What happened in 1740–1749

World5

• 1741Vitus Bering sets out from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to map the coasts of Siberia and Alaska.
• 1741At least 2,000 die along the shores of the Sea of Japan after a volcanic eruption on an island generated the Kampo Tsunami.
• 1741Vitus Bering dies during his expedition, east of Siberia.
• 1742War of the Austrian Succession – Battle of Sahay: French forces defeat the Austrians.
• 1745Battle of Soor (Second Silesian War): Frederick the Great's Prussian army is victorious over the forces of Austria and Saxony.

North America10

• 1740War of Jenkins' Ear: Siege of Fort Mose – A Spanish column of 300 regular troops, free Black militia and Indian auxiliaries storms Britain's strategically crucial position of Fort Mose, Florida.
• 1740The University of Pennsylvania is officially established.
• 1740Enfield, North Carolina, is founded.
• 1742War of Jenkins' Ear: Battle of Bloody Marsh – British troops repel those of Spain (under Montiano), in the Province of Georgia.
• 1744The third French and Indian War, known as King George's War, breaks out at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
• 1745King George's War: The British capture Cape Breton Island in North America from the French.
• 1745King George's War: A combined force of troops from the French Army and of the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki and Penobscot tribes) destroys the British American settlement at Fort Saratoga (modern Schuylerville, New York), burning the fort and surrounding buildings to the ground, and killing 15 people. Another 103 survivors are taken prisoner.
• 1746The College of New Jersey is founded in Princetown, New Jersey. In 1896, it is renamed Princeton University.
• 1749The British naval fort at Halifax is founded on mainland Nova Scotia as a defense against the New France Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, less than away.
• 1749Grand Chief Jean-Baptiste Cope, of the Miꞌkmaq Indian nation in Canada, declares war against the British Empire after the building of the fort at Halifax, Nova Scotia and begins hostilities by taking 20 British hostages at Canso.

Europe76

• 1740War of the Austrian Succession: The Royal Navy captures the Spanish ship of the line Princesa off Cape Finisterre and takes her into British service.
• 1740Frederick II of Prussia invades the Habsburg possession of Silesia, starting the War of the Austrian Succession.
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: Prussian troops bring down the Austrian fortress of Glogau (modern-day Głogów in Poland).
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Mollwitz – An Austrian army is defeated by Prussian troops led by General von Schwerin, although the new Prussian king Frederick the Great leaves the battlefield early in the belief of imminent defeat.
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: King George II of Great Britain orders the British Army to prepare for an invasion of Prussia to defend his Electorate of Hanover.
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: Linz falls to the Bavarian Army.
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Prague – Franco-Bavarian troops commanded by Maurice of Saxony storm and capture the Austrian city of Prague.
• 1741War of the Austrian Succession: Charles Albert of Bavaria has himself proclaimed King of Bohemia.
• 1742The Swedish-Russian War effectively ends as 17,000 Swedish troops surrender in Finland at Helsingfors (Helsinki).
• 1745War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy – French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army, including the British 42nd Regiment of Foot, also known as Black Watch.
• 1746The Battle of Culloden in Scotland, the final pitched battle fought on British soil, brings an end to the Jacobite rising of 1745.
• 1748War of the Austrian Succession: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war. Great Britain obtains Madras, in India, from France, in exchange for the fortress of Louisbourg in Canada.
• 1748Louis XV breaks his promise to eliminate the income tax, after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the war. The Parlement of Paris protests, so he reduces the tax to 5%.
• 1748Construction of the Sveaborg fortification begins near Helsinki.
• 1749The first official performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks in London finishes early, due to the outbreak of fire. The piece had been composed by Handel to commemorate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of the Austrian Succession in 1748.

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USSR / Russia1

• 1743August 18 (August 7 Old Style) – Russia and Sweden sign the Treaty of Åbo.

Asia6

• 1740Batavia Massacre: Troops of the Dutch East India Company massacre at least 10,000 Chinese Indonesians in Batavia.
• 1741Raja Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeats the Dutch East India Company in the Battle of Colachel, ending the Dutch colonial rule in India and marking the first "major" defeat of a European colonial military power in India.
• 1743Prithvi Narayan Shah becomes the new King of the Gorkha Kingdom and begins a campaign to unify the 54 different principalities in the Himalayas under his rule as part of the unification of Nepal
• 1747Ahmad Shah Durrani establishes the Durrani Empire after being elected by Pashtun chieftains in a jirga at Naderabad, laying the foundation for modern Afghanistan.
• 1749The Battle of Ambur is fought in south India as the Second Carnatic War begins between the French-supported troops of Chanda Sahib of the Mughal Empire and the British-supported defenders of the Arcot State, led by its 77-year old Nawab, Anwaruddin Khan. After marching outside of the walls of Arcot to confront Chanda Sahib and Joseph Dupleix's 4,000 troops, Anwaruddin Khan's numerically superior force is routed and he is killed in the battle.
• 1749Battle of Penfui on Timor: A large Topass army is defeated by a numerically inferior Dutch East India Company.

Latin America2

• 1741War of Jenkins' Ear: Battle of Cartagena de Indias – Spain's defenders in New Grenada, under the command of General Blas de Lezo, defeat Edward Vernon's Royal Navy force, leading to a British retreat to Jamaica.
• 1748War of Jenkins' Ear – Battle of Havana: a British Caribbean squadron engages a Spanish squadron based near Havana.