1720s

The 1720s refers to the decade spanning 1720 to 1729, a period of political realignment and cultural change across Europe, the emergence of centralized monarchies in Russia and other realms, and the continuation of global trade networks. The era witnessed the aftershocks of financial crises and shifting alliances, along with the spread of Enlightenment ideas and scientific modernization.

Geopolitically, the Great Northern War concluded in 1721 with the Treaty of Nystad, boosting Russia’s access to the Baltic and accelerating reforms under the late Peter the Great’s successors. The death of Peter the Great in 1725 led to Catherine I’s brief reign (1725–1727) and the accession of Peter II in 1727. In Britain, the South Sea Bubble crisis of 1720 prompted the Bubble Act and a decade of political stabilization under Robert Walpole, who became the de facto prime minister in 1721. The Ottoman Tulip Era, characterized by cultural flowering and relative openness, continued into the late 1720s. In China, Kangxi’s death in 1722 brought Yongzheng’s accession and consolidation of imperial authority.

Scientific and cultural developments also marked the period. The Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences was founded in 1724, reflecting Russia’s push to modernize. Isaac Newton died in 1727, signaling the passing of a foundational era in English science. In music and literature, composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach were active in Germany, while Daniel Defoe published A Journal of the Plague Year (1722), contributing to urban realism in English literature. The decade also saw ongoing colonial expansion by European powers in the Americas and Asia.