| 1609 |
While looking for a trade route to the far east,
Henry Hudson sailed up the great river that now bears his name. |
| 1624 |
The settlement of Fort Orange, named for the royal family of the
Netherlands, was established |
| 1652 |
Pieter Stuyvesant, governor of New Netherland,
proclaimed that Fort Orange should become the village of Beverwyck. |
| 1664 |
Beverwyck was renamed Albany when the Dutch surrendered to the British
without a battle. King Charles II granted a large tract of land including
Fort Orange to his brother James the Duke of York and Albany.
Thus, Beverwyck became Albany and New Amsterdam became New York.
Albany remained under British rule until the American Revolution. |
| 1686 |
Governor Thomas Dongan granted a charter recognizing Albany as a City and
appointed Pieter Schuyler as the first Mayor. |
| 1797 |
Albany officially became the Capital of the State of New York. |
