17th Century
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In this century...
- Quidditch spreads to New Zealand. Allegedly, a group of European herbologists play a match after a hard day's work and are watched by Maori wizards. White wizards playing Quidditch become a common object of Maori art of that period (QA8).
- Persecution of wizards by Muggles is at its height, making this time one of the bloodiest in wizarding history. Under these circumstances, anti-Muggle sentiments grow in the wizarding community. Wizards who seek Muggle contact face ostracism and slander; they are believed to lack magical ability and talent (BB1). The wizarding world retreats into hiding at the end of the century (see below, FBi, QA6, DH16, BB).
In the beginning of this century...
- Quidditch is imported to North America by wizard settlers. However, Muggle settlers of this time have strong feelings against magic, and the magical community has to be very careful, which inhibits the spread of the game (QA8).
At some point between the late 16th and early 17th century...
- Archibald Alderton destroys the village of Little Dropping in Hampshire when he tries to magically mix a birthday cake (before 1623, FW).
- Balfour Blane founds the Committee on Experimental Charms (before 1629, FW).
- The Ministry of Magic is founded (before 1631, W3).
- Mnemone Radford becomes the Ministry's first Obliviator (WM).
- Gunhilda of Gorsemoor discovers a cure for dragon pox (before 1639, FW).
- Mungo Bonham founds St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (before 1659, FW).
Around the middle of the century...
- The Appleby Arrows play the Wimbourne Wasps. A Wasps Beater notices a wasps' nest on a tree on the edge of the pitch and sends it towards the Arrows' Seeker, who is badly stung and has to leave the game. The Wasps' victory becomes legendary, and the team is said to have taken their name from this incident (QA7).
During the second half of this century...
- Thaddeus Thurkell transfigures all of his seven Squib sons into hedgehogs in disgust of their lack of magical abilities (FW).
In the 17th and 18th century...
- The goblin rebellions, a series of violent goblin uprisings, take place.
- One of the Hogsmeade inns is headquarters of the rebellion of 1612 (PA5).
- Two known causes for the rebellions are the alleged theft of Gryffindor's sword from goblin king Ragnuk the First and the Ministry of Magic Decree of 1631, which prevents goblins from carrying wands (W3).
- Other possible causes are the public ducking of Urg the Unclean in the village pond, the imprisonment of goblin confidence trickster Ug the Unreliable, and the accidental death of Nagnok, a Gringotts goblin (W3).
Around the late 17th and early 18th century...
- Lord Stoddard Withers creates a cross between Quidditch and polo that played on winged horses. The sport never catches on (FW).
Contents |
1602
Almeric Sawbridge, a wizard famous for defeating a river troll at the Wye River, is born (FW).
1612
Elfrida Clagg, Chief of the Wizards' Council, is born (FW).see inconsistencies
Urquhart Rackharrow, inventor of the Entrail-expelling Curse, is born (OP22).
Dymphna Furmage, a witch famous for being abducted by pixies, is born (FW).
The Appleby Arrows, an English Quidditch team, are founded (QA7).
One of the Hogsmeade inns serves as headquarters for the goblin rebellion of 1612. (PA5).
1620
The Noble Sport of Warlocks, a book written by Quintius Umfraville, includes a diagram of the seventeenth-century Quidditch pitch, which looks similar to a modern pitch (QA6).
1623
Archibald Alderton, the wizard who destroyed the village of Little Dropping when mixing a birthday cake, dies (FW).
1629
Balfour Blane, founder of the Committee on Experimental Charms, dies (FW).
1631
The British Ministry of Magic passes the Wand Ban of 1631, which forbids the possession of wands by non-human magical beings. This decree is possibly a cause of one of the goblin rebellions (W3).
1632
Thaddeus Thurkell, a wizard known to have transfigured all of his seven Squib sons into hedgehogs, is born (FW).
1634
Havelock Sweeting, an expert on unicorns, is born (FW).
1637
The Werewolf Code of Conduct is passed (PS16).
1639
Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, who developed a cure for dragon pox, dies and is greatly mourned (FW).
1642
Lord Stoddard Withers, a breeder of winged horses and inventor of a cross of Quidditch and polo, is born (FW).
1649
Mnemone Radford, Memory Charms developer and first Obliviator for the Ministry of Magic, dies (WM).
1652
Quidditch teams from outside Europe take part in the Quidditch World Cup for the first time. As a consequence, the European Cup, held every three years, is established (QA8).
1658
Elladora Ketteridge, discoverer of the use of Gillyweed, is born (FW).
1659
Mungo Bonham, founder of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, dies (FW).
1665
Honoria Nutcombe, founder of the Society for the Reformation of Hags, is born (FW).
1666
Composer Musidora Barkwith dies (FW).
- The Great Fire of London destroys over 10,000 houses (WP). According to a popular theory among wizards, the fire is not, as Muggles believe, started by a blaze in a bakery in Pudding Lane, but by a young Welsh Green Dragon kept in the basement of the house next door (W3). We do not know whether this theory is true.
1674
The British and Irish Quidditch League is founded and thirteen professional Quidditch teams are asked to join while all other teams have to disband (QA7).
1675
Brutus Malfoy, editor of the anti-Muggle periodical Warlock at War, writes an article in which he claims that wizards who seek the company of Muggles are of weak intelligence and lack magical talent (BB).
1677
Glanmore Peakes, slayer of the Sea Serpent of Cromer, is born (FW).
1687
Elfrida Clagg, Chief of the Wizards' Council, dies (FW).see inconsistencies
1689
At the height of wizard persecution by Muggles, the Statute of Secrecy is passed and wizards prepare to go into hiding. Important amendments concerning the concealment of magical creatures and sports are added in 1692 and 1750 (DH16, FBi, QA5, BB).see inconsistencies
1692
The International Confederation of Wizards holds an important summit to discuss the great problems posed by the complete retreat into hiding.see inconsistencies
- The summit is attended by wizards of all nationalities, as well as delegations of merpeople, centaurs and goblins (FBi).
- It lasts several weeks—seven alone are devoted to magical creatures (FBi).
- Important decisions made in this year include:
- The agreement to hide 27 species (accepted by all except the goblins and presumably part of the Statute of Secrecy, FBi)
- The right for every wizard to carry a wand at all times (QA6)
- The direct responsibility of every Ministry of Magic to conceal all magical sports within their territory (part of the Statute of Secrecy). As a consequence, the British Ministry founds the Department of Magical Games and Sports in 1750 (QA5, QA6).
Thaddeus Thurkell, a wizard known to have transfigured all of his seven Squib sons into hedgehogs, dies (FW).
1697
Urquhart Rackharrow, inventor of the Entrail-expelling Curse, dies (OP22).
1698
Dymphna Furmage, a witch famous for being abducted by pixies, is born (FW).
1699
Almeric Sawbridge, a wizard famous for defeating a river troll at the Wye River, dies (FW).
Timeline inconsistencies
Full article: Timeline Inconsistencies
Elfrida Clagg
The dates concerning Elfrida Clagg are contradictory.
- It says in the introduction to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that Elfrida Clagg succeeds Burdock Muldoon as Chief of the Wizards' Council in the 14th century. This is in line with the information in chapter four of Quidditch through the Ages, which claims that Clagg is Chief of the Council in the middle of the 14th century, and that she and Bowman Wright are contemporaries (QA4, FBi).
- However, none of the Wizard of the Month or Famous Wizard cards of Clagg, Wright, or Muldoon match this description. According to these cards, Muldoon lives from 1429 to 1490, Clagg from 1612 to 1687, and Wright from 1492 to 1560, making it impossible that Clagg succeeds Muldoon or that Wright invents the Snitch during her time in office. Nevertheless, Clagg's Wizard of the Month picture shows her with a Snitch in her hand (FW, WM).
- The life dates on Clagg's card are also inconsistent with the founding of the Ministry of Magic. According to information from the Third W.O.M.B.A.T., the Ministry of Magic issues a decree in 1631. That means that the Ministry must have replaced the Wizards' Council before this date—which would imply that Clagg became Chief of the Wizards' Council before turning twenty if the dates on her card are correct.
- This confusion also throws doubts on the dates of events concerning Clagg, namely the invention of the Snitch and the abolition of Snidget-hunting, an ill-fated Wizards' Council meeting to define beasts and beings, and the replacement of the Wizards' Council by the Ministry of Magic.
The Statute of Secrecy
There is a contradiction concerning the Statute of Secrecy.
- In chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione quotes from A History of Magic, where it says that the Statute of Secrecy was signed in 1689. This date is reconfirmed in Albus Dumbledore's notes on The Wizard and the Hopping Pot (BB).
- In the introduction to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it sounds as though the Statute was passed in 1692. However, the text never actually says so; it only states that the International Confederation of Wizards held an important summit meeting in 1692 and reached agreement over the hiding of twenty-seven magical creatures. It is entirely possible that the results of the summit meeting were amendments to the Statute of Secrecy passed three years ago.
- The Third W.O.M.B.A.T. and chapter 5 of Quidditch through the Ages both speak of the "International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692". This does sound like a direct contradiction of DH16. Maybe the Statute was signed in 1689 and went into effect in 1692?
Because the 1689 date comes from one of the main Harry Potter books and is confirmed in The Tales of Beedle the Bard (the most recent Potterverse publication), this date is taken as the correct canon date here and we assume that the summit of 1692 was held to reach agreement on important amendments of the Statute.
