Year by year · 17th century

1688

1688 in world history: 10 events, 8 births, 12 deaths, 1 work and 1 state founded. 1,146 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 7 December

    Apprentice boys shut the gates of Derry against a Jacobite force

    In Derry, 13 apprentices shut the town's gates against Jacobite forces, an act of rebellion against James II. Its Protestant defenders went on to withstand a siege by James II's army for 105 days in 1689.

    DerryJacobitism

  2. 9 December

    Williamite dragoons rout an Irish Army detachment at Reading

    Dutch States Army dragoons under Hans Bentinck, supported by Williamite civilians, routed an Irish Army detachment under Patrick Sarsfield from Reading in Berkshire. It was one of only two substantial battles fought in England during the Glorious Revolution.

    Glorious RevolutionWilliam III of England

  3. 11 December

    James II flees London

    As William of Orange advanced, James II slipped out of Whitehall and dropped the Great Seal into the Thames. Caught at Faversham, he escaped to France later that month; Parliament treated his flight as abdication.

    London

  4. 23 December

    James II flees England in the Glorious Revolution

    King James II, the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland, fled England after William of Orange landed with a Dutch army in November. Parliament offered the crown to his daughter Mary II and her husband William III.

    James IIGlorious RevolutionWilliam III

  5. Battle

    Battle of Bhangani

    The Battle of Bhangani was fought in 1688 near Paonta Sahib in the Himalayan foothills between Guru Gobind Singh and the forces of Raja Fateh Shah of Garhwal and his allies among the hill rajas.

ProfileState990 states with a known seat in 1688Open the atlas at 1688 →

In the profiles

  • Dutch RepublicStadtholder William III invades England and becomes its king
  • Ayutthaya KingdomPhetracha seizes power and expels the French garrison
  • Absolute monarchyThe Glorious Revolution deposes James II and ends moves towards absolute monarchy in England

Wars and longer events

Born in 1688 8

Died in 1688 12

Works 1

States founded 1

All years → The 17th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1688. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1688
MLA
“1688.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1688. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1688.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1688.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1688’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1688 (Accessed: ).