Death of the last aurochs
Cattle's wild ancestor vanishes despite royal protection
In 1627 the last known aurochs, a cow, died in the royal forest at Jaktorów. Polish kings had protected the herd of these wild ancestors of cattle for centuries, but not from disease and poaching. Meanwhile, the Thirty Years' War raged across Europe.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 17th century
Did you know
The last aurochs, the wild ancestor of cattle, died in a Polish forest in 1627 — 14 years after Michael Romanov was elected tsar.
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Eastern Europe & Russia
- 1612 Minin and Pozharsky liberate Moscow — 15 years earlier
- 1613 Election of Michael Romanov as Tsar — 14 years earlier
Africa
- 1624–1663 Nzinga becomes Queen of Ndongo — 3 years earlier
Asia
- 1632–1653 Building of the Taj Mahal — 5 years later
- 1644 Fall of the Ming, rise of the Qing — 17 years later
Americas
- c. 1605–1694 Quilombo of Palmares — 22 years earlier
- 1607 Founding of Jamestown — 20 years earlier
- 1609 Jesuit reductions among the Guaraní — 18 years earlier
Alive at the time
- Galileo Galilei (aged 63)
- René Descartes (aged 31)
- Rembrandt (aged 21)
- Johannes Kepler (aged 56)
- Abbas the Great (aged 56)
- Nur Jahan (aged 50)
- Ferdinand II (aged 49)
- Tokugawa Hidetada (aged 48)
- Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba (aged 44)
- Shah Jahan (aged 35)