1536 Calvin publishes the Institution of the Christian Religion.
1565 Beginning of the war of independence of the Spanish-Dutch region against Spain.
1579 The “Union of Utrecht” establishes the United Provinces.
1594 Publication of Socinus’ De Christo Servatore.
1600? The Espinosa family emigrates from Portugal to Nantes and thence to Amsterdam.
1603 Arminius and Gomar debate at Leiden on the questions of tolerance and freedom of the will.
1610 Uytenbogaert, a disciple of Arminius and teacher of Oldenbarneveldt, publishes the Remonstrant Manifesto.
1618 The Thirty Years War begins.
1619 The Synod of Dordrecht condemns Arminianism and puts Oldenbarnevelt to death. The Collegiant sect is formed. Descartes is a soldier in the army of Maurice of Nassau.
1628 Descartes is living in Holland.
1629 18 October: Lodewijk Meyer is baptized at the Old Church in Amsterdam.
1630 4 November: Johan Bouwmeester is born in Amsterdam.
1632 24 November: Birth of Baruch d’Espinosa at Amsterdam.
1633 Papal condemnation of Galileo, who is placed under house arrest. Descartes decides not to publish Le Monde.
1638 The founding of the great Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam. Spinoza is registered as a student in the Hebrew school.
1640 Beginning of the English civil war.
1641 Descartes’ Meditationes de Prima Philosophia is published.
1642 Hobbes publishes De Cive.
1644 Descartes published Principia Philosophiae.
1647 Descartes’ Méditations Metaphysiques is published in French translation.
1648 The Peace of Munster. Definitive establishment of the United Provinces.
1649 Charles I of England is executed.
1650 11 February: Death of Descartes. 6 November: A failed coup d’état by William II of Orange. Jan de Witt becomes the Grand Pensioner of the Netherlands.
1651 Beginning of the Anglo-Dutch War. Hobbes publishes Leviathan. 30 March: Bouwmeester is enrolled in philosophy courses at the University of Leiden.
1653 A decree by the States General prohibits the publication and diffusion of Socinian works and ideas.
1654 End of the Anglo-Dutch War. Spinoza begins to meet with a group of “churchless Christians” (Pieter Balling, Jarig Jelles, Jan Rieuwertsz, Franciscus Van den Enden) in Amsterdam. 19 September: Meyer is enrolled as a student in philosophy at the University of Leiden.
1656 27 July: Spinoza is banished from the Jewish community in Amsterdam. He begins the study of humanities, Latin, philosophy, and theater at the school of the ex-Jesuit Van den Enden. 6 October: Decree of the States of Holland and of Frisia prohibiting the teaching of Cartesianism.
1657 The play Philedonius of Van den Enden is produced in Amsterdam. Spinoza is still studying with Van den Enden and may also be enrolled at the University of Leiden.
1658 27 May: Bouwmeester receives a doctorate in medicine from the University of Leiden. 25 September: Meyer is enrolled in courses in medicine at Leiden. Spinoza begins work on the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect (unfinished).
1659 Adriaan Koerbagh receives a doctorate in medicine from the University of Leiden.
1660 Restoration of the Stuarts in England. Spinoza leaves Amsterdam and moves to Rijnsburg, where he is a familiar visitor among Collegiant circles. He begins work on the Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being. 19 March: Meyer receives a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Leiden. 20 March: Meyer receives a doctorate in medicine.
1662 Founding of the Royal Society. Oldenburg is its joint secretary, and Boyle and Newton are charter members. Spinoza completes the first part of the (tripartite) Ethics. He begins work on the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy and Metaphysical Thoughts.
1663 Simon de Vries meets with Spinoza at a meeting of the “Spinozistic Circle” in Amsterdam (Ep8). Letters 12 and 12a from Spinoza to Meyer, the latter concerning the publication of the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy. Spinoza is installed at Voorburg. He there publishes the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy with Metaphysical Thoughts as appendix. 31 July: Spinoza writes to Oldenburg and introduces Petrus Serrarius. 3 August: Spinoza writes to Meyer concerning Meyer’s editorship and preface to the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy, which is published several months later.
1664 Beginning of the (second) Anglo-Dutch War.
1665 28 January: Spinoza’s Letter 21 to Blyenbergh on the interpretation of Scripture. Spinoza makes several visits to Amsterdam, where he probably visits with Meyer during March and April. 26 May: The new Amsterdam Theater opens with Meyer as its director. June: Having completed the first drafts of Parts II and III of the (tripartite) Ethics, Spinoza writes to Bouwmeester (Ep28).
1666 10 June: Spinoza’s Letter 37 to Bouwmeester.
1667 End of the Anglo-Dutch War. Spinoza’s Letter 40 to Jelles mentions Isaac Vossius as a friend.
1668 Adriaan Koerbagh’s Een Bloemhof is published. The author is condemned by ecclesiastical authorities, and imprisoned on 19 July.
1669 15 October: Adriaan Koerbagh dies in prison.
1670 Spinoza publishes (anonymously and in Latin) the Theological-Political Treatise: ecclesiastical condemnations follow. Posthumous publication of the Pensées of Pascal.
1671 Spinoza is installed at The Hague, where he prevents (possibly at the suggestion of Jan de Witt) the appearance of the vernacular edition of the Theological-Political Treatise (Ep44).
1672 Louis XIV invades Holland. The French army occupies Utrecht (May). William II of Orange becomes stadtholder (July). 20 August: Jan de Witt and his brother are massacred by a mob probably inspired by Calvinist clergy.
1673 Spinoza declines the chair of philosophy at Heidelberg (Ep47, Ep48). Spinoza visits the military camp of the Prince de Condé. 13 November: The French occupation of Utrecht ends. 19 July: The States of Holland publish a formal condemnation of the Theological-Political Treatise and “other heretical and atheistic writings,” including the works of Hobbes and the Socinians. Malebranche publishes the Recherche de la Vérité, which is accused of being of Spinozist inspiration.
1675 Spinoza completes and circulates the Ethics but declines to publish it. He begins work on the Political Treatise. Spinoza writes to G. H. Schuller (Ep72) expressing his distrust of Leibniz.
1676 16 January: The curator of the University of Leiden issues a new promulgation against Cartesianism. The Synod of The Hague orders an inquiry into the authorship of the Theological-Political Treatise.
1677 21 February: Death of Spinoza. His friends edit and publish the Opera Posthuma and Nagelate Schriften, all of whose contents are condemned by the political authorities and Calvinists the following year.
1680 22 October: Death of Bouwmeester.
1687 Newton publishes the first edition of the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
1688 The “Glorious Revolution”: William III becomes King of England.
1689 Locke publishes his Letter on Tolerance and his Essay on Civil Government.
1697 In his Dictionnaire Historique et Critique, Bayle characterizes Spinoza as “un athée de système, étrangement vertueux.”
1710 Leibniz publishes his Theodicy.