The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January

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. * ...

( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( 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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, 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 Ren ...

, the Early Renaissance, 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" 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. Because ...

and

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

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 The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

ended with a decisive

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

in the Battle of Castillon. 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 throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

, 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 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 ...

), fell 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 Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its kind, earlier designs ...

'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 marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

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

, followed by the forced conversions 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 Abraha ...

, ending over seven centuries of

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...

rule and returning southern Spain to Christian rulers. The search for the wealth and prosperity of India's

Bengal Sultanate The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the domina ...

led to the colonization of the

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

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 physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, 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 collapsed and the Afghan Pashtun Lodi dynasty took control of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

. 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 Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

'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 Sud ...

, by the end of the century, leaving only Alodia (which was to collapse in 1504). The formerly vast Mali Empire teetered on the brink of collapse, under pressure from the rising Songhai Empire. In the

, both the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled that area in and around the Valley of Mexi ...

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

: Dilawar Khan 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 f ...

in present-day central India. * 1402: Ottoman and Timurid Empires fight at the Battle of Ankara resulting in the capture of Bayezid I by

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 ...

. * 1402: Sultanate of Malacca founded by Parameswara. * 1402: 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– 1413: Ottoman Interregnum, a civil war between the four sons of Bayezid I. * 1403: The

moves the capital of China from

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. * 1404–

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 ...

: Regreg War, Majapahit civil war of secession between

Wikramawardhana Wikramawardhana was a Javanese emperor and succeeded Hayam Wuruk Hayam Wuruk (Sanskrit: हयम् वुरुक्, Kawi: ꦲꦪꦩ꧀ꦮꦸꦫꦸꦏ꧀) (1334–1389), also called Rajasanagara, Pa-ta-na-pa-na-wu, or Bhatara Prabhu after ...

against Wirabhumi. *

1405 Year 1405 ( MCDV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1405th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 405th year of the 2nd millennium, the 5th year o ...

: The Sultanate of Sulu is established by Sharif ul-Hāshim. *

– 1433: During the Ming treasure voyages, 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 ...

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: 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 ...

was a wedding in Hvalsey in the Eastern Settlement in 1408.

1410s The 1410s decade ran from January 1, 1410, to December 31, 1419. Significant people References {{DEFAULTSORT:1410s ...

* 1410: 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 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 ...

. * 1410– 1413: Foundation of St Andrews University in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. * 1410- 1415: The last Welsh war of independence, led by Owain Glyndŵr. * 1414: Khizr Khan, 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 ol ...

, takes over Delhi founding the Sayyid dynasty. * 1415:

Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...

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 distinc ...

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 ...

. * 1415: Battle of Agincourt fought between the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. * 1415: Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic at the Council of Constance. *

1417 Year 1417 ( MCDXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * June 29 – An English fleet, led by the Earl of Huntingdon, defeats a fleet of Ge ...

: 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 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 ...

of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. *

: 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 The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, Eur ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

1420s

1420 Year 1420 ( MCDXX) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * March – The Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Mosque in Didymoteicho is inaugurated. * May 21 &nd ...

: Construction of the Chinese

is completed in Beijing. * 1424:

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

returns to

after being held hostage under three Kings of England since

. * 1424: Deva Raya II succeeds his father Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya as monarch of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

. * 1425: Catholic 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

. * 1429:

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

ends the

Siege of Orléans The siege of Orléans (12 October 1428 – 8 May 1429) was the watershed of the Hundred Years' War between France and England. The siege took place at the pinnacle of English power during the later stages of the war. The city held strategic an ...

and turns the tide of the

. * 1429: Queen

Suhita Suhita or Soheeta (died 1447), was a Javanese queen regnant and the sixth monarch of the Majapahit empire, ruling from 1429 to 1447. She was the daughter of Wikramawardhana, her predecessor, by a concubine who was the daughter of Wirabhumi, ...

succeeds her father

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

1430s The 1430s decade ran from January 1, 1430, to December 31, 1439. Significant people References {{DEFAULTSORT:1430s 1430s ...

* 1430: Rajah Lontok and Dayang Kalangitan become co-regent rulers of the ancient kingdom of Tondo. * 1431 **

9 January Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. * 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Ji ...

– Pretrial investigations for

begin in Rouen,

under

occupation. ** 3 March – Pope Eugene IV succeeds Pope Martin V, to become the 207th

pope 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 ...

. ** 26 March – The trial of Joan of Arc begins. ** 30 May – Nineteen-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake. **

16 June Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians. * 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as ki ...

– the

and

Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (before 1370 – 10 February 1452; sometimes spelled Svidrigiello) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund ...

sign the Treaty of Christmemel, creating anti-Polish alliance ** September – Battle of Inverlochy: Donald Balloch defeats the Royalists. ** 30 October – Treaty of Medina del Campo, consolidating peace between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and Castille. **

16 December Events Pre-1600 * 714 – Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom. * 755 ...

–

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne ...

is crowned King of France. * 1438: Pachacuti founds the

1440s

Detail of The Emperor's Approach, Xuande period

1440 Events January–December * February 21 – The Prussian Confederation is formed. * April 9 – Christopher of Bavaria is elected King of Denmark. * April – Murad II lays siege to Belgrade. The city is heavily damaged, but the def ...

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

founded by Henry VI. * 1440s: The

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...

breaks up into the Siberia Khanate, the Khanate of Kazan, the Astrakhan Khanate, the Crimean Khanate, and the Great Horde. *

– 1469: Under

Moctezuma I Moctezuma I (–1469), also known as Moteuczomatzin Ilhuicamina (), Huehuemoteuczoma or Montezuma I ( nci, Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna , nci, Huēhuemotēuczōma ), was the second Aztec emperor and fifth king of Tenochtitlan. During his reign, t ...

, the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

s become the dominant power in

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Wit ...

. *

: Oba Ewuare comes to power in the

West African West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, ...

city of

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

, and turns it into an empire. *

: Reign of

begins as the fifth '' tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan and emperor of the

. * 1441: Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter, dies. * 1441: Portuguese navigators cruise

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

and reestablish the European slave trade with a shipment of African slaves sent directly from

. * 1441: A civil war between the

Tutul Xiues Tutul-Xiu, also Tutul Xiues or Mani, was the name of a Mayan chiefdom of the central Yucatán Peninsula with capital in Maní, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Earlier history In later accounts the C ...

and Cocom breaks out in the League of Mayapan. As a consequence, the league begins to disintegrate. * 1442: Leonardo Bruni defines

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and Modern times. * 1443: Abdur Razzaq visits India. * 1443: King Sejong the Great publishes the

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

, the native phonetic alphabet system for the

Korean language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographica ...

. * 1444: The Albanian league is established in Lezha,

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 ...

is elected leader. A war begins against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. An Albanian state is set up and lasts until 1479. * 1444:

under

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Murad II defeats the Polish and Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and

János Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...

at the Battle of Varna. * 1445: The

Kazan Khanate The Khanate of Kazan ( tt, Казан ханлыгы, Kazan xanlıgı; russian: Казанское ханство, Kazanskoye khanstvo) was a medieval Tatar Turkic state that occupied the territory of former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 155 ...

defeats the Grand Duchy of Moscow at the

Battle of Suzdal The Battle of Suzdal or the Battle of the Kamenka River was fought on July 7, 1445, between Russians under Vasily II and Tatar troops of Oluğ Möxämmäd, who invaded the principality of Nizhny Novgorod. The Russians were defeated by troops of ...

. * 1446: Mallikarjuna Raya succeeds his father Deva Raya II as monarch of the

. * 1447: Wijaya Parakrama Wardhana, succeeds

as ruler of Majapahit. * 1449: Saint Srimanta Sankardeva was born. * 1449: Esen Tayisi leads an Oirat Mongol invasion of China which culminate in the capture of the

Zhengtong Emperor Emperor Yingzong of Ming (; 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464), personal name Zhu Qizhen (), was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor () in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in ...

Battle of Tumu Fortress The Crisis of the Tumu Fortress (), also known as the Tumu Crisis (; mn, Тумугийн тулалдаан), or the Jisi Incident (), was a frontier conflict between the Northern Yuan and Ming dynasties. The Oirat ruler of the Northern Yuan, ...

1450s

* 1450s: Machu Picchu constructed. * 1450: Dayang Kalangitan became the

Queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...

of the ancient kingdom of Tondo that started Tondo's political dominance over

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

. * 1451: Bahlul Khan Lodhi ascends the throne of the

Delhi sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

starting the

Lodhi 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 ...

* 1451: Rajasawardhana, born Bhre Pamotan, styled Brawijaya II succeeds Wijayaparakramawardhana as ruler of Majapahit. *

1453 Year 1453 ( MCDLIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 1453rd year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 453rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 53rd year of the 15th century, and the 4 ...

: The

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

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. *

: The Battle of Castillon is the last engagement of the

and the first battle in European history where cannons were a major factor in deciding the battle. *

: Reign of Rajasawardhana ends. * 1454–

1466 Year 1466 ( MCDLXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It is one of eight years (CE) to contain each Roman numeral once (1000(M)+(-100(C)+500(D))+50(L)+10(X)+5(V)+1(I) = 1466). ...

: After defeating the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War, Poland annexes Royal Prussia. *

1455 Year 1455 ( MCDLV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 8 – Pope Nicholas V publishes ''Romanus Pontifex'', an encyclical addr ...

– 1485:

– English civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. * 1456:

is posthumously acquitted of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important relig ...

by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, redeeming her status as the heroine of

. * 1456: The Siege of Belgrade halts the Ottomans' advance into Europe. * 1456: Girishawardhana, styled Brawijaya III, becomes ruler of Majapahit. * 1457: Construction of

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established ...

begins.

1460s The 1460s decade ran from January 1, 1460, to December 31, 1469. Significant people * Charles I (the Bold) (1433–1477), Duke of Burgundy, r. 1467–1477 * Jean Fouquet of France (1420–1481), painter * Francis II (1433–1488), Duke of Brit ...

* 1461: The League of Mayapan disintegrates. The league is replaced by seventeen Kuchkabal. * 1461: The city of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

is founded by the Ottomans. * 1461: **

2 February Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of " Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...

– Battle of Mortimer's Cross: Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. ** 17 February – Second Battle of St Albans,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

: 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 –

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

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. *

: 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

. * 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

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

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 Songhai Empire, 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 * 1500: Islam becomes the dominant religion across the Indonesian archipelago. * 1500: 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. * 1500: 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. * 1500: Guru Nanak begins the spreading of Sikhism, the fifth-largest religion in the world. * 1500: Spain, Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas. * 1500: Portugal, Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal. * 1500: 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,

(1400–1468), German inventor who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical Movable type, movable-type

File:Skanderbeg by Antonio Maria Crespi.jpg,

(1405–1468), who led the Albanian resistance against the

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— 1403. (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. *

advances the

in Europe () * Linear perspective drawing perfected by Filippo Brunelleschi 1410– 1415 * 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