1820s

The 1820s decade ran from January 1, 1820, to December 31, 1829. It saw the rise of the. ,, and the were among those that largely developed and grew prominent over the decade, as  advanced significantly. European began gaining ground in  and, and trade between the  began to open up more towards foreign traders, particularly those from Europe. As gained momentum, opposition from affected/exploited societies resulted, with wars such as the  and the. Resistance in the form of separatism and nationalism (particularly in the ) led to the independence of many countries around the world, such as, , and.

Politics and wars
The and the  were two of the decade's more important conflicts. Meanwhile, had just begun to accelerate, and global trade between Asian powers (e.g. the ) with European powers (mainly the  and  empires) increased substantially. In, such as , , and  gained independence from the  and.

Global

 * 1820: is issued for use in some British colonies.

Indonesia

 * 1824 – The sign the Masang Agreement, temporarily ending hostilities in the  in.

Java War
The Java War (also known as the "Diponegoro War") was fought in Java between 1825 and 1830. It started as a led by Prince  after the Dutch decided to build a road across a piece of his property that contained his parents' tomb.

The troops of Prince Diponegoro were very successful in the beginning, controlling the middle of Java and besieging Yogyakarta. Furthermore, the Javanese population was supportive of Prince Diponegoro's cause, whereas the Dutch colonial authorities were initially very indecisive. As the Java war prolonged, Prince Diponegoro had difficulties in maintaining the numbers of his troops. Prince Diponegoro started a fierce guerrilla war and it was not until 1827 that the Dutch army gained the upper hand. The Dutch colonial army was able to fill its ranks with troops from, and later on from the.

The rebellion finally ended in 1830, after Prince Diponegoro was tricked into entering Dutch custody near, believing he was there for negotiations for a possible cease-fire. It is estimated that 200,000 died over the course of the conflict, 8,000 being Dutch.

Malaysia

 * November -  – The  forces of  achieved a rapid victory against those of  of, in what is now northern . The campaign initiated a period of two decades in which Kedah resisted Siamese control. The Sultan took refuge on , then under British control.  By 1822 there was a rise in the population of the British territories caused by an influx of Malays displaced by the invasion.
 * – The allowed the Siamese view of their rights to prevail in Kelah.
 * – The British of the  is established in what is now  and.

Vietnam

 * , 1820 – starts to rule in.
 * – outlaws the teaching of  in.

Laos

 * 1827 - A Lao rebellion led by was defeated in 1827, following which Siam destroyed, carried out massive forced population transfers from Laos to the more securely held area of , and divided the Lao mueang British Malayainto smaller units to prevent another uprising.
 * 1828 Siamese-Lao War: invades and sacks.
 * – : of  declares war on  and successfully attacks  (the  later invade  and nearly destroy the whole city).
 * , –, ruler of the , is deposed and the kingdom is annexed by Siam.  During the war, the city of Vientiane is obliterated by Siamese forces.

Burma

 * 1824–1826: The ended in a British victory, and by the, Burma lost territory previously conquered in Assam, Manipur, and Arakan. The British also took possession of Tenasserim with the intention to use it as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with either Burma or Siam.

Siam (Thailand)

 * 1824–1826 - (Siam):  died in 1824 and was peacefully succeeded by his son  (Rama III). In 1825 the British sent another mission to Bangkok led by  emissary . They had by now annexed southern Burma and were thus Siam's neighbours to the west, and they were also extending their control over . The King was reluctant to give in to British demands, but his advisors warned him that Siam would meet the same fate as Burma unless the British were accommodated. In 1826, therefore, Siam concluded its first commercial treaty with a western power, the . Under the treaty, Siam agreed to establish a uniform taxation system, to reduce taxes on foreign trade and to abolish some of the royal monopolies. As a result, Siam's trade increased rapidly, many more foreigners settled in Bangkok, and western cultural influences began to spread. The kingdom became wealthier and its army better armed.

Australia

 * 1824 – The name Australia, recommended by in, is finally adopted as the official name of the country once known as .
 * , 1824 – With his crew and 29 aboard the Amity,  arrives at and founds the  Penal Settlement at what is now  in, Australia, after leaving.
 * , –  Major  arrives at  to take possession of the western part of Australia, establishing a settlement near.
 * , – The Swan River Colony (later to become the cities of  and ) is founded in . This secures the western 'third' of the Australian landmass for the British.
 * , – Mrs. Helen Dance, wife of the captain of the ship Sulphur, cuts down a tree to mark the day of the founding of the town of,.

Central Asia

 * (1817–1864)
 * – annexes.

South Asia

 * , – : In the face of fierce opposition,   carries a regulation declaring that all who abet  in India are guilty of culpable.

Western Asia

 * , – : The Russians under  storm, ending a millennium of Muslim domination in.
 * , –: Russian-Persian peace treaty: Russia captures  from.

Eastern Europe

 * 1821 – The against the  is proclaimed officially in South Greece.
 * , 1821 – The are decisively defeated by the  at  (in ).
 * December – The  breaks out in Russia, but is thoroughly suppressed.
 * , –  succeeds his older brother.
 * –, – :,  of , crushes the last mutiny of  in.
 * , – :  by the Russian army.
 * , – : Russian Field-Marshal  launches the Transbalkan offensive, which brings the Russian army within 68 km of.
 * , – : The  gains for Russia some territory at the mouth of the  and along the eastern coast of the.

Northern Europe

 * , –, once part of the  peninsula that formed westernmost Denmark, becomes an island after a flood drowns its 1 km wide.
 * , - The world's first modern railway, the, opens with engineer  driving the first public train pulled by the steam engine .
 * , – : The  destroys 3/4 of the city, with many human casualties.

Central Europe

 * , 1820 – – The  is convened between the rulers of Russia, Austria and.
 * October–December, – : Russia, Austria and  approve  intervention in Spain.
 * , 1825 – The Duke of gains possession of  and changes his title to . The line of  later becomes the  of, Denmark and Norway.

Southern Europe

 * , 1820 – at  leads to the summoning of the  Parliament  (see ).
 * , 1820 – King accepts the new constitution, beginning the Liberal Triennium ("Trienio Liberal").
 * July 1820 – A revolution occurs in the.
 * , 1820 – A insurrection breaks out at,.
 * , 1820 – A revolution breaks out in (see ).
 * , –  approves its first Constitution.
 * , – King  is succeeded by his son.
 * , –  abdicates as King of Portugal.
 * , – : King  overthrows his niece Queen, beginning the.

Greek War of Independence
At the start of the decade, most of was under the rule of the, as it had been since 1453, despite frequent revolts. In early 1821, a secret organization called the instigated several battles that, together with the blessing of a Greek flag and proclamation of uprising by  on March 25, marked the beginning of the revolution. The uprising successfully established a foothold in the, in September 1821, and had some success in ,  and.

Between 1821 and 1824, and  national assemblies were held, and the constitutions  and  were established. However, revolutionary activity was fragmented, resulting in the. The Greek side withstood the Turkish attacks because, during this period, the Ottoman military campaigns were periodic and uncoordinated.

That changed when the Ottoman Sultan negotiated with, who agreed to send his son  to Greece with an army to suppress the revolt in return for territorial gain. Ibrahim landed in the in February 1825 and secured most of the peninsula by the end of 1825. He then helped break the. Although Ibrahim was, he had succeeded in suppressing most of the revolt in the Peloponnese and had been retaken.

Following years of negotiation, three Great Powers,, the United Kingdom and had come to agree to the formation of an autonomous Greek state under Ottoman , as stipulated in the. Ottoman refusal to accept these terms led to the, which effectively secured complete Greek independence. That year, the established the. With the help of a, the Greeks drove the Turks out of the Peloponnese and proceeded to the captured part of Central Greece by 1828. As a result of years of negotiation, Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation in May 1832.

United Kingdom
In the 1820s, the British government was formally headed by, but in practice, was led by his s (1812–1827),  (1827),  (1827–1828), and  (1828–1830). This decade was largely peaceful for Britain, with some foreign intervention. The British supported the Portuguese liberals in the, and supported Greek rebels in the. During this time, became the largest city of the world, taking the lead from.

Domestic tensions ran high at the start of the decade, with the (1819), the  (1820), and the  (1820) in Scotland. However, by the end of the 1820s, many repressive laws were repealed. In 1822, Britain repealed the for over 100 crimes, and punishments such as  and  fell out of use. (barring large assemblies) and the (banning trade unions) were repealed in 1824. The by  granted a substantial measure of  in Britain and.

France

 * , – Emperor  dies in exile on  of stomach cancer.
 * , 1824 – succeeds his brother  as King of France.
 * , – : The  succeeds the  as.
 * , – : The  succeeds the  as.

Africa

 * , 1820: 86 free colonists sail from  to.
 * s begin to settle in the Colony of with the support of the
 * , 1821 – King of  surrenders his throne and realm to Ismail Pasha, general of the, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom.
 * – The first group of freed slaves from the United States arrive in modern-day and found  (see ).
 * , 1824 – The crush  forces in the, killing the British governor  (see also  and ).
 * , – Explorer  becomes the first European to reach.
 * April – : Husain Dei slaps the   Decalina on the face, eventually leading to war and.

Canada

 * , – The  turn over huge tract of land in  to the United Kingdom.
 * , 1824 – The first sod is turned in, for the first of four s (the canal opens for a trial run exactly 5 years later to the day).

United States
At the beginning of the 1820s, the United States stretched from the Atlantic Ocean through to (roughly) the western edge of the Mississippi basin, though Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and all present-day states fully west of the Mississippi had yet to be granted statehood. Two states were admitted to the union during this decade:  in 1820, and  in 1821. The, signed in 1819 and ratified by Spain in 1821, ceded Florida to the United States, and established a boundary between and the United States.

Slavery was widespread throughout the southern United States. According to the, the slave population at that time was 1,538,000. The of 1820 prohibited slavery in the former  north of the  except within the boundaries of the proposed state of. By the, the slave population had risen to 2,009,043. With the coordination of the, many freed African-Americans repatriated to Africa during this decade to the newly formed colony of.

The political mood at the start of the 1820s was referred to as the, following the collapse of the party. , the sitting U.S President since 1817, was, virtually unopposed. In 1823, Monroe introduced the in the, declaring that any European attempts to recolonize the Americas would be considered a hostile act towards the United States.

The feeling of unity during the Monroe administration was dispelled in, which due to an Electoral College stalemate, was decided in the. was chosen as the sixth U.S. President, despite receiving only 30.9% of the popular vote to Andrew Jackson's 41.3%. This gave rise to and the rise of the modern, with  elected in.

Mexico
After ten years of civil war in Mexico (then called the "") and the death of two of its founders, by early 1820 the Mexican independence movement was stalemated and close to collapse. However, the was formed under the command of Colonel  with the support of patriots and loyalists to secure independence for Mexico and the protection of Roman Catholicism. Iturbide's army was joined by rebel forces from all over Mexico, and quickly gained control of Mexico. On August 24, 1821, representatives of the Spanish crown and Iturbide signed the, which recognized the under the terms of the.

On September 27 the Army of the Three Guarantees entered Mexico City, and the following day Iturbide proclaimed the independence of the Mexican Empire. The newly formed Mexican congress eventually declared Iturbide emperor of Mexico on May 19, 1822. Later that year, Iturbide dissolved Congress and replaced it with a sympathetic junta. However, on, 1823 Iturbide abdicated.

The was established on October 4, 1824. In the new constitution, the republic took the name of, and was defined as a representative , with as the. was the first President of Mexico from 1824 until 1829.

After won the election to succeed Victoria,  staged a  and took the presidency on April 1, 1829. Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion under Vice-President in December 1829.

Caribbean

 * , 1821 – The declares independence from Spain only to be invaded by  in 1822 (see ).
 * , – The  an forces led by  arrive in, to overthrow the newly founded.
 * , –  recognizes, 21 years after it expelled the French following the successful , and demands the payment of 150 million gold francs, 30 million of which Haiti must finance through France itself, as down payment.

Central America

 * , 1820 – A revolt begins in,  of.
 * The were formed in 1823.
 * , 1821 –, , , and  gain independence from Spain (see ).
 * , 1821 – declares independence from Spain (see ).
 * – The congress of Central America declares absolute independence from Spain, Mexico, and any other foreign nation, including and a Republican system of government is established.
 * , – The   tries (unsuccessfully) to unify the  republics.

Gran Colombia

 * , 1820 – declares independence from Spain (see also ).
 * , 1821 – : wins 's independence from Spain (see ).
 * , 1821 – The (a  covering much of present-day, , , and ) is established, with  as the founding  and  as.
 * , – :  secures the independence of.
 * , –  arrives in, , to  with.
 * , –  and   meet in . Bolívar later annexes  (See ).
 * , – : President  declares war on Peru.
 * , –  declares himself dictator of Gran Colombia.

Bolivia

 * , 1825 –  from Spain as a  with the instigation of.

Peru

 * , 1821 – declares independence from Spain (see ).
 * , 1823 – is named President of.
 * , 1824 – is proclaimed  of.
 * , 1824 – : Peruvian forces defeat the Spanish.
 * , –   gives up his title of  of Peru and takes the alternative title of Liberator.

Brazil

 * 1822: gains independence
 * , –  declares its independence from  (see ).
 * , –  is declared the constitutional  of the.
 * , –  is crowned as  of  (see ).
 * , – Treaty of Commerce and Navigation signed between  and Denmark, establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Argentina-Brazil War

 * , – ian marines sail up the  and attack the temporary naval base of, ; they are defeated by the local citizens.
 * –, – : A squadron of the Brazilian Imperial Navy defeats  vessels in a major naval engagement.
 * , –  (Passo do Rosário): A force of the Brazilian Imperial Army meets –an troops in combat.
 * , – :  and  recognize the.

Uruguay

 * , 1825 – declares independence from  (see ).
 * , – :  and  recognize the.

Argentina

 * 1820: The  establishes a  in the.
 * , – Unitarian  becomes the first President of.

Chile

 * , 1820 –  in the name of the Republic of.
 * , 1821 – an general is executed by an Argentinian military tribunal in the city of.

Pacific Islands

 * , 1821 – is discovered by the crew of the Eliza Frances.
 * , – : The  is founded.

Economics and commerce

 * 1821: High-quality is introduced in.
 * – leave from, setting off a major increase in.
 * – is no longer banned in Sweden.
 * 1824 – The trading post is established on the lower  by the.
 * , 1825 – issues a £300,000 loan with 2.5% interest through the London bank of Thomas Jenkins & Company.  His actions lead to the, the first modern  in London.

Slavery, serfdom and labor

 * , 1820 and, 1820 – in the United States: The  becomes law.
 * 1820: devises the.
 * 1820: 18,957 black slaves leave,.
 * – 32,000 ns are sold in,.
 * , – : HMS Pickle captures the armed slave ship Voladora off the coast of.

Science and technology

 * , 1820 – A n expedition led by and  approaches the  (see ).
 * , 1820 – lands on the  (see ).
 * April 1820 – discovers the relationship between  and.
 * , 1820 – HMS Beagle (the ship that later takes young on his scientific voyage) is launched.
 * 1820: The 6th edition of the  appears.
 * , –  proposes a.
 * – are deciphered by  and, using the.
 * – 's is taken off the , the 's list of banned books.
 * – The is developed in  by the  minister.


 * 1823 – is described by the.
 * , 1824 – After much controversy, is finally elected as a member of the  with only one vote against him.
 * , 1824 – patents.
 * 1824 – The is developed, creating the first volumetric display.
 * – reduces  to make.
 * June – :  makes a true photograph.
 * – is first isolated from the destructive distillation of  by.
 * , – n inventor  receives a   for the invention of the first  with a replaceable ink cartridge.
 * –  invents the first  which he names Lucifer.
 * – synthesizes, possibly discrediting a cornerstone of.
 * – creates the world's first.
 * – Casparus van Houten Sr. (father of ) s an inexpensive method for pressing from roasted s, leaving .  This is an important step in modern solid  production.
 * , – The patent for an instrument called the  is applied for by   (Officially approved on .)
 * , – In the United States,  obtains the first  for a form of.

Transportation

 * – The first horse-drawn es established in.
 * , 1825 – The world's first modern railway, the, opens in.
 * , – The  opens, providing passage from  to  and.
 * 1825: The is dug to extend settlement access and commercial traffic to the.
 * , – The, built by engineer , is opened between the island of  and the mainland of.
 * , –  patents the.
 * , – Opening of the  in Scotland.
 * , – Construction of the  begins in Canada.
 * , – The first train operates over the  in.
 * – The first is built en route between  and  in.
 * , – The  is incorporated, becoming the first  in United States offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
 * –, 1827 - The 's British-built  makes the first  by steam, from  to.
 * , –  begins operating the first  service in London.
 * , – : 's  wins the.
 * , – The original  opens for a trial run with a ceremony at Port Dalhousie.

Music

 * , 1823 – 's  is first performed.
 * , 1823 – Eleven-year-old gives a concert after which he is personally congratulated by.
 * , 1824 – One of 's most notable pieces, his , premieres in.
 * Early July, –  puts the finishing touches on the , Opus 131.
 * – composes the.
 * , –  performs 's.
 * April–September – pays his first visit to Britain. This includes the first  performance of his  to  and his trip to.

Art

 * 1820: is found on the island of  (Milos).

Poetry

 * 1820: completes, one in a series of his famous Odes.
 * 1820: John Clare 13 July 1793 - 20 May 1864 publishes Poems Descriptive of Rural life 1820
 * 1826: publishes, a poem commemorating the sinking of a French ship called the  during  in 1798.

Sports

 * 1823 – "invents".
 * , – The first  is held on the  in the UK.
 * , – The  wins the very first.
 * , – First ascent of, the highest summit of the.

Theatre

 * , – 's adaptation of 's  premieres in.

Fashion
During the 1820s in European and European-influenced countries, fashionable women's clothing styles transitioned away from the classically influenced "Empire"/"Regency" styles of ca. (with their relatively unconfining ) and re-adopted elements that had been characteristic of most of the 18th century (and were to be characteristic of the remainder of the 19th century), such as full skirts and clearly visible ing of the natural waist.

The silhouette of men's fashion changed in similar ways: by the mid-1820s featured broad shoulders with puffed sleeves, a narrow waist, and full skirts. were worn for smart day wear, while continued in use at court and in the country.

Miscellaneous

 * , – :  is discovered in, Germany.
 * cracks the by using the.

Establishments

 * , 1820 – opens in,  under the title Bray Male School. It is the oldest school in Bray and its notable past pupils include the former ,.
 * 1820: is founded as the Indiana State Seminary and renamed the Indiana College in 1846, to later be renamed.
 * , 1821 – is chartered as The Columbian College of the District of Columbia by President Monroe.
 * , 1821 – The is founded in the United States state of.
 * , 1821 – is founded in.
 * , –  (now the ) is founded by.
 * , – founding of the
 * , 1823 –, then the Singapore Institution, was founded by the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles.
 * 1823 – Jackson Male Academy, precursor of, is founded in.
 * 1823 – The is founded.
 * , 1824 –, No1. is published.
 * , 1824 – is established in.
 * , 1824 – The Town Council makes a decision to found the Edinburgh Municipal Fire Brigade, the first  in Britain.
 * , 1824 – (the first  in the English-speaking world) is founded in.
 * , 1824 – The First American Fraternity, (ΧΦ), is founded at Princeton University.
 * 1824 – The  is established in, France.
 * September 1825 – The is founded by 12 members of.
 * – The is founded (see ).
 * – The started a.
 * , –  is founded, under the name University of London.
 * , – The  is founded.
 * , – , the first  owned and published newspaper in the United States, is founded in  by.
 * – : is established as the first African medical school in the Middle East.
 * – begins publishing .
 * , –  is founded.
 * , –  is founded as The Pennsylvania Inquirer.
 * , –  inaugurated in.
 * – is founded under the patronage of  and the  . It will become the third official  in.
 * – The is founded in.

Disasters, natural events, and notable mishaps

 * , 1820 After the sinking of the of  by a  the survivors were left floating in three small whaleboats. They eventually resorted, by common consent, to  to allow some to survive.
 * 1820: erupts over what is today Seattle.
 * , –    sinks in the  with the loss of around 1600 people on board.
 * , – 116 people die in the, the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.
 * – An in  raises the coastal area.
 * , 1823 – The in  is almost completely destroyed by fire.
 * , 1824 – In the worst flood to date in, water rises 421 cm above normal and 200 lose their lives.
 * , – The  breaks out in New Brunswick.
 * August, – The town of  suffers a landslide.  Those killed include the Willey family, after whom  is named.
 * – A kills approximately 10,000 people in, Japan.

Religion

 * 1820: receives his  in the spring in.
 * , 1823 – says that he was directed by God through the angel Moroni to the place where the  are stored.
 * , –  writes the, an important text within the.
 * , – The last  is held in.
 * , –  succeeds  as the 253rd.
 * , – 's  establishes the  in London, the first modern police force. The first officers, known by the nicknames "bobbies" or "peelers", go on patrol on.