1640
| Years: 1637 1638 1639 – 1640 – 1641 1642 1643 | |
| Decades: 1610s 1620s 1630s – 1640s – 1650s 1660s 1670s | |
| Centuries: 16th century – 17th century – 18th century 1640 in topic: | |
Events
- December 1 – Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. Spain does not recognize the indepedence before 1668
- Charles I summons and rapidly dismisses the Short Parliament in an attempt to fund the second of the Bishops Wars.
- November: The English Long Parliament is summoned.
- Change of Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from Murat IV (1623-1640) to Ibrahim I (1640-1648)
- First book printed in North America, the Bay Psalm Book
- First known European coffee house opens in Venice
Births
Deaths
- May 30 – Peter Paul Rubens, German painter (b. 1577)
- Uriel Acosta, Portuguese Jewish philosopher (suicide) (b. 1585)
Categories: 1640