On November 23rd, Pope Clement XI succeeds Pope Innocent XII as the 243rd pope.

Carlos II dies and his nephew Felipe V, a Bourbon, becomes king of Spain, thus ending the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs.

Frederick I becomes King of Prussia.

Jethro Tull invents a drill which plants seeds in rows

King William III forms an alliance between England, the Netherlands and Austria against Spain and France ("War of the Spanish Succession") to defend the Archduke Karl of Austria's claim of the Spanish throne against king Felipe V of Spain

Isaac Newton becomes the chairman of the Royal Society.

Ahmed III succeeds Mustafa II as emperor of the Ottoman Empire.

In August, English troops under John Churchill, the Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army in the Battle of Blenheim.

Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

The War of Spanish Succession continues. In May, the armies of the English, Dutch, and Germans defeat the French at the Battle of Ramillies.

Is September the French are defeated by the forces of Austria and Savoy in the Battle of Turin.

John V is crowned King of Portugal.

Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya.

Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, thus effectively ending Sweden's role as a major power in Europe.

The War of the Spanish Succession rages on at the Battle of Malplaquet, where the armies of Great Britain, Netherlands and Austria defeat the French.