Deaths on May 31

Frederick William I of Prussia

Died on May 31, 1740

Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)

Frederick William I (German: Friedrich Wilhelm I.; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the "Soldier King" (German: Soldatenkönig), was the king in Prussia and elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as prince of Neuchâtel. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick the Great.

References

Frederick William I of Prussia

Choose Another Date

Events on 1740

8 Apr

Action of 8 April 1740
War of Jenkins' Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.
13 Jun

Siege of St. Augustine (1740)
Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe begins an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of St. Augustine.
11 Jul

Jews
Pogrom: Jews are expelled from Little Russia.
9 Oct

1740 Batavia massacre
Dutch colonists and various slave groups begin massacring ethnic Chinese in Batavia, eventually killing 10,000 and leading to a two-year-long war throughout Java.
20 Oct

War of the Austrian Succession
Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.

Deaths on May 31

Frederick William I of Prussia

Died on May 31, 1740

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1740

Action of 8 April 1740

Siege of St. Augustine (1740)

Jews

1740 Batavia massacre

War of the Austrian Succession