Editing 18th century

{{Short description|One hundred years, from 1701 to 1800}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}{{Centurybox|18}}
[[File:1700 CE world map.PNG|thumb|Political boundaries at the beginning of year 1700]]
[[File:Prise de la Bastille.jpg|thumb|[[Storming of the Bastille]], 14 July 1789, an iconic event of the [[French Revolution]].]]
[[File:Maquina vapor Watt ETSIIM.jpg|thumb|Development of the [[Watt steam engine]] in the late 18th century was an important element in the [[Industrial Revolution]] in Europe.]]
[[File:Surrender of Lord Cornwallis.jpg|thumb|The [[American Revolutionary War]] took place in the late 18th century.]] 
The '''18th century''' lasted from 1 January [[1701]] (represented by the [[Roman numerals]] MDCCI) to 31 December [[1800]] (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] thinking culminated in the [[Atlantic Revolutions]]. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures. The [[Industrial Revolution]] began mid-century, leading to radical changes in [[Society|human society]] and the [[Natural environment|environment]]. The [[European colonization of the Americas]] and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the [[Age of Sail]]. During the century, [[History of slavery|slave trading]] expanded across the shores of the [[Atlantic Ocean]], while declining in [[Russian Empire|Russia]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Volkov|first=Sergey|title=Concise History of Imperial Russia}}</ref> and [[Qing dynasty|China]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rowe|first=William T.|title=China's Last Empire}}</ref>

[[Western world|Western]] historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of [[Louis XIV|Louis XIV of France]] and the start of the [[French Revolution]], with an emphasis on directly interconnected events.<ref>{{cite book |author=Anderson, M. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/historianseighte0000ande |title=Historians and Eighteenth-Century Europe, 1715–1789 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-19-822548-5 |oclc=185538307 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Ribeiro, Aileen |title=Dress in Eighteenth-Century Europe 1715–1789 |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-300-09151-9 |edition=revised |oclc=186413657}}</ref> To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century<ref name="Baines">{{cite book |last=Baines |first=Paul |title=The Long 18th Century |publisher=Arnold |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-340-81372-0 |location=London}}</ref> may run from the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 to the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II: The Eighteenth Century (Oxford History of the British Empire) |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-924677-9 |editor=Marshall, P. J. |oclc=174866045}}, "Introduction" by P. J. Marshall, page 1</ref> or even later.<ref>{{cite book |author=O'Gorman, Frank |url=https://archive.org/details/longeighteenthce0000ogor |title=The Long Eighteenth Century: British Political and Social History 1688–1832 (The Arnold History of Britain Series) |publisher=A Hodder Arnold Publication |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-340-56751-7 |oclc=243883533 |url-access=registration}}</ref> France was the sole world [[superpower]] from 1659, after it defeated [[Spain]], until 1815, when it was defeated by [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|Britain]] and its coalitions following the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

In [[Europe]], philosophers ushered in the Age of Enlightenment. This period coincided with the French Revolution of 1789, and was later compromised by the excesses of the [[Reign of Terror]]. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] in the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]. Various conflicts throughout the century, including the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] and the [[Seven Years' War]], saw [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] triumph over its rivals to become the preeminent power in Europe. However, Britain's attempts to exert its authority over the [[Thirteen Colonies]] became a catalyst for the [[American Revolution]]. The 18th century also marked the end of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to prevent [[Partitions of Poland|partition]] by the neighboring states of [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and Russia.

In [[West Asia]], [[Nader Shah]] led [[Afsharid Iran|Persia]] in successful [[Campaigns of Nader Shah|military campaigns]]. The [[Ottoman Empire]] experienced a period of peace, taking no part in European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a result, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements during the Seven Years' War. The Ottoman military consequently lagged behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century.

In [[South Asia]], the death of Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]] was followed by the expansion of the [[Maratha Confederacy]] and an increasing level of European influence and control in the region. In 1739, Persian emperor Nader Shah invaded and plundered Delhi, the capital of the [[Mughal Empire]]. Later, his general [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] scored another victory against the Marathas, the then dominant power in India, in the [[Third Battle of Panipat]] in 1761.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Bipin |title=Mordern India |location=India |language=en}}</ref> By the middle of the century, the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] began to conquer eastern India,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=John |url=https://www.wdl.org/en/item/2384/ |title=Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, anno Dom. 1757 |last2=Watts |first2=William |publisher=A. Millar, London |year=1760 |author-link1=John Campbell (author)}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and by the end of the century, the [[Anglo-Mysore Wars]] against [[Tipu Sultan]] and his father [[Hyder Ali]], led to [[Company rule in India|Company rule]] over the south.<ref>{{Citation |title=Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Economic Divergence, 1600–1850 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_YEcvo-jqcC&pg=PA207 |page=207 |year=2011 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-139-49889-0 |given=Prasannan |surname=Parthasarathi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Allana |first=Gulam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4nbiAAAAMAAJ |title=Muslim political thought through the ages: 1562–1947 |publisher=Royal Book Company |year=1988 |isbn=9789694070919 |edition=2 |location=Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania |page=78 |access-date=18 January 2013}}</ref>

In [[East Asia]], the century was marked by the [[High Qing era]], a period characterized by significant cultural and territorial expansion. This period also experienced relative peace and prosperity, allowing for societal growth, increasing literacy rates, flourishing trade, and consolidating imperial power across the vast Qing dynasty's territories. Conversely, the continual [[Sakoku|seclusion policy]] of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] also brought a peaceful era called [[Pax Tokugawa]] and experienced a flourishment of the [[Japanese Art|arts]] as well as [[Rangaku|scientific knowledge and advancements]], which were introduced to Japan through the Dutch port of Nagasaki. In [[Southeast Asia]], the [[Burmese–Siamese wars#Konbaung (Burma)–Ayutthaya (Siam)|Konbaung–Ayutthaya Wars]] and the [[Tây Sơn wars|Tây Sơn Wars]] broke out while the [[Dutch East India Company]] established [[Company rule in the Dutch East Indies|increasing levels of control]] over the [[Mataram Sultanate]].

In [[Africa]], the [[Ethiopian Empire]] underwent the [[Zemene Mesafint]], a period when the country was ruled by a class of regional noblemen and the emperor was merely a figurehead. The [[Atlantic slave trade]] also saw the continued involvement of states such as the [[Oyo Empire]]. In [[Oceania]], the European colonization of [[History of Australia (1788–1850)|Australia]] and [[History of New Zealand|New Zealand]] began during the late half of the century. In the [[Americas]], the [[United States]] declared its independence from Great Britain. In 1776, [[Thomas Jefferson]] wrote the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. In 1789, [[George Washington]] was inaugurated as the first president. [[Benjamin Franklin]] traveled to Europe where he was hailed as an inventor. Examples of his inventions include the [[lightning rod]] and [[bifocal glasses]]. [[Túpac Amaru II]] led an [[Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II|uprising]] that sought to end [[Viceroyalty of Peru|Spanish colonial rule in Peru]].

==Events==
{{For timeline}}
{{see also|Georgian era}}

===1701–1750===
[[File:Europe, 1700 - 1714.png|thumb|upright|Europe at the beginning of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], 1700]]
[[File:Marten's Poltava.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Battle of Poltava]] in 1709 turned the [[Russian Empire]] into a European power.]]
[[File:Marlborough-duke-first.jpg|thumb|upright|[[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]]]]
* [[1700]]–[[1721]]: [[Great Northern War]] between the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] and [[Swedish Empire]]s.
* [[1701]]: [[Kingdom of Prussia]] declared under King [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I]].
* [[1701]]: The [[Battle of Feyiase]] marks the rise of the [[Ashanti Empire]].
* [[1701]]–[[1714]]: The [[War of the Spanish Succession]] is fought, involving most of continental [[Louis XIV of France#War of the Spanish Succession|Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_spanishsuccession.html |title=War of the Spanish Succession, 1701–1714 |publisher=Historyofwar.org |access-date=2009-04-25}}</ref>
* [[1702]]–[[1715]]: [[Camisards|Camisard rebellion]] in France.
* [[1703]]: [[Saint Petersburg]] is founded by [[Peter the Great]]; it is the Russian [[Capital (political)|capital]] until [[1918]].
* [[1703]]–[[1711]]: The [[Rákóczi's War of Independence|Rákóczi uprising]] against the [[Habsburg monarchy]].
* [[1704]]: End of Japan's [[Genroku]] period.
* [[1704]]: [[First Javanese War of Succession]].<ref name="RICKLEFSp82">Ricklefs (1991), page 82</ref>
* [[1706]]–[[1713]]: The War of the Spanish Succession: French troops defeated at the [[Battle of Ramillies]] and the [[Siege of Turin]].
* [[1707]]: Death of Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] leads to the fragmentation of the [[Mughal Empire]].
* [[1707]]: The [[Act of Union 1707|Act of Union]] is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Historic uk – heritage of britain accommodation guide |url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/ActofUnion.htm |title=The history of Scotland – The Act of Union 1707 |publisher=Historic-uk.com |date=2007-05-03 |access-date=2009-04-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090408060918/http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/ActofUnion.htm |archive-date= 8 April 2009 |url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[1708]]: The [[East India Company|Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies]] and English Company Trading to the East Indies merge to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.
* [[1708]]–[[1709]]: Famine kills one-third of [[East Prussia]]'s population.
* [[1709]]: Foundation of the [[Hotak dynasty|Hotak Empire]].
* [[1709]]: The [[Great Frost of 1709]] marks the coldest winter in 500 years, contributing to the defeat of [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] at [[Battle of Poltava|Poltava]].
* [[1710]]: The world's first [[Copyright law|copyright legislation]], Britain's [[Statute of Anne]], takes effect.
* [[1710]]–[[1711]]: [[Ottoman Empire]] fights Russia in the [[Russo-Turkish War (1710–1711)|Russo-Turkish War]] and regains [[Azov]].
* [[1711]]: [[Khanate of Bukhara|Bukhara Khanate]] dissolves as local begs seize power.
* [[1711]]–[[1715]]: [[Tuscarora War]] between British, Dutch, and German settlers and the [[Tuscarora people]] of [[North Carolina]].
* [[1713]]: The [[Kangxi Emperor]] acknowledges the full recovery of the Chinese economy since its apex during the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]]. 
* [[1714]]: In Amsterdam, [[Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit]] invents the [[mercury-in-glass thermometer]], which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the electronic era.
* [[1715]]: The [[Jacobite rising of 1715|first Jacobite rising]] breaks out; the British halt the Jacobite advance at the [[Battle of Sheriffmuir]]; [[Battle of Preston (1715)|Battle of Preston]].
* [[1716]]: Establishment of the [[Misl|Sikh Confederacy]] along the present-day India-[[Pakistan]] border.
* [[1714|1716]]–[[1718]]: [[Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)|Austro-Venetian-Turkish War]].
* [[1718]]: The city of [[New Orleans]] is founded by the French in North America.
* [[1718]]–[[1720]]: [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]] with Spain versus France, Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands.
* [[1718]]–[[1730]]: [[Tulip period]] of the Ottoman Empire.
* [[1719]]: [[Second Javanese War of Succession]].<ref name="RICKLEFSp84">Ricklefs (1991), page 84</ref>
* [[1720]]: The [[South Sea Bubble]].
* [[1720]]–[[1721]]: The [[Great Plague of Marseille]].
* [[1720]]: Qing forces oust [[Dzungar Khanate|Dzungar]] invaders from [[Khoshut Khanate|Tibet]].
* [[1721]]: The [[Treaty of Nystad]] is signed, ending the [[Great Northern War]].
* [[1721]]: [[Sack of Shamakhi]], massacre of its Shia population by [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Lezgins]].
* [[1722]]: [[Siege of Isfahan]] results in the handover of Iran to the [[Hotak dynasty|Hotaki Afghans]].
* [[1722]]–[[1723]]: [[Russo-Persian War (1722–1723)|Russo-Persian War]].
* [[1722]]–[[1725]]: Controversy over [[William Wood (Mintmaster)|William Wood]]'s halfpence leads to the ''[[Drapier's Letters]]'' and begins the Irish economic independence from England movement.
[[File:7 Muhammad Shah and Nadir Shah. 1740, Musee Guimet, Paris.jpg|thumb|upright|Mughal emperor [[Muhammad Shah]] with the Persian invader [[Nader Shah]].]]
* [[1723]]: [[Slavery]] is abolished in Russia; [[Peter the Great]] converts household [[Slavery in medieval Europe#Slavery in Russia|slaves]] into house [[serfs]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-24160 |title=Welcome to Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to History |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |date=1910-01-31 |access-date=2009-04-25| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090416090645/https://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-24160| archive-date= 16 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[1723]]–[[1730]]: The "Great Disaster", an invasion of [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] territories by the [[Dzungars]].
* [[1723]]–[[1732]]: The Qing and the Dzungars fight a series of wars across [[Qinghai]], [[Dzungaria]], and [[Outer Mongolia]], with inconclusive results.
* [[1724]]: [[Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit]] proposes the [[Fahrenheit]] temperature scale.
* [[1725]]: [[Peace of Vienna (1725)|Austro-Spanish alliance]] revived. Russia joins in 1726.
* [[1727]]–[[1729]]: [[Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729)|Anglo-Spanish War]] ends inconclusively.
* [[1730]]: [[Mahmud I]] takes over Ottoman Empire after the [[Patrona Halil]] revolt, ending the [[Tulip period]].
* [[1730]]–[[1760]]: The [[First Great Awakening]] takes place in Great Britain and North America.
* [[1732]]–[[1734]]: [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean Tatar]] raids into Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/russia/milxcrimeantatars.html |title=List of Wars of the Crimean Tatars |publisher=Zum.de |access-date=2009-04-25| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090312034756/http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/russia/milxcrimeantatars.html| archive-date= 12 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>
*[[1733]]–[[1738]]: [[War of the Polish Succession]].
[[File:Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor in Court Dress.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Qianlong Emperor]]]]
* [[1735]]–[[1739]]: [[Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)|Austro-Russo-Turkish War]].
* [[1735]]–[[1799]]: The [[Qianlong Emperor]] of China oversees a huge expansion in territory.
* [[1738]]–[[1756]]: [[List of famines|Famine]] across the [[Sahel]]; half the population of [[Timbuktu]] dies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ag.arizona.edu/~lmilich/desclim.html |title=Len Milich: Anthropogenic Desertification vs 'Natural' Climate Trends |publisher=Ag.arizona.edu |date=1997-08-10 |access-date=2009-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211081648/http://ag.arizona.edu/~lmilich/desclim.html |archive-date=2012-02-11 }}</ref>
* [[1737]]–[[1738]]: Hotak Empire ends after the [[siege of Kandahar]] by [[Nader Shah]].
* [[1739]]: Great Britain and Spain fight the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]] in the Caribbean.
* [[1739]]: Nader Shah defeats a pan-Indian army of 300,000 at the [[Battle of Karnal]]. Taxation is stopped in Iran for three years.
* [[1739]]–[[1740]]: [[Nader Shah's Sindh expedition]].
* [[1740]]: [[George Whitefield]] brings the [[First Great Awakening]] to New England
* [[1740]]–[[1741]]: [[Great Irish Famine (1740–1741)|Famine in Ireland]] kills 20 percent of the population.
* [[1741]]–[[1743]]: Iran invades [[Khanate of Bukhara|Uzbekistan]], [[Khanate of Khiva|Khwarazm]], [[Dagestan]], and [[Omani Empire|Oman]].
* [[1741]]–[[1751]]: [[Maratha invasions of Bengal]].
* [[1740]]–[[1748]]: [[War of the Austrian Succession]].
* [[1742]]: [[Marvel's Mill]], the first water-powered [[cotton mill]], begins operation in England.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wadsworth |first1=Alfred P. |last2=Mann |first2=Julia De Lacy |year=1931 |title=The Cotton Trade and Industrial Lancashire, 1600–1780 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |oclc=2859370 |page=433}}</ref>
* [[1742]]: [[Anders Celsius]] proposes an inverted form of the centigrade temperature, which is later renamed [[Celsius]] in his honor.
* [[1742]]: Premiere of [[George Frideric Handel]]'s [[Messiah (Handel)|''Messiah'']].
* [[1743]]–[[1746]]: Another [[Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746)|Ottoman-Persian War]] involves 375,000 men but ultimately ends in a stalemate.
[[File:The Battle of Culloden.jpg|thumb|upright|The extinction of the [[Scottish clan]] system came with the defeat of the clansmen at the [[Battle of Culloden]] in 1746.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unique-cottages.co.uk/unspoilt/20/clans |title=A guide to Scottish clans |publisher=Unique-cottages.co.uk |access-date=2009-04-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080511181304/http://www.unique-cottages.co.uk/unspoilt/20/clans |archive-date = May 11, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]
* [[1744]]: The [[First Saudi State]] is founded by [[Mohammed Ibn Saud]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/7.htm |title=Saudi Arabia – The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=2009-04-25}}</ref>
* [[1744]]: [[Battle of Toulon (1744)|Battle of Toulon]] is fought off the coast of France.
* [[1744]]–[[1748]]: The [[Carnatic Wars|First Carnatic War]] is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India.
* [[1745]]: [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Second Jacobite rising]] is begun by [[Charles Edward Stuart]] in Scotland.
* [[1747]]: The [[Durrani Empire]] is founded by [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]].
* [[1748]]: The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle]] ends the War of the Austrian Succession and First Carnatic War.
* [[1748]]–[[1754]]: The [[Carnatic Wars|Second Carnatic War]] is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India.
* [[1750]]: Peak of the [[Little Ice Age]].

===1751–1800===
* [[1752]]: The [[British Empire]] adopts the [[Gregorian Calendar]], skipping 11 days from 3 September to 13 September. On the calendar, 2 September is followed directly by 14 September.
* [[1754]]: The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes [[Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah]] as [[Nawab of the Carnatic]].
* [[1754]]: [[Columbia University|King's College]] is founded by a royal charter of [[George II of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/content/history.html|title=History|publisher=Columbia University}}</ref>
* [[1754]]–[[1763]]: The [[French and Indian War]], the North American chapter of the [[Seven Years' War]], is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.
* [[1755]]: The [[1755 Lisbon earthquake|great Lisbon earthquake]] destroys most of [[Portugal]]'s capital and kills up to 100,000.
* [[1755]]: The [[Dzungar genocide]] depopulates much of northern Xinjiang, allowing for Han, Uyghur, Khalkha Mongol, and Manchu colonization.
* [[1755]]–[[1763]]: The [[Expulsion of the Acadians|Great Upheaval]] forces transfer of the French Acadian population from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
* [[1756]]–[[1763]]: The [[Seven Years' War]] is fought among European powers in various theaters around the world.
* [[1756]]–[[1763]]: The [[Third Carnatic War]] is fought between the British, the French, and Mysore in India.
* [[1757]]: [[Battle of Plassey|British conquest of Bengal]].
[[File:Catherinethegreatroslin.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Catherine the Great]], Empress of Russia.]]
* [[1760]]: [[George III]] becomes King of Britain.
* [[1761]]: [[Maratha Empire]] defeated at [[Battle of Panipat (1761)|Battle of Panipat]].
* [[1762]]–[[1796]]: Reign of [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine the Great]] of Russia.
* [[1763]]: The [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] ends the Seven Years' War and Third Carnatic War.
* [[1764]]: [[Dahomey]] and the [[Oyo Empire]] defeat the [[Military of the Ashanti Empire|Ashanti army]] at the [[Battle of Atakpamé]].
* [[1764]]: The Mughals are defeated at the [[Battle of Buxar]].
* [[1765]]: The [[Stamp Act 1765|Stamp Act]] is introduced into the [[Thirteen Colonies|American colonies]] by the British Parliament.
* [[1767|1765–1767]]: The [[Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767)|Burmese invade Thailand]] and utterly destroy [[Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city)|Attuthaya]].
* [[1765]]–[[1769]]: [[Konbaung dynasty|Burma]] under [[Hsinbyushin]] repels [[Sino-Burmese War|four invasions]] from Qing China, securing hegemony over the [[Shan States|Shan states]].
* [[1766]]: [[Christian VII of Denmark|Christian VII]] becomes king of Denmark. He was [[Danish Realm|king of Denmark]] to [[1808]].
* [[1766]]–[[1799]]: [[Anglo-Mysore Wars]].
* [[1767]]: [[Taksin]] expels Burmese invaders and reunites Thailand under an authoritarian regime.
* [[1768]]–[[1772]]: [[War of the Bar Confederation]].
* [[1768]]–[[1774]]: [[Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)|Russo-Turkish War]].
* [[1769]]: Spanish [[Missionary|missionaries]] establish the first of 21 [[Spanish Missions of California|missions]] in [[California]].
* [[1769]]–[[1770]]: [[James Cook]] explores and maps New Zealand and Australia.
* [[1769]]–[[1773]]: The [[Bengal famine of 1770]] kills one-third of the Bengal population.
* [[1769]]: The [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]] dissolves, only to be revived in 1785.
* [[1769]]: French expeditions capture [[clove]] plants in [[Ambon Island|Ambon]], ending the [[Dutch East India Company]]'s (VOC) monopoly of the plant.<ref name="RICKLEFSp102">Ricklefs (1991), page 102</ref>
* [[1770]]–[[1771]]: [[Famines in the Czech lands|Famine in Czech lands]] kills hundreds of thousands.
* [[1771]]: The [[Moscow plague riot of 1771|Plague Riot]] in Moscow.
* [[1771]]: The [[Kalmyk Khanate]] dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand [[Kalmyks]] migrate back to [[Xinjiang under Qing rule|Qing Dzungaria]].
* [[1772]]: [[Gustav III|Gustav III of Sweden]] stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.
[[File:Encyclopedie de D'Alembert et Diderot - Premiere Page - ENC 1-NA5.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers]]]]
* [[1772]]–[[1779]]: Maratha Empire fights Britain and [[Raghunathrao]]'s forces during the [[First Anglo-Maratha War]].
* [[1772]]–[[1795]]: The [[Partitions of Poland]] end the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.
* [[1773]]–[[1775]]: [[Pugachev's Rebellion]], the largest peasant revolt in Russian history.
* [[1773]]: East India Company starts operations in [[Bengal]] to smuggle [[First Opium War|opium into China]].
* [[1775]]: Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the [[Zaporozhian Sich|Zaporizhian Cossacks]] of Ukraine. 
* [[1775]]–[[1782]]: [[First Anglo-Maratha War]].
* [[1775]]–[[1783]]: [[American Revolutionary War]].
* [[1776]]: Several [[kongsi republic]]s are founded by Chinese settlers in the island of [[Borneo]]. They are some of the first democracies in Asia.
* [[1776]]–[[1777]]: [[Spanish–Portuguese War (1776–1777)|A Spanish-Portuguese War]] occurs over land in the South American frontiers.
* [[1776]]: [[Illuminati]] founded by [[Adam Weishaupt]].
* [[1776]]: The [[United States Declaration of Independence]] is adopted by the [[Second Continental Congress]] in [[Philadelphia]].
* [[1776]]: [[Adam Smith]] publishes ''[[The Wealth of Nations]]''.
* [[1778]]: [[James Cook]] becomes the first European to land on the [[Hawaiian Islands]].
* [[1778]]: [[Franco-American alliance]] signed.
* [[1778]]: Spain acquires its [[Spanish Guinea|first permanent holding in Africa]] from the Portuguese, which is administered by the newly-established [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata|La Plata Viceroyalty]].
* [[1778]]: [[Đại Việt|Vietnam]] is reunified for the first time in 200 years by the [[Tây Sơn dynasty|Tay Son brothers]]. The [[Tây Sơn dynasty]] has been established, terminating the [[Lê dynasty]].
* [[1779]]–[[1879]]: [[Xhosa Wars]] between British and [[Boer]] settlers and the [[Xhosa people|Xhosas]] in the [[South African Republic]].
* [[1779]]–[[1783]]: [[Spain and the American Revolutionary War|Britain loses several islands and colonial outposts all over the world]] to the combined Franco-Spanish navy.
* [[1779]]: Iran enters yet another period of conflict and civil war after the prosperous reign of [[Karim Khan Zand]].
* [[1780]]: Outbreak of the [[Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II|indigenous rebellion]] against Spanish colonization led by [[Túpac Amaru II]] in [[Peru]].
* [[1781]]: The city of Los Angeles is founded by Spanish settlers.[[File:Portrait of George Washington-transparent.png|thumb|upright|[[George Washington]]]]
* [[1781]]–[[1785]]: [[Serfdom]] is abolished in the [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrian monarchy]] (first step; second step in [[1848]]).
* [[1782]]: The [[Thonburi Kingdom]] of Thailand is dissolved after a palace coup.
* [[1783]]: The [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] formally ends the [[American Revolutionary War]].
* [[1783]]: Russian annexation of [[Crimean Khanate|Crimea]].
* [[1785]]–[[1791]]: Imam [[Sheikh Mansur]], a [[Chechen people|Chechen]] warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian tribes]] from throughout the [[Caucasus]] in a [[Jihad|holy war]] against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/bin/site/wrappers/spirituality-sufism_caucasus.html |title=Sufism in the Caucasus |publisher=Islamicsupremecouncil.org |access-date=2009-04-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090223235641/http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/bin/site/wrappers/spirituality-sufism_caucasus.html |archive-date = February 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[1785]]–[[1795]]: The [[Northwest Indian War]] is fought between the United States and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].
* [[1785]]–[[1787]]: The [[Maratha–Mysore wars|Maratha–Mysore Wars]] concludes with an exchange of territories in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]].
* [[1786]]–[[1787]]: [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] premieres ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' and ''[[Don Giovanni]]''.
* [[1787]]: The [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] occupy Timbuktu until the 19th century. 
* [[1787]]–[[1792]]: [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)|Russo-Turkish War]].
* [[1788]]: [[First Fleet]] arrives in Australia
* [[1788]]–[[1790]]: [[Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)]].
* [[1788]]: Dutch [[Geert Adriaans Boomgaard]] (1788–1899) would become the first generally accepted validated case of a [[supercentenarian]] on record.<ref>{{cite web |title=Table A – Verified Supercentenarians (Listed Chronologically By Birth Date) |url=http://www.grg.org/Adams/A.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712044827/http://www.grg.org/Adams/A.HTM |archive-date=12 July 2016 |access-date=9 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="grggl">[http://grg.org/Gallery/Pre1850sGallery.html Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born before 1850, as of May 17, 2019]</ref>
[[File:Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]]]]
* [[1788]]–[[1789]]: A Qing attempt to reinstall an exiled [[Lê Chiêu Thống|Vietnamese king]] in northern Vietnam [[Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa|ends in disaster]].
* [[1789]]: [[George Washington]] is elected the first [[President of the United States]]; he serves until [[1797]].
* [[1789]]: [[Quang Trung]] defeats the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] army.
* [[1789]]–[[1799]]: [[French Revolution]].
* [[1789]]: The [[Liège Revolution]].
* [[1789]]: The [[Brabant Revolution]].
* [[1789]]: The {{lang|pt|[[Inconfidência Mineira]]|italic=no}}, an unsuccessful separatist movement in central Brazil led by [[Tiradentes]]
* [[1791]]: Suppression of the [[Liège Revolution]] by [[Holy Roman Empire|Austrian]] forces and re-establishment of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]].
* [[1791]]–[[1795]]: [[George Vancouver]] explores the world during the [[Vancouver Expedition]].
* [[1791]]–[[1804]]: The [[Haitian Revolution]].
* [[1791]]: Mozart premieres ''[[The Magic Flute]]''.
* [[1792]]–[[1802]]: The [[French Revolutionary Wars]] lead into the [[Napoleonic Wars]], which last from [[1803]]–[[1815]].
* [[1792]]: The [[New York Stock Exchange|New York Stock & Exchange Board]] is founded.
* [[1792]]: [[Polish–Russian War of 1792]].
* [[1792]]: [[Margaret Ann Neve]] (1792–1903) would become the first recorded female [[supercentenarian]] to reach the age of 110.<ref name="BIB">{{cite book |last=Balfour-Pau |first=Glen |title=Bagpipes in Babylon: A Lifetime in the Arab World and Beyond |date=20 December 2005 |publisher=I.B.Tauris, 2006 |isbn=9781845111519}}</ref><ref name="Priaulx">{{cite web |date=2005 |title=The Harvey Family |url=http://www.priaulxlibrary.co.uk/priaulx-library-new-details2.asp?ItemID=95 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022135751/http://www.priaulxlibrary.co.uk/priaulx-library-new-details2.asp?ItemID=95 |archivedate=22 October 2013 |work=Priaulx Library}}</ref>
* [[1793]]: [[Upper Canada]] [[Act Against Slavery|bans slavery]].
* [[1793]]: The largest [[1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic|yellow fever epidemic]] in American history kills as many as 5,000 people in [[Philadelphia]], roughly 10% of the population.<ref>{{cite web | title=Yellow Fever Attacks Philadelphia, 1793 | work=EyeWitness to History|url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/yellowfever.htm|access-date=2007-06-22| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070607233805/http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/yellowfever.htm| archive-date= 7 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[1793]]–[[1796]]: [[Revolt in the Vendée]] against the French Republic at the time of the [[French Revolution|Revolution]].
* [[1794]]–[[1816]]: The [[Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars]], which were a series of incidents between settlers and [[New South Wales Corps]] and the [[Aboriginal Australian]] clans of the [[Hawkesbury River|Hawkesbury river]] in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]. 
* [[1795]]: The [[Marseillaise]] is officially adopted as the French [[national anthem]].[[File:1801 Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Napoleon]] at the [[Battle of the Bridge of Arcole|Bridge of the Arcole]]]]
* [[1795]]: The [[Battle of Nu{{okina}}uanu]] in the final days of King [[Kamehameha I]]'s wars to [[Unification of Hawaii|unify]] the Hawaiian Islands.
* [[1795]]–[[1796]]: [[Battle of Krtsanisi|Iran invades and devastates Georgia]], prompting [[Persian expedition of 1796|Russia to intervene and march on Tehran]].
* [[1796]]: [[Edward Jenner]] administers the first [[smallpox vaccination]]; [[smallpox]] killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year during the 18th century, including five reigning [[monarch]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Riedel S |title=Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination |journal=Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=21–5 |year=2005 |pmid=16200144 |doi= 10.1080/08998280.2005.11928028|pmc=1200696}}</ref>
* [[1796]]: [[War of the First Coalition]]: The [[Battle of Montenotte]] marks [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s first victory as an army commander.
* [[1796]]: The British eject the Dutch from [[Ceylon]] and [[Dutch Cape Colony|South Africa]].
* [[1796]]–[[1804]]: The [[White Lotus Rebellion]] against the [[Manchu dynasty]] in China.
* [[1798]]: The [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|Irish Rebellion]] fails to overthrow [[British rule in Ireland]].
* [[1798]]–[[1800]]: The [[Quasi-War]] is fought between the United States and France.
* [[1799]]: [[Dutch East India Company]] is dissolved.
* [[1799]]: [[Austro-Russian Alliance (1781)|Austro-Russian]] forces under [[Alexander Suvorov]] [[Italian and Swiss expedition|liberates much of Italy and Switzerland]] from French occupation.
* [[1799]]: [[Coup of 18 Brumaire]] - [[Napoleon]]'s [[coup d'etat]] brings the end of the [[French Revolution]].
* [[1799]]: Death of the Qianlong Emperor after [[High Qing era|60 years of rule over China]]. His favorite official, [[Heshen]], is ordered to commit suicide.
* [[1800]]: On 1 January, the bankrupt VOC is formally dissolved and the nationalized [[Dutch East Indies]] are established.<ref name="RICKLEFSp106">Ricklefs (1991), page 106</ref>

==Inventions, discoveries, and introductions==
{{main|Timeline of historic inventions#18th century|Timeline of scientific discoveries#18th century}}
[[File:Spinning jenny.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[spinning jenny]]]]
* [[1709]]: The first [[piano]] was built by [[Bartolomeo Cristofori]]
* [[1711]]: [[Tuning fork]] was invented by [[John Shore (trumpeter)|John Shore]]
* [[1712]]: [[Steam engine]] invented by [[Thomas Newcomen]]
* [[1714]]: [[Mercury thermometer]] by [[Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit]]
* [[1717]]: [[Diving bell]] was successfully tested by [[Edmond Halley]], sustainable to a depth of 55&nbsp;ft
* c. [[1730]]: [[Octant (instrument)|Octant]] navigational tool was developed by [[John Hadley]] in England, and [[Thomas Godfrey (inventor)|Thomas Godfrey]] in America
* [[1733]]: [[Flying shuttle]] invented by [[John Kay (flying shuttle)|John Kay]]
* [[1736]]: Europeans encountered [[rubber]] – the discovery was made by [[Charles Marie de La Condamine]] while on expedition in South America. It was named in [[1770]] by [[Joseph Priestley]]
* c. [[1740]]: Modern [[steel]] was developed by [[Benjamin Huntsman]]
* [[1741]]: [[Vitus Bering]] discovers Alaska
* [[1745]]: [[Leyden jar]] invented by [[Ewald Georg von Kleist]] was the first electrical [[capacitor]]
* [[1751]]: [[Jacques de Vaucanson]] perfects the first precision [[lathe]]
* [[1752]]: [[Lightning rod]] invented by [[Benjamin Franklin]]
* [[1753]]: The first [[clock]]  to be built in the New World (North America) was invented by [[Benjamin Banneker]]. 
* [[1755]]: The tallest ''wooden'' [[Bodhisattva]] statue in the world is erected at [[Puning Temple (Hebei)|Puning Temple]], [[Chengde]], China.
* [[1764]]: [[Spinning jenny]] created by [[James Hargreaves]] brought on the [[Industrial Revolution]]
* [[1765]]: [[James Watt]] enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new [[steel]] technologies
* [[1761]]: The problem of [[longitude]] was finally resolved by the fourth [[marine chronometer|chronometer]] of [[John Harrison]]
* [[1763]]: [[Thomas Bayes]] publishes first version of [[Bayes' theorem]], paving the way for [[Bayesian probability]]
* [[1768]]–[[1779]]: [[James Cook]] mapped the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many [[Pacific Islands]]
* [[1774]]: [[Joseph Priestley]] discovers "dephlogisticated air", oxygen
[[File:Red building Putuo Zongcheng Temple.JPG|thumb|upright|The Chinese [[Putuo Zongcheng Temple]] of [[Chengde]], completed in 1771, during the reign of the [[Qianlong Emperor]].]]
* [[1775]]: Joseph Priestley's first synthesis of "phlogisticated nitrous air", [[nitrous oxide]], "laughing gas"
* [[1776]]: First improved steam engines installed by [[James Watt]]
* [[1776]]: [[Steamboat]] invented by [[Claude de Jouffroy]]
* [[1777]]: [[Circular saw]] invented by Samuel Miller
* [[1779]]: [[Photosynthesis]] was first discovered by [[Jan Ingenhousz]]
* [[1781]]: [[William Herschel]] announces discovery of Uranus
* [[1784]]: [[Bifocals]] invented by [[Benjamin Franklin]]
* [[1784]]: [[Argand lamp]] invented by [[Aimé Argand]]<ref>[http://corporate.britannica.com/press/inventions.html Encyclopædia Britannica's Great Inventions], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807163707/http://corporate.britannica.com/press/inventions.html |date=August 7, 2008 }}</ref>
* [[1785]]: [[Power loom]] invented by [[Edmund Cartwright]]
* [[1785]]: [[Production line|Automatic flour mill]] invented by [[Oliver Evans]]
* [[1786]]: [[Threshing machine]] invented by [[Andrew Meikle]]
* [[1787]]: [[Jacques Charles]] discovers [[Charles's law]]
* [[1789]]: [[Antoine Lavoisier]] discovers the law of conservation of mass, the basis for chemistry, and begins modern chemistry
* [[1798]]: [[Edward Jenner]] publishes a treatise about [[smallpox]] [[vaccination]]
* [[1798]]: The [[Lithography|Lithographic printing process]] invented by [[Alois Senefelder]]<ref>Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 {{ISBN|978-0-471-29198-5}}</ref>
* [[1799]]: [[Rosetta Stone]] discovered by [[Napoleon]]'s troops

==Literary and philosophical achievements==
{{main|18th century in literature|18th century in philosophy}}
* [[1703]]: ''[[The Love Suicides at Sonezaki]]'' by [[Chikamatsu]] first performed
* [[1704]]–[[1717]]: ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]'' translated into French by [[Antoine Galland]]. The work becomes immensely popular throughout Europe.
* [[1704]]: ''[[A Tale of a Tub]]'' by [[Jonathan Swift]] first published
* [[1712]]: ''[[The Rape of the Lock]]'' by [[Alexander Pope]] (publication of first version)
* [[1719]]: ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'' by [[Daniel Defoe]]
* [[1725]]: ''[[The New Science]]'' by [[Giambattista Vico]]
* [[1726]]: ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' by [[Jonathan Swift]]
* [[1728]]: ''[[The Dunciad]]'' by [[Alexander Pope]] (publication of first version)
* [[1744]]: ''[[A Little Pretty Pocket-Book]]'' becomes one of the first [[Children's literature#History|books marketed for children]]
* [[1748]]: ''[[Chushingura]]'' (''The Treasury of Loyal Retainers''), popular Japanese [[bunraku|puppet play]], composed
* [[1748]]: ''[[Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady]]'' by [[Samuel Richardson]]
* [[1749]]: ''[[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]'' by [[Henry Fielding]]
* [[1751]]: ''[[Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard]]'' by [[Thomas Gray]] published
* [[1751]]–[[1785]]: The French [[Encyclopédie]]
* [[1755]]: ''[[A Dictionary of the English Language]]'' by [[Samuel Johnson]]
* [[1758]]: ''Arithmetika Horvatzka'' by [[Mihalj Šilobod Bolšić]]
* [[1759]]: ''[[Candide]]'' by [[Voltaire]]
* [[1759]]: ''[[The Theory of Moral Sentiments]]'' by [[Adam Smith]]
* [[1759]]–[[1767]]: ''[[Tristram Shandy]]'' by [[Laurence Sterne]]
* [[1762]]: ''[[Emile: or, On Education]]'' by [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]]
* [[1762]]: ''[[Social Contract (Rousseau)|The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right]]'' by [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]]
* [[1774]]: ''[[The Sorrows of Young Werther]]'' by [[Goethe]] first published
* [[1776]]: {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Ugetsu Monogatari]]}} (''Tales of Moonlight and Rain'') by [[Ueda Akinari]]
* [[1776]]: ''[[The Wealth of Nations]]'', foundation of the modern theory of economy, was published by [[Adam Smith]]
* [[1776]]–[[1789]]: ''[[The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' was published by [[Edward Gibbon]]
* [[1779]]: ''[[Amazing Grace]]'' published by [[John Newton]]
* [[1779]]–[[1782]]: ''[[Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets]]'' by [[Samuel Johnson]]
* [[1781]]: ''[[Critique of Pure Reason]]'' by [[Immanuel Kant]] (publication of first edition)
* [[1781]]: ''[[The Robbers]]'' by [[Friedrich Schiller]] first published
* [[1782]]: ''[[Les Liaisons dangereuses]]'' by [[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos]]
* [[1786]]: ''[[Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect]]'' by [[Robert Burns]]
* [[1787]]–[[1788]]: ''[[The Federalist Papers]]'' by [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[James Madison]], and [[John Jay]]
* [[1788]]: ''[[Critique of Practical Reason]]'' by [[Immanuel Kant]]
* [[1789]]: ''[[Songs of Innocence]]'' by [[William Blake]]
* [[1789]]: ''[[The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano]]'' by [[Olaudah Equiano]]
* [[1790]]: ''[[Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow]]'' by [[Alexander Radishchev]]
* [[1790]]: ''[[Reflections on the Revolution in France]]'' by [[Edmund Burke]]
* [[1791]]: ''[[Rights of Man]]'' by [[Thomas Paine]]
* [[1792]]: ''[[A Vindication of the Rights of Woman]]'' by [[Mary Wollstonecraft]]
* [[1794]]: ''[[Songs of Experience]]'' by [[William Blake]]
* [[1798]]: ''[[Lyrical Ballads]]'' by [[William Wordsworth]] and [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]]
* [[1798]]: ''[[An Essay on the Principle of Population]]'' published by [[Thomas Malthus]]
* (mid–18th century): ''[[The Dream of the Red Chamber]]'' (authorship attributed to [[Cao Xueqin]]), one of the most famous Chinese novels

==Musical works==
* [[1711]]: ''[[Rinaldo (opera)|Rinaldo]]'', [[Handel]]'s first opera for the London stage, premiered
* [[1721]]: ''[[Brandenburg Concertos]]'' by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]]
* [[1723]]: ''[[The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)|The Four Seasons]]'', violin concertos by [[Antonio Vivaldi]], composed
* [[1724]]: ''[[St John Passion]]'' by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]]
* [[1727]]: ''[[St Matthew Passion]]'' composed by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]]
* [[1727]]: ''[[Zadok the Priest]]'' is composed by [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] for the coronation of [[George II of Great Britain]]. It has been performed at every subsequent British coronation.
* [[1733]]: ''[[Hippolyte et Aricie]]'', first opera by [[Jean-Philippe Rameau]]
* [[1741]]: ''[[Goldberg Variations]]'' for [[harpsichord]] published by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]
* [[1742]]: ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'', oratorio by [[Handel]] premiered in [[Dublin]]
* [[1749]]: ''[[Mass in B minor]]'' by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]] assembled in current form
* [[1751]]: ''[[The Art of Fugue]]'' by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]]
* [[1762]]: ''[[Orfeo ed Euridice]]'', first "reform opera" by [[Christoph Willibald von Gluck|Gluck]], performed in [[Vienna]]
* [[1786]]: ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'', opera by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]
* [[1787]]: ''[[Don Giovanni]]'', opera by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]
* [[1788]]: ''[[Symphony No. 41 (Mozart)|Jupiter Symphony]] (Symphony No. 41)'' composed by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]
* [[1791]]: ''[[The Magic Flute]]'', opera by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]
* [[1791]]–[[1795]]: [[London symphonies]] by [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]]
* [[1798]]: The [[Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)|Pathétique]], piano sonata by [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]
* [[1798]]: ''[[The Creation (Haydn)|The Creation]]'', oratorio by [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]] first performed

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. ''A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History'' (1994) 890pp
* Klekar, Cynthia. "Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature." Innovative Course Design Winner. ''American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies'': Wake Forest University, 2004. <[http://asecs.press.jhu.edu Home | American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)]>. Refereed.
* Langer, William. ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of events [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo00lang online free]
* Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. ''Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present'' (1970) [https://archive.org/details/harperencycloped00morr online]
* Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 '' (1973)  [https://archive.org/details/economicdevelopm0001milw  online]; note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap.
** Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914'' (1977) [https://archive.org/details/developmentofeco0000milw online]
* [[Wallace Collection|The Wallace Collection]], London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}

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