Major Events
- Jan 6 First recorded boxing match is engineered by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle; his butler vs his butcher
- Mar 4 English Quaker William Penn receives charter from Charles II, making him sole proprietor of colonial American territory Pennsylvania
- Mar 21 3rd Exclusion Parliament meets in London
- Jul 2 Earl of Shaftesbury arrested for high treason
- Sep 30 Netherlands & Sweden sign treaty
- Oct 24 Earl of Shaftesbury accused of high treason in London
- Nov 9 Hungarian parliament promises protestants freedom of religion
1681 in Sport
- Jan 6 First recorded boxing match is engineered by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle; his butler vs his butcher
Born in 1681
- Jan 20 Francesco Bartolomeo Conti, Italian composer and mandolin player, born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (d. 1732)
- Mar 24 Georg Philipp Telemann, German late Baroque composer, and multi-instrumentalist, born in Magdeburg, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1767)
- Mar 30 Pieter Snyers, Flemish painter and engraver, born in Antwerp (d. 1752)
- Apr 11 Anne Danican Philidor, French composer (Concert Spirituel), born in Paris (d. 1728)
- Jun 18 Feofan Prokopovich, Russian Orthodox theologian and Archbishop of Novgorod, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian Empire (d. 1736)
More People Born in 1681
Who Died in 1681
- Jan 28 Richard Allestree, English royalist churchman (b. 1619)
- Feb 14 Francesco Nigetti, Italian composer, dies at 77
- Mar 12 Frans van Mieris the Elder, Dutch painter, dies at 45
- Apr 9 Alfonso Marsh, English composer and lutenist, dies at 54
- May 24 Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Swedish architect (Drottningholm Palace), dies at 65
More 1681 Deaths
Charles II
Louis XIV