Gregorian calendar Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Beginning of the year== {| class="sortable wikitable floatright" |- ! Country || Start numbered year<br />on 1 January || Adoption of<br />Gregorian calendar |- | [[Roman Republic]],<br />[[Roman Empire]] || 153 BC || |- | Denmark || Gradual change from<br />13th to 16th centuries<ref>Herluf Nielsen: ''Kronologi'' (2nd ed., Dansk Historisk Fællesforening, Copenhagen 1967), pp. 48–50.</ref> || 1700 |- | [[Papal States]] || 1583 || 1582 |- | [[Holy Roman Empire]]<br />(Catholic states) || 1544 || 1583 |- | Spain, Poland, Portugal || 1556{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=99{{ndash}}100}} || 1582 |- | [[Holy Roman Empire]]<br />(Protestant states) || 1559 || 1700{{efn|Protestant states in Germany used an astronomical Easter from 1700 to 1774, based on [[Kepler]]'s [[Rudolphine Tables]], differing from the Gregorian Easter twice, one week early in 1724 and 1744.<ref>{{citation |last=Lamont |first=Roscoe |year=1920 |title=The reform of the Julian calendar |url=http://adsbit.harvard.edu//full/1920PA.....28...18L/0000018.000.html |journal=Popular Astronomy |volume=28 |pages=18–32|bibcode=1920PA.....28...18L }}</ref>}} |- | Sweden || 1559{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=98}} || 1753 |- | France || 1564<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.henk-reints.nl/cal/audette/cgfrance.html|title=Calendrier grégorien en France|website=www.henk-reints.nl}}</ref> || 1582{{efn|In 1793 France abandoned the Gregorian calendar in favour of the [[French Republican Calendar]]. This change was reverted in 1805.}} |- | [[Southern Netherlands]] || 1576<ref>Per decree of 16 June 1575. Hermann Grotefend, "[http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/gaeste/grotefend/g_o.htm#Osteranfang Osteranfang] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713092953/http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/gaeste/Grotefend/g_o.htm#Osteranfang |date=13 July 2016 }}" (Easter beginning), ''[http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/gaeste/grotefend/grotefend.htm Zeitrechnung de Deutschen Mittelalters und der Neuzeit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628120344/http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/gaeste/grotefend/grotefend.htm |date=28 June 2016 }}'' (Chronology of the German Middle Ages and modern times) (1891–1898)</ref> || 1582 |- | [[Lorraine (province)|Lorraine]] || 1579{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=97}} || 1582{{efn|Lorraine reverted to Julian in 1735 and adopted Gregorian again in 1760.}} |- | [[Dutch Republic]] || 1583{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=94{{ndash}}95}} || 1582 |- | Scotland || 1600<ref name=Blackburn>Blackburn & Holford-Strevens (1999), p. 784.</ref>{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=92}} || 1752 |- | Russia || 1700<ref>Roscoe Lamont, [http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1920PA.....28...18L The reform of the Julian calendar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230150923/http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1920PA.....28...18L |date=30 December 2015 }}, ''Popular Astronomy'' '''28''' (1920) 18–32. Decree of Peter the Great is on pp. 23–24.</ref>||1918 |- | [[Tuscany]] || 1750<ref>*Alexandre Dumas, [https://archive.org/details/storiadelgoverno00duma/page/201 <!-- quote=toscana 1750 calendario gregoriano. --> Storia del governo della Toscana: sotto La casa de'Medici]. *[https://www.florencewithguide.com/it/blog-it/il-calendario-fiorentino/ Il calendario fiorentino] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310154203/http://www.florencewithguide.com/it/blog-it/il-calendario-fiorentino/ |date=10 March 2017 }}.</ref> || 1582<ref>Lorenzo Cattini, [https://books.google.com/books?id=v--l2PRjuJQC Legislazione toscana raccolta e illustrata], vol. 10, p. 208.</ref> |- | [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and<br />the [[British Empire]]<br />except Scotland || 1752<ref name=Blackburn/> || 1752 |- | [[Republic of Venice]] || 1522 <!-- 1797 is not correct. This is the date when Venice fell to the French Empire and changed to the French system. --> || 1582 |} The year used in dates during the [[Roman Republic]] and the [[Roman Empire]] was the consular year, which began on the day when consuls first entered office—probably 1 May before 222 BC, 15 March from 222 BC and 1 January from 153 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/chron/roman/chron_rom_cal.htm#eponymous |title=Roman Dates: Eponymous Years |publisher=Tyndalehouse.com |access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref> The Julian calendar, which began in 45 BC, continued to use 1 January as the first day of the [[new year]]. Even though the year used for dates changed, the civil year always displayed its months in the order January to December from the Roman Republican period until the present. During the Middle Ages, under the influence of the Catholic Church, many Western European countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals—25 December ([[Christmas]]), 25 March ([[Annunciation]]), or Easter,<ref name=MS>{{cite web| first1=Mike |last1= Spathaky |url=http://www.cree.name/genuki/dates.htm | title= Old Style and New Style Dates and the change to the Gregorian Calendar: A summary for genealogists}}</ref> while the Byzantine Empire began its year on 1 September and Russia did so on 1 March until 1492 when the new year was moved to 1 September.<ref>S. I. Seleschnikow: ''Wieviel Monde hat ein Jahr?'' (Aulis-Verlag, Leipzig/Jena/Berlin 1981, p. 149), which is a German translation of С. И. Селешников: ''История календаря и хронология'' (Издательство "Наука", Moscow 1977). The relevant chapter is available online here: [http://grigam.narod.ru/kalend/kalen19.htm История календаря в России и в СССР (Calendar history in Russia and the USSR)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091017163723/http://grigam.narod.ru/kalend/kalen19.htm |date=17 October 2009 }}. Anno Mundi 7000 lasted from {{nowrap|1 March 1492}} to {{nowrap|31 August 1492}}. {{in lang|ru}}</ref> In common usage, 1 January was regarded as New Year's Day and celebrated as such,<ref>[http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1661/12/31/index.php Tuesday 31 December 1661] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929090731/http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1661/12/31/index.php |date=29 September 2007 }}, [http://www.pepysdiary.com The Diary of Samuel Pepys] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301084423/http://www.pepysdiary.com/ |date=1 March 2021 }} "I sat down to end my journell for this year, ..."</ref> but from the 12th century until 1751 the legal year in England began on 25 March ([[Lady Day]]).<ref>Nørby, Toke. [http://www.norbyhus.dk/calendar.html#England The Perpetual Calendar: What about England] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830124531/http://www.norbyhus.dk/calendar.html#England |date=30 August 2007 }} Version 29 February 2000</ref> So, for example, the Parliamentary record lists the execution of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] on 30 January as occurring in 1648 (as the year did not end until 24 March),<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=26211#s5|title= House of Commons Journal Volume 8, 9 June 1660 (Regicides)|publisher=British History Online|access-date=18 March 2007}}</ref> although later histories adjust the start of the year to 1 January and record the execution as occurring in 1649.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/rise_parliament/docs/charles_warrant.htm |title=Death warrant of Charles I |publisher=National Archives}}</ref> Most Western European countries changed the start of the year to 1 January before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to 1 January in 1600 (this means that 1599 was a short year). England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to 1 January in 1752 (so 1751 was a short year with only 282 days). Later in 1752 in September the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies (see the section [[#Adoption|Adoption]]). These two reforms were implemented by the [[Calendar (New Style) Act 1750]].<ref name="NT-Perpetual-Calendar">Nørby, Toke. [http://www.norbyhus.dk/calendar.php The Perpetual Calendar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112032636/http://norbyhus.dk/calendar.php |date=12 November 2019 }}</ref> In some countries, an official decree or law specified that the start of the year should be 1 January. For such countries, a specific date when a "1 January year" became the norm, can be identified.{{sfnp|Bond|1875|p=91{{ndash}}101}} In other countries, the customs varied, and the start of the year moved back and forth as fashion and influence from other countries dictated various customs. Neither the papal bull nor its attached canons explicitly fix such a date, though the latter states that the "[[Golden number (time)|Golden number]]" of 1752 ends in December and a new year (and new Golden number) begins in January 1753.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kalendarium Gregorianum perpetuum |trans-title=Perpetual Gregorian calendar |date=1752 |last=Chiesa Cattolica |language=la |pages=17, 18 |chapter=Canon I: De cyclo decennovenalli • aurei numeri |publisher=apud Ioannes Bapt. Sessam, & fratres |trans-chapter=Canon I: On the nineteenth yearly cycle • golden numbers |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xzHmKtG1_rgC/page/n17/mode/2up?q=1583 |quote=''Annus Cycli decennouennalis, qui dr Aureus numerus est 6. terminaturque simulcu ipso anno Domini 1582 in mése Decembri. In mense autem Ianuario initium sumit alius annus Domini , nempe 1583. & in eodem mense Ianuario aslumitur etiam alius annuis Aurei numeri, nimirum 7.'' |trans-quote=The year of the ten-year cycle, which is the golden number 6, ends at the same time in the year of the Lord 1582 in the month of December. And in the month of January begins another year of the Lord, that is, 1583. And in the same month of January also another year of the golden number is ushered in, namely 7. }}</ref> {{clear}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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