1400s timeline: what happened in the 15th century?
The 15th century brought the printing press, the fall of Constantinople and voyages that redrew the map of the world.
44 events, oldest first.
Timeline of The 1400s
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1405
Zheng He sets sail on his first treasure voyage
His fleet had over 300 ships, decades before Columbus crossed the Atlantic with three.
History of exploration
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1408
China's Yongle Encyclopedia is completed
It had more than 11,000 volumes.
Medieval history
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1413
The University of St Andrews is founded
It is Scotland's oldest university.
Medieval history
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1415
The Battle of Agincourt
Henry V's army was heavily outnumbered, but English longbowmen helped win the day.
Medieval history
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1420
Beijing's Forbidden City is completed
The palace complex was home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors.
Medieval history
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1421
Ming China moves its capital to Beijing
The move came a year after the Forbidden City was finished.
Medieval history
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1428
The Aztec Empire is founded
It began as a Triple Alliance of three city-states: Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan.
Medieval history
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1429
Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans
She was only about 17 years old at the time.
Medieval history
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1432
The Ghent Altarpiece is completed
It is one of the most stolen artworks in history.
Art & literature history
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1434
Jan van Eyck paints the Arnolfini Portrait
Its tiny convex mirror reflects two extra figures, possibly including the painter.
Art & literature history
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1436
Brunelleschi completes Florence's cathedral dome
It is still the largest brick dome ever built.
Medieval history
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1438
Pachacuti begins building the Inca Empire
In less than a century, the Inca built the largest empire in the Americas.
Medieval history
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1443
King Sejong creates the Korean alphabet
He designed hangul so ordinary people could learn to read easily.
Medieval history
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c. 1445
The moa is hunted to extinction
The largest of these flightless birds stood about 3.6 metres tall.
Natural history & deep time
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c. 1450
Machu Picchu is built
It was built for the Inca emperor Pachacuti and abandoned about a century later.
Medieval history
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1452
Leonardo da Vinci is born
He was born a year before Constantinople fell to the Ottomans.
Art & literature history
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1453
Constantinople falls to the Ottomans
It ended the Byzantine Empire, the last remnant of the Roman Empire, nearly 1,000 years after Rome fell.
Medieval history
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c. 1455
Gutenberg prints his Bible
Fewer than 50 copies of the first major book printed with movable type survive today.
Medieval history
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1455
The Wars of the Roses begin
The name was coined much later, inspired partly by a scene in Shakespeare.
Medieval history
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1457
Golf is banned in Scotland
King James II banned it because it distracted men from archery practice.
History of sport
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1459
Work begins on Topkapi Palace
It was home to the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years.
Medieval history
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1461
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is built
With thousands of shops, it is one of the largest covered markets in the world.
Medieval history
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1462
Ivan the Great becomes ruler of Moscow
He tripled Moscow's territory and rebuilt the Kremlin.
Medieval history
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1469
Lorenzo de' Medici takes charge in Florence
His patronage supported artists like Botticelli and the young Michelangelo.
Medieval history
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1472
Monte dei Paschi, the oldest bank, is founded
The Siena bank has operated continuously for more than 550 years.
Food & brand history
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1473
Nicolaus Copernicus is born
He was born in Toruń, in present-day Poland.
Science & technology history
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1476
Caxton sets up England's first printing press
Among William Caxton's first books was Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
Medieval history
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1478
The Spanish Inquisition is established
It was not finally abolished until 1834.
Medieval history
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1480
Ivan III throws off Mongol rule
The 'Great Stand on the Ugra River' ended without a battle.
Medieval history
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1481
The Sistine Chapel is completed
Cardinals still gather there to elect each new pope.
Art & literature history
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1483
The Princes in the Tower disappear
Bones found in the Tower in 1674 are thought to be theirs.
Medieval history
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c. 1485
Botticelli paints The Birth of Venus
Venus arrives on a giant scallop shell, blown ashore by the wind gods.
Art & literature history
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1485
Le Morte d'Arthur is printed
Thomas Malory wrote much of it while in prison.
Art & literature history
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1485
Richard III dies at the Battle of Bosworth
He was the last English king to die in battle.
Medieval history
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1488
Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope
He called it the Cape of Storms; the king renamed it to sound more hopeful.
History of exploration
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1492
Columbus reaches the Americas
He landed in the Bahamas and died believing he had reached Asia.
History of exploration
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1492
Granada falls to Ferdinand and Isabella
It ended almost 800 years of Muslim rule in Spain.
Medieval history
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1493
Columbus brings the first cattle to the Americas
They came on his second voyage, along with horses and pigs.
History of exploration
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1494
The Treaty of Tordesillas
It split the newly explored world between Spain and Portugal.
Medieval history
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c. 1495
Leonardo da Vinci designs a robot knight
Engineers built a working version from his notes in 2002.
Science & technology history
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1497
John Cabot reaches Newfoundland
Cabot was Italian - his real name was Giovanni Caboto.
History of exploration
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c. 1498
Leonardo paints The Last Supper
He experimented with a new technique that soon began to flake.
Art & literature history
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1498
Vasco da Gama reaches India by sea
His voyage from Lisbon took about ten months.
History of exploration
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c. 1499
Michelangelo carves his Pietà
It is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.
Art & literature history
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