1790s

The last decade of the 18th Century ran from January 1, 1790 to December 31, 1799. The most notable event of the decade was the French Revolution, with other notable events being the founding of the two-party system in American politics and the Panic of 1797.

Events and trends

• French Revolution (1789–1799). It would later be considered to have effectively ended on November 9, 1799, when a successful coup d'état put Napoléon Bonaparte in control of France.
• French inventor Claude Chappe first demonstrated a practical semaphore system (1792). Use of this system would eventually expand to include the whole of France. This would later be considered to be the first practical telecommunications system.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December 5, 1791.
• Lions became extinct in Egypt by this time.
• Canal Mania broke out in the United Kingdom.
• John "Iron Mad" Wilkinson's Iron Madness reached its peak.

World leaders

• Josep de Boltas, Prince of Andorra, r. 1785–1795
• Francesc Antoni de la Dueña y Cisneros, Prince of Andorra, r. 1797–1816
• Qianlong, Emperor of China, r. 1735–1796
• Jiaqing, Emperor of China, r. 1796–1820
• Louis XVI, King of France, r. 1774–1792
• Louis XVII, Nominal King of France, r. 1792–1795
• Maximilien Robespierre, President of the National Convention, Deputy of the Committee of Public Safety (under Georges Danton) and De-facto ruler of France (1792–1795), in office Aug 22-Sep 5 1793, Jun 4–17 1794 (as President of the National Convention) and 1793–1794 (as Deputy of the Committee of Public Safety)
• Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de Barras, Lead Director of the French Directory, in office 1795–1799
• Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul and future Emperor of France, in office 1799–1804
• Christian VII, King of Denmark, r. 1766–1808
• Erekle II, King of Georgia, r. 1762–1798
• George XII of Georgia, King of Georgia, r. 1798–1800
• George III of Great Britain, King of Great Britain, r. 1760–1820
• William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister of Great Britain, m. 1783–1801, 1804–1806
• Kamehameha I (the Great), chief of North Hawaii and first King of Hawaii, r. 1782–1795 (as chief of North Hawaii), 1795–1819 (as King of Hawaii)
• Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, r. 1765–1790
• Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, r. 1790–1792
• Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, r. 1792–1806
• Shah Alam II, Mughal Dynasty Emperor of India, r. 1759–1806
• Kōkaku, Emperor of Japan, r. 1779–1817
• Tokugawa Ienari, Shogun of Japan, in office 1787–1837
• Jeongjo, Joseon Dynasty King of Korea, r. 1776–1800
• Peshwa of the Marathas

1. Madhav Rao II, r. 1774–1795
2. Baji Rao II, r. 1795–1818

• Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, r. 1733–1793 (under French occupation 1793–1814)
• Mohammed ben Abdallah, Sultan of Morroco, r. 1757–1790
• Yazid, Sultan of Morroco, r. 1790–1792
• Slimane, Sultan of Morroco, r. 1792–1822
• Tipu Sultan, Ruler of Mysore, r. 1782–1799
• Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, Ruler of Mysore, r. 1799–1868
• William V, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, in office 1751–1795
• Selim III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, r. 1789–1807
• Pius VI, Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States, p. 1775–1799 (locum tenens until 1800)
• Shahs of Persia (Zand dynasty and Qajar dynasty)

1. Lotf Ali Khan, r. 1789–1794
2. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, r. 1794–1797
3. Fath Ali Shah, r. 1797–1834

• Stanisław August Poniatowski, Last King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, r. 1764–1795
• Maria I, Queen of Portugal, r. 1777–1816
• Frederick William II, King of Prussia, r. 1786–1797
• Frederick William III, King of Prussia, r. 1797–1840
• Catherine II (the Great), Czarina of the Russian Empire, r. 1762–1796
• Paul, Czar of the Russian Empire, r. 1796–1801
• Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia, r. 1773–1796
• Charles Emmanuel IV, King of Sardinia, r. 1796–1802
• Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud, Imam of the First Saudi State, r. 1765–1803
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, King of Siam, r. 1782–1809
• Charles IV, King of Spain, r. 1788–1808
• Gustav III, King of Sweden, r. 1771–1792
• Gustav IV, King of Sweden, r. 1792–1809
• Jamphel Gyatso, Dalai Lama and ruler of Tibet, r. 1762–1804
• George Washington, President of the United States, in office 1789–1797
• John Adams, President of the United States, in office 1797–1801
• Ludovico Manin, Last Doge of the Republic of Venice, in office 1789–1797
• Moses Robinson, President of the Vermont Republic, in office 1789–1790
• Thomas Chittenden, first and last President of the Vermont Republic (and first governor of the State of Vermont), in office 1778–1789, 1790–1791 (as President)