Year 1456 ( MCDLVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

Events

January–December

May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...

– Second

Battle of Oronichea (1456) The Second Battle of Oranik took place during the spring of 1456 in the plains of Oranik (Debar in modern-day Macedonia). Moisi Arianit Golemi, lord of Debar, and one of Skanderbeg's officers, deserted to the Ottomans following the defeat at B ...

: Ottoman Forces of 15,000 are sent to capture

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, but are met and swiftly defeated by

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

's smaller forces. * June 9 – Halley's Comet makes an appearance, as noted by the humanist scholar

Platina Platina is a municipality ''( município)'' in the state of São Paulo in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and ...

. * July 7 – A

retrial of Joan of Arc The conviction of Joan of Arc in 1431 was posthumously investigated on appeal in the 1450s by Inquisitor-General Jean Bréhal at the request of Joan's surviving family – her mother Isabelle Romée and two of her brothers, Jean and Pierre. T ...

acquits her of heresy, 25 years after her execution. *

July 22 Events Pre-1600 * 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids. *1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of J ...

– Battle of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade): The Hungarians under John Hunyadi rout the Turkish army of Sultan

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

. The noon bell ordered by Pope Callixtus III commemorates the victory throughout the Christian world (and hence is still rung). * August 20 – Vladislav II, reigning Prince of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

, is killed in hand-to-hand combat by Vlad the Impaler, who succeeds him. * October 17 – The University of Greifswald is established, making it the second oldest university in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, also (for a period) the oldest in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. * December 5 – Two earthquakes in central Italy kills 12,000–70,000 people.

Date unknown

Lazar Branković Lazar Branković ( sr-cyr, Лазар Бранковић; c. 1421 – 20 February 1458) was a Serbian despot, prince of Rascia from 1456 to 1458. He was the third son of Đurađ Branković and his wife Eirene Kantakouzene. He was succeeded by his ...

becomes despot of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. * Alvise Cadamosto discovers some of the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Islands. * Diogo Gomes reaches the

Geba River The Geba is a river of West Africa that rises in the northernmost area of Guinea in the Fouta Djallon highlands, passes through southern Senegal, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean in Guinea-Bissau. It is about in total length. In Senegal, the r ...

in Guinea Bissau, and explores the

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable f ...

. * Emperor

Zara Yaqob Zara Yaqob ( Ge'ez: ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Kwestantinos I (Ge'ez: ቈስታንቲኖስ, "Constantine"). He is known for t ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

founds the city of Debre Berhan. *

Muscovy Muscovy is an alternative name for the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 * Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and Domes ...

and the Novgorod Republic conclude the

Treaty of Yazhelbitsy The Treaty of Yazhelbitsy (russian: Яжелбицкий мирный договор) was a peace treaty signed by Vasili II, Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimir, and the government of Novgorod the Great in the village of Yazhelbitsy in February ...

. * Petru Aron becomes the first ruler of

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

to pay tribute to the Ottomans. * The fifth

Mersenne prime In mathematics, a Mersenne prime is a prime number that is one less than a power of two. That is, it is a prime number of the form for some integer . They are named after Marin Mersenne, a French Minim friar, who studied them in the early 17t ...

, 8191, was discovered.

Births

* March – Jan Łaski, Polish nobleman (d.

1531 Year 1531 ( MDXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 26 – Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake, in which thousands die. * Fe ...

) *

March 1 Events Pre-1600 *509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor ...

– Vladislaus II, king of Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia (d.

1516 __NOTOC__ Year 1516 ( MDXVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January – Juan Díaz de Solís discovers the Río de la Plata (in future A ...

) * June 11 –

Anne Neville Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"). Before her marriage to Ric ...

, queen consort of

Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

(d.

1485 Year 1485 ( MCDLXXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * Spring – Multiple earthquakes occur near Taishan, China. * March 16 – A ...

) *

June 23 Events Pre-1600 * 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. * 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. * 1280 – The Spanish Re ...

– Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, consort of

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh Ca ...

(d.

1486 Year 1486 ( MCDLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full Julian calendar for the year). Events January–December * January 18 – King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York are married, uniting ...

) * June 25 –

Henry V of Rosenberg Henry V of Rosenberg ( cz, links=no, Jindřich V. z Rožmberka; 25 June 1456 – 21 May 1489) was a Bohemian nobleman. He was regent of the House of Rosenberg from 1472 to 1475. Biography Henry was the eldest son of John II of Rosenberg a ...

, Bohemian nobleman (d.

1489 Year 1489 ( MCDLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * March 14 – The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to the R ...

) * October 16 – Ludmila of Poděbrady, Regent of the duchies of Brzeg and Oława from 1488 (d.

1503 __NOTOC__ Year 1503 ( MDIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 20 – Seville in Castile is awarded exclusive rights to trade wit ...

) * November 7 –

Margaret of Bavaria, Electress Palatine Margaret of Bavaria (7 November 1456 – 25 January 1501) was a princess of Bavaria-Landshut and by marriage Princess of the Palatinate. Life Margaret was a daughter of the Duke Louis IX "the Rich" of Bavaria-Landshut (1417–1479) from ...

and hereditary princess of Bavaria-Landshut (d.

1501 Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna. * March 25 & ...

) * November 8 – Queen Gonghye, Korean royal consort (d.

1474 Year 1474 ( MCDLXXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February – The Treaty of Utrecht puts an end to the Anglo-Hanseatic War. * Mar ...

) * ''date unknown'' **

Jeanne Hachette Jeanne Laisné (born circa 1454 ?) was a French heroine known as Jeanne Fourquet and nicknamed Jeanne Hachette ('Joan the Hatchet'). She was the daughter of a peasant. She is currently known for an act of heroism on 27 June 1472, when she preven ...

(Laisné), French peasant heroine **

Antonia di Paolo di Dono Antonia di Paolo di Dono (1456–1491) was the daughter of Paolo di Dono, nicknamed Uccello, a well-known early Renaissance Florentine painter. Giorgio Vasari's biography of Uccello states that he had "a daughter who knew how to draw." Antonia was ...

, Italian artist and daughter of

Paolo di Dono Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian (Florentine) painter and mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual perspective in art. In his book ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sc ...

(d.

1491 Year 1491 (Roman numerals, MCDXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 2 – Alain I of Albret signs the Treaty of Moulins with C ...

) **

Jan Lubrański Jan Lubrański (1456 – 22 May 1520) was a Polish bishop, politician and diplomat. His coat of arms was Godziemba. Information Lubrański was bishop of Płock between 1497 and 1498 and bishop of Poznań since 1498, founder of many churches in ...

, Polish bishop (d.

1520 __NOTOC__ Year 1520 ( MDXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 19 – King Christian II of Denmark and Norway defeats the Swedes, at ...

)

Deaths

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...

–

Elisabeth of Lorraine-Vaudémont Elizabeth of Lorraine-Vaudémont, Countess of Nassau-Saarbrücken (also known as ''Isabella of Lotharingen''; in Lorraine – 17 January 1456 in Saarbrücken) was a pioneer of the novel in Early New High German language. Around 1437, sh ...

, French translator (b.

1395 Year 1395 ( MCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1395th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 395th year of the 2nd millennium, the 95th year ...

) *

August 11 Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founde ...

– John Hunyadi, Hungarian statesman and military leader (b. c.

1406 Year 1406 ( MCDVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * April 4 – James I becomes King of Scotland, after having been captured by Henry IV ...

) * August 20 – Vladislav II of Wallachia * October 17 –

Nicolas Grenon Nicolas Grenon ( – October 17, 1456) was a French composer of the early Renaissance. He wrote in all the prevailing musical forms of the time, and was a rare case of a long-lived composer who learned his craft in the late 14th century but primari ...

, French composer (b.

1375 Year 1375 ( MCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * April 14 – The Mamluks from Egypt complete their conquest of the Armenian Kingdo ...

) * October 23 – Giovanni da Capistrano, Italian saint (b.

1386 Year 1386 ( MCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 24 – Elizabeth of Bosnia, the mother of the overthrown Queen Mary of ...

) *

November 3 Events Pre-1600 * 361 – Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor. *1333 – The River Arno floods causing massive damage in F ...

– Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, father of King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort ...

(b.

1431 Year 1431 ( MCDXXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 9 – Pretrial investigations for Joan of Arc begin at Rouen in France, ...

) *

November 9 Events Pre-1600 * 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery. * 1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settlement f ...

–

Ulrich II, Count of Celje Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

(b.

) *

November 25 Events Pre-1600 *571 BC – Servius Tullius, king of Rome, celebrates the first of his three triumphs for his victory over the Etruscans. *1034 – Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots, dies. His grandson, Donnchad, son of Bethó ...

– Jacques Cœur, French merchant (b.

) *

December 4 Events Pre-1600 * 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom. * 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 D ...

–

Charles I, Duke of Bourbon Charles de Bourbon (1401 – 4 December 1456) was the oldest son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie, Duchess of Auvergne. Biography Charles was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis from 1424, and Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne from 1434 to his death, a ...

(b.

1401 Year 1401 ( MCDI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 6 – Rupert, King of Germany, is crowned King of the Romans at Cologne. * ...

) *

December 24 Events Pre-1600 * 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. * 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. * 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, whe ...

–

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...

, Despot of Serbia (b.

1377 Year 1377 ( MCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January – Battle of Đồ Bàn: Trần Duệ Tông, Trần dynasty Emper ...

) * ''date unknown'' –

Juan de Mena Juan de Mena (1411–1456) was one of the most significant Spanish poets of the fifteenth century. He was highly regarded at the court of Juan II de Castilla, who appointed him ''veinticuatro'' (one of twenty-four aldermen) of Córdoba, ''sec ...

, Spanish poet (b.

1411 Year 1411 (Roman numerals, MCDXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 1 – The Peace of Thorn (1411), First Peace of Thorn is si ...

)

References

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