Editing 1724 (section)

=== January&ndash;March ===
* [[January 15]] &ndash; King [[Philip V of Spain]] abdicates the throne in favour of his 16-year-old son [[Louis I of Spain|Louis I]].<ref name=Louis>{{cite web |title=Louis {{!}} king of Spain |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-king-of-Spain |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=31 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[January 18]] &ndash; The [[Dutch East India Company]] cargo ship ''[[Fortuyn (1722)|Fortuyn]]'', on its maiden voyage, departs from the [[Cape of Good Hope]] in South Africa after a layover of 16 days following its arrival from the Netherlands. With a crew of 225 commanded by Pieter Westrik, the ship departs for [[Jakarta|Batavia]] in the [[Dutch East Indies]] and is never seen again.
* [[January 22]] &ndash; [[Bruno Mauricio de Zabala]], Spanish [[Captain general]] of the [[Río de la Plata]], forces the Portuguese to abandon their fortified settlement at what will become the city of [[Montevideo]] in [[Uruguay]].
* [[January 28]] &ndash; [[Saint Petersburg State University]] is established in [[Russia]].
* [[February 8]] &ndash; [[Catherine I of Russia]] is officially named tsaritsa by her husband, [[Peter the Great]].
* [[February 20]] &ndash; The premiere of ''[[Giulio Cesare]]'', an Italian [[opera]] by [[George Frideric Handel]], takes place in London.
* [[March 7]] &ndash; [[Pope Innocent XIII]] dies at the age of 68 after less than three years as the Roman Catholic pontiff.
* [[March 20]] &ndash; The [[1724 papal conclave]] opens in Rome, 13 days after the death of Innocent XIII. Starting with 33 electors and eventually having 53, the conclave deliberates for more than two months before selecting a successor.