1730

1730 was a year in the early 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. Like other years in the period, it featured ongoing political realignments in Europe, expansion of colonial empires, and rising scientific and cultural activity.

Across Europe and its overseas domains, maritime powers pursued trade and territorial influence. In the Americas, European colonies continued to govern and contest territories, while in Asia and Africa regional powers maintained imperial administrations and commercial networks. Economic life in many areas remained tied to mercantilist practices and colonial resources.

Intellectual and artistic life in 1730 bore the marks of Baroque and Rococo aesthetics, and the spread of Enlightenment ideas encouraged new approaches to science, philosophy, and governance. Scientific societies and universities across Europe contributed to natural history, mathematics, and physics, preparing the ground for later breakthroughs.

Because many regions experienced overlapping conflicts and reforms, there was no single event that defined 1730 globally. Rather, the year is typical of the era's broader patterns: state-building, empire, and the diffusion of ideas that would shape later decades.