1630-1649 Taj Mahal, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell

This twenty year period covers the reign of Charles I who was executed in 1649 and the monarchy was suspended during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. In this period there was constant warfare in the world,  but at least the building of the beautiful Taj Mahal began during this period.

This period coincided with the year ending the 1625–1630 Anglo–Spanish War -- part of the 1618–1648 Thirty Years' War that continued in Sweden, France, Spain and Austria -- and the middle of the 1620-1645 Manchu Conquest of China. Then came the 1632–1634 Smolensk War, the 1634 Polish-Swedish War, the 1637 Pequot War, the 1639–1645 Kieft's War, the 1639–1652 Wars of the Three Kingdoms (the British Civil Wars), the 1640–1656 Catalan Revolt, the 1640–1668 Portuguese War of Independence, the 1640–1701 French and Iroquois Wars, (or the "Beaver Wars"), the 1641–1649 Wars of Castro, the 1645–1669 Turkish-Venetian War ("Cretan War"), the 1648–1653 The Fronde and the 1648–1660 Northern Wars, a series of wars involving Poland, Sweden, Brandenburg, Russia and Transylvania and Denmark-Norway.

The execution of Charles I was a terrible shock, but in view of religious tension he should have minded his own business. Instead, in 1637 he tried to impose a new prayer book on Scotland, provoking protest from the Calvinists who drew up the National Covenant asserting the inviolability of the Scottish church. Then Civil War broke out in 1642, Charles I surrendered to the Scots army and was executed 1649. For the period after 1649 until Charles II became king by negotiation in 1660, England was a 'republic' under the protectorship of Oliver Cromwell. It was an amazing period.

During this period work started on the beautiful Taj Mahal in 1632, in 1633 Galileo proclaimed that the earth revolved around sun, not vice versa, and was punished for holding views against that of the Catholic Church. In 1637 the first opera house was built in Venice, in 1642 Tasmania (van Dieman's Land) was discovered by Abel Tasman, in 1642 Blaise Pascal invented the adding machine and in 1643 Evangelista Torricelli invented the barometer. 

1590-1609 Microscope, Thermometer & Telescope

This twenty year period covers the reign of Elizabeth I who died in 1603 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, who became James I of England. 

In this period there was constant warfare in the world,  but at least something as useful as the microscope was invented during this period.

The 1585–1604 Anglo–Spanish War was continuing, despite the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Then came the 1590–1595 Fourth Russo–Swedish War, the 1592–1598 Seven-Year War, the 1593–1606 "Long War" between the Habsburgs and the Turks, the 1593–1617 Moldavian Magnate Wars, the 1594–1603 Nine Years War in Ireland (Tyrone Rebellion), the 1596–1597 Cudgel War in Finland, the 1600-1611 Polish–Swedish War, the 1602–1612 Turkish-Persian War, the 1609–1618 Russo–Polish War and the 1609 First Anglo-Powhatan War.

This period coincides with the 1590 invention of the microscope by Zacharias Janssen, and then in 1593 thermometer was invented by Galileo Galilei and in 1608 the telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey

In 1605 the Willem Jansz expedition first saw the coast of Australia, in 1606 Luis Vaez de Torres discovered the Torres Strait and Cape York and on May 14 1607 Jamestown founded the first permanent English colony (Virginia) in the New World -- 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.