Year by year · 18th century

1703

1703 in world history: 4 events, 1 birth and 4 deaths. 1,210 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 27 May

    Peter the Great founds St Petersburg

    Construction began on the Peter and Paul Fortress on an island in the Neva, on land newly taken from Sweden. Peter made the city his capital, Russia's 'window on Europe'.

    Peter the GreatSweden

  2. 31 July

    Daniel Defoe stands in the pillory for seditious libel

    Daniel Defoe began three days in the pillory for a satirical pamphlet mocking Tory hostility to Dissenters. By tradition the crowd threw flowers instead of filth. He later wrote Robinson Crusoe.

ProfileState1034 states with a known seat in 1703Open the atlas at 1703 →

In the profiles

  • Russian EmpirePeter I begins building Saint Petersburg on conquered Swedish territory

Wars and longer events

Born in 1703 1

Died in 1703 4

All years → The 18th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1703. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1703
MLA
“1703.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1703. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1703.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1703.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1703’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1703 (Accessed: ).