Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/746

1439. Council of Ferrara transferred to Florence,—decree for union of Greek and Roman churches signed, but rejected by the Greeks. Doctrine of Purgatory adopted. Death of Albert II. Cardinal Bessarion, “restorer of learning,” settles in Italy. Alliance of Zurich with Austria.
1440. Frederick IV. (III.) emperor. Invention of printing with movable types about this time. Amadeus declared anti-pope, heretic, &c. by Council of Florence. Belgrade unsuccessfully besieged by Amurath II. Title of Viscount introduced in England. Eton College founded. Oil painting perfected by Jan van Eyck about this time.
1442. Abdication of Amurath II. Naples taken by Alphonso of Aragon, the kingdom lost by René of Anjou; union of Naples and Sicily as the Two Sicilies.
1443. Eugenius IV. forms a league against the Turks. Victory of John Hunniades at Kunobitza. King's College, Cambridge, founded by Henry VI.
1444. Peace of ten years between Hungary and the Turks concluded at Szegedin. The treaty violated with the Pope's sanction. Victory of the Turks and death of Ladislas and Cardinal Julian at Varna. George Podiebrad seizes the chief power in Hungary. African slave trade begun by Portuguese. Revolt of Albania under Scanderbeg. Expedition of Charles VII. of France, at request of the emperor, against the Swiss. The siege of Zurich raised. Second abdication of Amurath II.
1445. Marriage of Henry VI. with Margaret of Anjou.
1447. Deaths of the duke of Gloucester and Cardinal Beaufort. Nicholas V. pope. End of the Visconti dynasty at Milan; Francisco Sforza claims the duchy. Foundation of the Vatican Library by Nicholas V.
1448. Constantine XI., Palæologus, last emperor of the East. Anjou and Maine surrendered to the French. Concordat between the empire and the Pope. Birth of Lorenzo de' Medici.
1449. Abdication of Felix V., anti-pope. Normandy conquered by the French. Queen's College, Cambridge, founded.
1450. Jubilee at Rome proclaimed by Nicholas V.; the period again raised to 50 years. Francisco Sforza takes Milan and is proclaimed duke. Impeachment and death of the duke of Suffolk. Insurrection of Jack Cade. Copper-plate engraving invented by Maso Finiguerra about this time.
1451. Mohammed II. sultan of the Ottomans. Conquest of Gascony by the French; Calais alone left to the English. Glasgow University founded.
1452. Murder of the Douglas by James II. The duchies of Modena and Reggio erected by Frederick III. Coronation of Frederick III. by the Pope at Rome (the last emperor crowned at Rome). Birth of Savonarola. Birth of Leonardo da Vinci (died, 1519).
1453. Conspiracy of Stephen Porcaro at Rome. Siege of Constantinople by the sultan Mohammed II. formed, April 6; the city taken by assault, May 9. Death of Constantine,—end of the Eastern empire. Austria erected into an archduchy. Talbot defeated and killed at Castillon. First treaty between France and the Swiss.
1454. The duke of York protector in England.
1455. Calixtus III. pope. The Wars of the Roses begin with the first battle of St Alban's, May 23. The earl of Warwick captain of Calais. Probable date of the Mazarine Bible, the earliest printed book known.
1456. Mohammed II. besieges Belgrade and is defeated by John Hunniades, who dies soon after.
1457. Death of Ladislas the Posthumous, king of Hungary and Bohemia. Reginald Pecock, bishop of Chichester, condemned by archbishop of Canterbury and imprisoned.
1458. Matthias Corvinus elected king of Hungary, George Podiebrad king of Bohemia. Pius II. (Æneas Sylvius Piccolomini) pope. Magdalen College, Oxford, founded. Conquest of the Morea by Mohammed II.
1459. Death of Poggio (born 1381). University of Basel founded.
1460. Battle of Northampton. James III. king of Scots. The duke of York defeated and killed at battle of Wakefield. Cape Verd discovered by Diogo Gomez. Death of Prince Henry, the Navigator.
1461. Second battle of St Alban's. Edward IV. (house of York) king of England. Battle of Towton. Louis XI. king of France. Conquest of Trebizond by Mohammed II.
1462. Mohammed reduces Wallachia. The emperor besieged in Vienna, is delivered by George Podiebrad. Alliance of Louis XI. with the Swiss and the duke of Milan. Ivan III., the Threatening, grand duke of Russia.
1463. The university of Bourges founded by Louis XI. Venetian and Turkish war. Alliance between Venice, Hungary, and the Pope. Excommunication of George Podiebrad. Truce of Hesdin between Louis XI. and Edward IV.
1464. Formation of the Ligue du bien public in France. Posts established by Louis XI. Paul II. pope. Death of Cosmo de' Medici. Death of Cardinal Nicolas de Cusa. Fifteen years' truce between England and Scotland. Battle of Hexham. Conquest of Genoa by Sibrza.
1465. Civil war in France. Battle of Montlhéry. Treaties of Conflans and St Maur. Podiebrad deprived of his kingdom by Paul II.
1466. Normandy reannexed to the French crown. Imprisonment of Henry VI. in the Tower. Treaty of Thorn. Second excommunication of Podiebrad. Birth of Colet (died, 1519).
1467. Death of Scanderbeg. Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. Alliance between Edward IV. and Charles the Bold. Birth of Erasmus (died, 1536).
1468. The States-General meet at Tours. Marriage of Charles the Bold with Margaret of York. Treaty of Péronne, between Louis and Charles. Louis held prisoner by Charles. Liége taken and burnt by Charles.
1469. Marriage of James II. of Scotland with Margaret of Denmark. The Orkney and Shetland Islands surrendered to James. Order of St Michael instituted by Louis XI. Lorenzo de' Medici head of the Florentine republic. Marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon with Isabella of Castile. Birth of Machiavelli (died, 1527).
1470. Ivan III. conquers Kasan and Novgorod. Flight of Warwick to France. Flight of Edward IV. to Burgundy. Henry VI. restored by Warwick. Conquest of Negropont by Mohammed II. The jubilee period fixed at 25 years.
1471. Return of Edward. Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. Deaths of Warwick and Henry VI. Invasion of France by Charles the Bold. Sixtus IV. pope. Death of Podiebrad. Birth of Wolsey (died, 1530). Birth of Albert Durer (died, 1528). Archbishopric of St Andrews erected.
1472. Charles the Bold buys Guelderland and Zutphen. Guienne annexed to the crown of France. Marriage of Ivan III. with Sophia, daughter of Constantine Palæologus. Birth of Copernicus (died, 1543).
1473. Birth of Chevalier Bayard (died, 1524).
1474. The Perpetual Alliance between Louis XI. and the Swiss Confederation. Holstein erected into a duchy. Ferdinand and Isabella proclaimed sovereigns of Castile. Rival claim of Joanna supported by Alphonso V. of Portugal. Neuss besieged by Charles the Bold. Birth of Ariosto (died, 1533).
1475. Invasion of Burgundy by the Swiss. The siege of Neuss raised. Alliance of Edward IV. and Charles the Bold. Invasion of France by Edward. Peace of Pecquigny. University of Bordeaux founded. Birth of Michelangelo (died, 1564). Jubilee at Rome.
1476. Invasion of the Swiss Cantons by Charles. Victories of the Swiss at Granson, March 3, and Morat, June 22. Mohammed II. ravages Moldavia and conquers the Crimea. Caxton sets up his printing press at Westminster, 1476 or 1477.
1477. Siege of Nancy by Charles the Bold, who falls in battle. His daughter Mary succeeds him. Marriage of Mary with Maximilian of Austria. Seizure of Burgundy by Louis. The “Grand Privilege” granted to the Dutch by Mary. Mohammed II. conquers Albania. University of Tübingen founded. Birth of Titian (died, 1576).
1478. Trial and death of the duke of Clarence. Conspiracy of the Pazzi at Florence sanctioned by Sixtus IV. Lorenzo de' Medici excommunicated by the Pope. Ivan III. defeats Ahmed, khan of the Golden Horde. Christian I. of Denmark founds the university of Copenhagen and the order of the Elephant. University of Upsala founded by Sten Sture.
1479. Ferdinand, the Catholic, becomes king of Aragon. Battle of Guinegate. Peace of Olmutz between Matthias Corvinus and the emperor. Ludovico il Moro takes possession of Milan.
1480. The Spanish Inquisition established by Ferdinand and Isabella. Birth of Sir Thomas More. Siege of Rhodes by Mohammed II. Conquest of Otranto. War breaks out between England and Scotland. Alliance of Lorenzo de' Medici with Ferdinand of Naples.
1481. Bajazet II. sultan of the Ottomans. Provence annexed to France. Beginning of the war between the Spaniards and the Moors. Alhama surprised by Spaniards. Otranto recovered from the Turks. First auto da fé in Spain, at Seville, by Torquemada.
1482. Death of Mary of Burgundy. Peace of Arras. The duke of Albany assumes the title of king of Scotland. Alliance of the duke with Edward IV.; siege of Berwick. Capture of Edinburgh by Albany and Gloucester. Cardinal Mendoza appointed archbishop of Toledo. Birth of Guicciardini (died, 1540). Birth of Œcolampadius (died, 1531).

1483. Edward V. king of England murdered. Richard III. king of England. Charles VIII. king of France, regency of Anne of Beaujeu. League of Italian states against Venice. The Venetians excommunicated by Sixtus IV. Birth of Luther (died, 1546). Birth of Baber. Birth of Raphael (died, 1520). Torquemada inquisitor-general of Castile and Aragon.