| February 2 | New Amsterdam becomes a city, later called New York City |
| February 3 | Cardinal Mazarin returns to Paris from exile |
| February 7 | Nicolas Fouquet appointed superintendant of Finance of France |
| February 20 | Defeat of Dutch fleet under Admiral Van Tromp by Adm Blake off Portsmouth |
| March 14 | Johan van Galen beats English fleet at Livorno |
| April 20 | Cromwell routes English parliament to house |
| May 24 | German Parliament selects Ferdinand II king of Austria |
| June 12 | Battle at North Foreland: English fleet beats Dutch |
| July 4 | British Barebones Parliament goes into session |
| July 30 | Johan de Witt sworn in as pension advisor of Holland |
| July 31 | Fronde-leaders surrender in Bordeaux |
| August 10 | Sea battle at Heijde, English fleet beats Dutch |
| August 15 | Dutch ship "Sperwer" stranded at Tsjedzjoe Korea |
| October 1 | Russian parliament accepts annexation of Ukraine |
| December 1 | An athlete from Croydon is reported to have run 20 miles from St. Albans to London in less than 90 minutes |
| December 12 | Barebone-parliament ends |
| December 16 | Oliver Cromwell sworn in as English Lord Protector |
