The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December

1500 Year 1500 ( MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, who thought i ...

( MD). In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, the 15th century includes parts of the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

, the

Early Renaissance Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

, and the early modern period. Many technological, social and cultural developments of the 15th century can in retrospect be seen as heralding the "

European miracle The Great Divergence or European miracle is the socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how mod ...

" of the following centuries. The architectural perspective, and the modern fields which are known today as

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becau ...

and accounting were founded in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The Hundred Years' War ended with a decisive French victory over the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

in the

Battle of Castillon The Battle of Castillon between the forces of England and France took place on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne (later Castillon-la-Bataille). Historians regard this decisive French victory as marking the end o ...

. Financial troubles in England following the conflict resulted in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

, a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England. The conflicts ended with the defeat of Richard III by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field, establishing the

Tudor dynasty The House of Tudor was a royal house of largely Welsh and English origin that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd and Catherine of France. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and it ...

in the later part of the century.

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, known as the capital of the world and the capital of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

(today's

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...

to the emerging Muslim Ottoman Turks, marking the end of the tremendously influential Byzantine Empire and, for some historians, the end of the Middle Ages. This led to the migration of

Greek scholars Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and texts to Italy, while Johannes Gutenberg's invention of a mechanical

movable type Movable type (US English; moveable type in British English) is the system and technology of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation m ...

began the

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

. These two events played key roles in the development of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

.Encyclopædia Britannica, ''Renaissance'', 2008, O.Ed. The Roman

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

was split in two parts in Europe for decades (the so-called

Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...

), until the Council of Constance. The division of the Catholic Church and the unrest associated with the

Hussite The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

movement would become factors in the rise of the Protestant

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in the following century.

Islamic Spain Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mu ...

became dissolved through the Christian

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

, followed by the

forced conversions Forced conversion is the adoption of a different religion or the adoption of irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which ...

and the

Muslim rebellion Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

, ending over seven centuries of Islamic rule and returning southern Spain to Christian rulers. The search for the wealth and prosperity of India's Bengal Sultanate led to the colonization of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

in 1492 and the Portuguese voyages by Vasco da Gama, which linked Europe with the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, ushering the period of Iberian empires. In

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, the

Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire ( chg, , fa, ), self-designated as Gurkani (Chagatai language, Chagatai: کورگن, ''Küregen''; fa, , ''Gūrkāniyān''), was a PersianateB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition, 2006 Tu ...

collapsed and the Afghan Pashtun

Lodi dynasty The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he ...

took control of the Delhi Sultanate. Under the rule of the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

, who built the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

and commanded

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferr ...

to explore the world overseas, the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

's territory reached its pinnacle. In

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the

spread of Islam The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territorie ...

led to the destruction of the Christian kingdoms of

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

, by the end of the century, leaving only

Alodia Alodia, also known as Alwa ( grc-gre, Aρουα, ''Aroua''; ar, علوة, ''ʿAlwa''), was a medieval kingdom in what is now central and southern Sudan. Its capital was the city of Soba, located near modern-day Khartoum at the confluence of t ...

(which was to collapse in 1504). The formerly vast Mali Empire teetered on the brink of collapse, under pressure from the rising

Songhai Empire The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel/Sudan in the 15th and 16th century. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. The state is known by its historiographical ...

. In the

, both the Aztec Empire and the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

reached the peak of their influence, but the

European colonization of the Americas During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short t ...

changed the course of modern history.

Events

1401–1409

* 1401:

Dilawar Khan Dilawar Khan was an Afghan governor of the Malwa province of central India and laterly Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate during the decline of the Delhi Sultanate. After serving at the court in Delhi, he was appointed governor at Dhar in A.H. 793 ...

establishes the

Malwa Sultanate The Malwa Sultanate ( fa, ) (Pashto: ; ''lit: Mālwā Salṭanat'') was a late medieval Islamic sultanate in the Malwa region, covering the present day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan from 1392 to 1562. It was fo ...

in present-day central India. *

1402 Year 1402 ( MCDII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 29 – King Jogaila of the Poland–Lithuania Union answers the rumblings a ...

: Ottoman and

s fight at the

Battle of Ankara The Battle of Ankara or Angora was fought on 20 July 1402 at the Çubuk plain near Ankara, between the forces of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I and the Emir of the Timurid Empire, Timur. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to the ...

resulting in the capture of

Bayezid I Bayezid I ( ota, بايزيد اول, tr, I. Bayezid), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt ( ota, link=no, یلدیرم بايزيد, tr, Yıldırım Bayezid, link=no; – 8 March 1403) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He adopted ...

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

. *

Sultanate of Malacca The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Paramesw ...

founded by Parameswara. *

: The settlement of the Canary Islands signals the beginning of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. *

1403 Year 1403 ( MCDIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January / February – Treaty of Gallipoli: Süleyman Çelebi makes wide-ranging c ...

– 1413:

Ottoman Interregnum The Ottoman Interregnum, or the Ottoman Civil War ( 20 July 1402 – 5 July 1413; tr, Fetret Devri, , Interregnum Period), was a civil war in the Ottoman Empire between the sons of Sultan Bayezid I following the defeat of their father at the ...

, a civil war between the four sons of

. *

: The

moves the capital of China from

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. *

1404 Year 1404 ( MCDIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * April or May – Battle of Blackpool Sands: Local English forces defeat an attempte ...

– 1406:

Regreg War The Regreg War (often erroneously called the ''Paregreg'') was a civil war that took place in 1404–1406 within the Javanese empire of Majapahit. The conflict was fought as a war of independence between the Western court led by Wikramawardhana ...

, Majapahit civil war of secession between

Wikramawardhana Wikramawardhana was a Javanese emperor and succeeded Hayam Wuruk as the fifth monarch of the Majapahit empire, reigning from 1389 to 1429. He was the nephew and also the son-in-law of the previous monarch after taking princess Kusumawardhani, Haya ...

against Wirabhumi. * 1405: The

Sultanate of Sulu The Sultanate of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Kasultanan sin Sūg'', كاسولتانن سين سوڬ; Malay: ''Kesultanan Sulu''; fil, Sultanato ng Sulu; Chavacano: ''Sultanato de Sulu/Joló''; ar, سلطنة سولك) was a Muslim state that ruled ...

is established by Sharif ul-Hāshim. * 1405– 1433: During the

Ming treasure voyages The Ming treasure voyages were the seven maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming China's treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the treasure fleet in 1403. The grand project resulted in far-reachi ...

, Admiral

of China sails through the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

to Malacca, India, Ceylon, Persia, Arabia, and East Africa to spread China's influence and sovereignty. The first voyage, a massive

naval expedition ending in 1407, visited Java, Palembang, Malacca, Aru, Samudera and Lambri. *

1408 Year 1408 ( MCDVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 19 – Battle of Bramham Moor: A royalist army defeats the last remnants o ...

: The last recorded event to occur in the Norse settlements of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

was a wedding in

Hvalsey Hvalsey ("Whale Island"; Greenlandic ''Qaqortukulooq'') is located near Qaqortoq, Greenland and is the site of Greenland's largest, best-preserved Norse ruins in the area known as the Eastern Settlement (''Eystribyggð''). In 2017, it was inscri ...

in the

Eastern Settlement The Eastern Settlement ( non, Eystribygð ) was the first and by far the larger of the two main areas of Norse Greenland, settled by Norsemen from Iceland. At its peak, it contained approximately 4,000 inhabitants. The last written record from t ...

in 1408.

1410s

1410 Year 1410 ( MCDX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * March 25 – The first of the Yongle Emperor's campaigns against the Mongols is ...

: The

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

is the decisive battle of the

Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War The Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War, also known as the Great War, occurred between 1409 and 1411 between the Teutonic Knights and the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Inspired by the local Samogitian uprising, the war beg ...

leading to the downfall of the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

. *

– 1413: Foundation of

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. *

1415 Year 1415 ( MCDXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * April 30 – Frederick I becomes Elector of Brandenburg. * June 5 – The Coun ...

: The last Welsh war of independence, led by Owain Glyndŵr. *

1414 Year 1414 ( MCDXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 7 – Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg becomes the 28th Grand Master of t ...

Khizr Khan Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty. Khan was Governor of Mult ...

, deputised by

to be the governor of

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

, takes over Delhi founding the

Sayyid dynasty The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451. Founded by Khizr Khan, a former governor of Multan, they succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled the sultanate as a vassal of the Ti ...

. *

: Henry the Navigator leads the conquest of Ceuta from the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

marking the beginning of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

. *

: Battle of Agincourt fought between the Kingdom of England and France. *

: Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic at the Council of Constance. * 1417: A large goodwill mission led by three kings of Sulu, the ''Eastern King'' Paduka Pahala, the ''Western king'' Maharaja Kolamating and ''Cave king'' Paduka Prabhu as well as 340 members of their delegation, in what is now the southern Philippines, ploughed through the Pacific Ocean to China to pay tribute to the Yongle emperor of the Ming Dynasty. * 1417: The East king of Sulu, Paduka Pahala, on their way home, suddenly died in Dezhou, a city in east China's Shandong province. The

Zhu Di commissioned artisans to build a tomb for the king. * 1419– 1433: The Hussite Wars in Bohemia.

1420s

* 1420: Construction of the Chinese

is completed in Beijing. * 1424: James I of Scotland, James I returns to

after being held hostage under three Kings of England since 1406. * 1424: Deva Raya II succeeds his father Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya as monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire. * 1425: Catholic Old University of Leuven, University of Leuven (Belgium) founded by Pope Martin V. * 1427: Reign of Itzcoatl begins as the fourth ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan and the first emperor of the Aztec Empire. * 1429: Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans and turns the tide of the Hundred Years' War. * 1429: Queen Suhita succeeds her father

as ruler of Majapahit.Ricklefs (1991), page 18.

1430s

* 1430: Rajah Lontok and Dayang Kalangitan become co-regent rulers of the ancient kingdom of Tondo (historical polity), Tondo. * 1431 ** 9 January – Pretrial investigations for Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France under England, English occupation. ** 3 March – Pope Eugene IV succeeds Pope Martin V, to become the 207th pope. ** 26 March – The trial of Joan of Arc begins. ** 30 May – Nineteen-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake. ** 16 June – the

and Švitrigaila sign the Treaty of Christmemel, creating anti-Polish alliance ** September – Battle of Inverlochy (1431), Battle of Inverlochy: Donald Balloch defeats the Royalists. ** 30 October – Treaty of Medina del Campo (1431), Treaty of Medina del Campo, consolidating peace between Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal and Crown of Castile, Castille. ** 16 December – Henry VI of England is crowned King of France. * 1438: Pachacuti founds the

1440s

Detail of The Emperor's Approach, Xuande period

* 1440: Eton College founded by Henry VI. * 1440s: The Golden Horde breaks up into the Siberia Khanate, the Khanate of Kazan, the Astrakhan Khanate, the Crimean Khanate, and the Great Horde. * 1440–1469: Under Moctezuma I, the Aztecs become the dominant power in Mesoamerica. * 1440: Oba Ewuare comes to power in the West African city of Benin Empire, Benin, and turns it into an empire. * 1440: Reign of Moctezuma I begins as the fifth ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan and emperor of the Aztec Empire. * 1441: Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter, dies. * 1441: Portuguese navigators cruise West Africa and reestablish the Atlantic Slave Trade, European slave trade with a shipment of Slavery in Africa, African slaves sent directly from Africa to Portugal. * 1441: A civil war between the Tutul-Xiu, Tutul Xiues and Cocom breaks out in the League of Mayapan. As a consequence, the league begins to disintegrate. * 1442: Leonardo Bruni defines Middle Ages and Modern times. * 1443: Abdur Razzaq (traveller), Abdur Razzaq visits India. * 1443: Sejong the Great of Joseon, King Sejong the Great publishes the hangul, the native phonetic alphabet system for the Korean language. * 1444: The Albania, Albanian league is established in Lezha, Skanderbeg is elected leader. A war begins against the Ottoman Empire. An Albanian Sovereign state, state is set up and lasts until 1479. * 1444: Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II defeats the Poland, Polish and Hungary, Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and John Hunyadi, János Hunyadi at the Battle of Varna. * 1445: The Kazan Khanate defeats the Grand Duchy of Moscow at the Battle of Suzdal. * 1446: Mallikarjuna Raya succeeds his father Deva Raya II as monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire. * 1447: Wijaya Parakrama Wardhana, succeeds Suhita as ruler of Majapahit. * 1449: Sankardeva, Saint Srimanta Sankardeva was born. * 1449: Esen Tayisi leads an Oirats, Oirat Mongol invasion of China which culminate in the capture of the Zhengtong Emperor at Battle of Tumu Fortress.

1450s

* 1450s: Machu Picchu constructed. * 1450: Dayang Kalangitan became the Queen regnant of the ancient kingdom of Tondo (historical polity), Tondo that started Tondo's political dominance over Luzon. * 1451: Bahlul Khan Lodhi ascends the throne of the Delhi sultanate starting the Lodhi dynasty * 1451: Rajasawardhana, born Bhre Pamotan, styled Brawijaya II succeeds Wijayaparakramawardhana as ruler of Majapahit. * 1453: The Fall of Constantinople marks the end of the

and the death of the last Roman Emperor Constantine XI and the beginning of the Classical Age of the Ottoman Empire. * 1453: The

is the last engagement of the Hundred Years' War and the first battle in European history where cannons were a major factor in deciding the battle. * 1453: Reign of Rajasawardhana ends. * 1454–1466: After defeating the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66), Thirteen Years' War, Poland annexes Royal Prussia. * 1455–1485:

– English civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. * 1456: Joan of Arc is Retrial of Joan of Arc, posthumously acquitted of heresy by the Catholic Church, redeeming her status as the heroine of France. * 1456: The Siege of Belgrade (1456), Siege of Belgrade halts the Ottomans' advance into Europe. * 1456: Girishawardhana, styled Brawijaya III, becomes ruler of Majapahit. * 1457: Construction of Edo Castle begins.

1460s

*1461: The League of Mayapan disintegrates. The league is replaced by seventeen Kuchkabal. * 1461: The city of Sarajevo is founded by the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. * 1461: ** 2 February – Battle of Mortimer's Cross: Yorkist troops led by Edward IV of England, Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in Wales. ** 17 February – Second Battle of St Albans, England: The Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Earl of Warwick's army is defeated by a Lancastrian force under Margaret of Anjou, Queen Margaret, who recovers control of her husband. ** 4 March – The Duke of York seizes London and proclaims himself King Edward IV of England. ** 5 March – Henry VI of England is deposed by the Duke of York during war of the Roses. ** 29 March – Battle of Towton: Edward IV defeats Queen Margaret to make good his claim to the English throne (thought to be the bloodiest battle ever fought in England). ** 28 June – Edward, Richard of York's son, is crowned as Edward IV of England, Edward IV, King of England (reigns until 1483). ** July – Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Graitzas Palaiologos honourably surrenders Salmeniko Castle, last garrison of the Despotate of the Morea, to invading forces of the Ottoman Empire after a year-long siege. ** 22 July – Louis XI of France succeeds Charles VII of France as king (reigns until 1483). * 1462: Sonni Ali, Sonni Ali Ber, the ruler of the Songhai Empire, Songhai (or Songhay) Empire, along the Niger River, conquers Mali Empire, Mali in the central Sudan by defeating the Tuareg people, Tuareg contingent at Timbuktu, Tombouctou (or Timbuktu) and capturing the city. He develops both his own capital, Gao, and the main centres of Mali, Timbuktu and Djenné, into major cities. Ali Ber controls trade along the Niger River with a navy of war vessels. * 1462: Mehmed the Conqueror is driven back by Wallachian prince Vlad III Dracula at The Night Attack. * 1464: Edward IV of England secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville. * 1465: The 1465 Moroccan revolt ends in the murder of the last Marinid Sultan of Morocco Abd al-Haqq II. * 1466: Singhawikramawardhana, succeeds Girishawardhana as ruler of Majapahit. * 1467: Uzun Hasan defeats the Kara Koyunlu, Black Sheep Turkoman leader Jahan Shah, Jahān Shāh. * 1467–1615: The Sengoku period is one of civil war in Japan. * 1469: The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile leads to the unification of Spain.

* 1469: Matthias Corvinus of Hungary conquers some parts of Bohemia. * 1469: Birth of Guru Nanak Dev. Beside followers of Sikhism, Guru Nanak is revered by Hindus and Muslim Sufis across the

. * 1469: Reign of Axayacatl begins in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan as the sixth ''tlatoani'' and emperor of the Aztec Triple Alliance.

1470s

* 1470: The Moldavian forces under Stephen the Great defeat the Tatars of the Golden Horde at the Battle of Lipnic. * 1471: The kingdom of Champa suffers a massive defeat by the Vietnamese king Lê Thánh Tông. * 1472: Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya becomes the first Wattasid dynasty, Wattasid Sultan of Morocco. * 1474–1477: Burgundy Wars of France, Switzerland, Lorraine (province), Lorraine and Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, Sigismund II of Habsburg against the Charles the Bold, Duchy of Burgundy, Duke of Burgundy. * 1478: Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovy conquers Novgorod. * 1478: Reign of Singhawikramawardhana ends. * 1478: Demak Great Mosque, The Great Mosque of Demak is the oldest mosque in Java, built by the Wali Songo during the reign of Sultan Raden Patah. * 1479: Battle of Breadfield, Matthias Corvinus of Hungary defeated the Turks.

1480s

* 1480: After the Great standing on the Ugra river, Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovy gained independence from the Great Horde. * 1481: Spanish Inquisition begins in practice with the first ''auto-da-fé''. * 1481: Reign of Tizoc begins as the seventh ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan and the emperor of the Aztec Triple Alliance. * 1482: Portugal, Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão becomes the first Europe, European to enter the Congo (river), Congo. * 1483: The Jews are expelled from Andalusia. * 1483: Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit until July 23, 1503, according to modern Orbit, orbital calculations. * 1484: William Caxton, the first Printer (publishing), printer of books in English language, English, prints his translation of ''Aesop's Fables'' in London. * 1485: Matthias Corvinus of Hungary captured Vienna, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor ran away. * 1485: Henry VII defeats Richard III of England, Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and becomes King of England. * 1485: Ivan III of Russia conquered Prince of Tver, Tver. * 1485: Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya drives out Praudha Raya ending the Sangama Dynasty. * 1486: Sher Shah Suri, is born in Sasaram, Bihar. * 1486: Reign of Ahuitzotl begins as the eighth ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan and emperor of the Aztec Triple Alliance. * 1487: Hongzhi Emperor ascends the throne, bringing Confucian ideology under his administration. * 1488: Portuguese Navigator Bartolomeu Dias sails around the Cape of Good Hope.

1490–1500

* 1492: The death of Sonni Ali, Sunni Ali Ber left a leadership void in the

, and his son was soon dethroned by Askia Muhammad I, Mamadou Toure who ascended the throne in 1493 under the name Askia Mohammad I, Askia (meaning "general") Muhammad. Askia Muhammad made Songhai the largest empire in the history of West Africa. The empire went into decline, however, after 1528, when the now-blind Askia Muhammad was dethroned by his son, Askia Musa. * 1492: Boabdil's surrender of Granada marks the end of the Spanish

and Al-Andalus. * 1492: Ferdinand II of Aragon, Ferdinand and Isabella I of Castile, Isabella sign the Alhambra Decree, expelling all Jews from Spain unless they convert to Catholicism; 40,000–200,000 leave. * 1492:

landed in the Americas from Spain. * 1494: Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas and agree to divide the World outside of Europe between themselves. * 1494–1559: The Italian Wars lead to the downfall of the Italian city-states. * 1497–1499: Vasco da Gama's first voyage from Europe to India and back. * 1499: Ottoman Navy, Ottoman fleet defeats Republic of Venice, Venetians at the Battle of Zonchio. * 1499: University "Alcalá de Henares" in Madrid, Spain is built. * 1499: Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica is made in Rome *

: Islam becomes the dominant religion across the Indonesian archipelago. *

: Around late 15th century Bujangga Manik manuscript was composed, tell the story of Jaya Pakuan Bujangga Manik, a Sunda kingdom, Sundanese Hindu hermit journeys throughout Java and Bali. *

: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles of Ghent (future Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor) was born. *

: Guru Nanak begins the spreading of Sikhism, the fifth-largest religion in the world. *

: Spain, Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas. *

: Portugal, Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal. *

: The Ottoman Navy, Ottoman fleet of Kemal Reis defeats the Republic of Venice, Venetians at the Battle of Lepanto (1500), Second Battle of Lepanto.

Gallery

File:Masaccio, cappella brancacci, san pietro in cattedra. ritratto di filippo brunelleschi.jpg, Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446), regarded as one of the greatest engineers and architects of all time File:Anonymous portrait of Johannes Gutenberg dated 1440, Gutenberg Museum.JPG, Johannes Gutenberg (1400–1468), German inventor who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical Movable type, movable-type

File:Skanderbeg by Antonio Maria Crespi.jpg, Skanderbeg (1405–1468), who led the Albanian resistance against the Ottoman Empire File:Ivan III of Russia.jpg, Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Grand Prince of Moscow who ended the dominance of the Tatars in the lands of the Rus File:King Richard III from NPG.jpg, Richard III of England (1452–1485), the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty File:Henry Seven England.jpg, Henry VII of England, King Henry VII (1457–1509), the founder of the royal house of Tudor dynasty, Tudor

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

affects philosophy, History of Science and Technology, science and art. * Rise of Modern English language from Middle English. * Introduction of the noon bell in the Catholic Church, Catholic world. * Public History of banking, banks. * Yongle Encyclopedia—over 22,000 volumes. * Hangul alphabet in Korea. * Scotch whisky. * Psychiatric hospitals. * Development of the woodcut for printing between 1400–1450. * Movable type first used by King Taejong of Joseon—

. (Movable type, which allowed individual characters to be arranged to form words, was invented in China by Bi Sheng between 1041 and 1048.) * Although pioneered earlier in Korea and by the Chinese official Wang Zhen (official), Wang Zhen (with tin), bronze metal

printing is created in China by Hua Sui in 1490. * Johannes Gutenberg advances the

in Europe () * Linear perspective drawing perfected by Filippo Brunelleschi

–

* Invention of the harpsichord * Arrival of

to the

in 1492.

References

Sources

* Langer, William. ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of event
online free
* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:15th Century 15th century, 2nd millennium Centuries