The Ming Dynasty in China reaches its apex; Admiral Zheng He sails
Chinese Treasure Fleets as far as Zanzibar in East Africa.
The Hundred Years War rages between England and France; the English win their greatest victory at the Battle of Agincourt,
but the tide turns after Joan of Arc breaks the Siege of Orléans.
In a hint of religious wars to come, the Hussite Wars wrack Bohemia, pitting the reformist followers
of the executed Jan Hus against the supporters of Catholic orthodoxy.
No sooner has the Hundred Years War ended than England is torn apart by the War of the Roses.
An ancient empire falls and a new empire rises as the Ottomans conquer the last remnants
of the Roman Empire at Constantinople and begin expanding into Eastern Europe.
It is a busy century for Spain as the last Moors are finally driven from the country, the Spanish Inquisition rages,
and colonization of the New World begins with the voyage of Christopher Columbus.
Johannes Gutenberg prints his Gutenberg Bible and the Printing Revolution changes everything,
paving the way for revolutions in philosophy, literature, art, and science.
The 15th Century was the stage for countless events that shaped the way
the world is today. In the nodes indexed below, events will be placed in their chronological context, and linked to further nodes which will explain them in greater depth.
How I Made the Year Nodes is long enough to be off in its own writeup;
follow the link.
The 1400-oughts
1400 - 1401 - 1402 - 1403 - 1404 - 1405 - 1406 - 1407 -
1408 - 1409
The 1410s
1410 -
1411 -
1412 -
1413 -
1414 -
1415 -
1416 -
1417 -
1418 -
1419
The 1420s
1420 - 1421 - 1422 - 1423 - 1424 - 1425 - 1426 - 1427 -
1428 - 1429
The 1430s
1430 - 1431 - 1432 - 1433 - 1434 - 1435 - 1436 - 1437 -
1438 - 1439
The 1440s
1440 - 1441 - 1442 - 1443 - 1444 - 1445 - 1446 - 1447 -
1448 - 1449
The 1450s
1450 - 1451 - 1452 - 1453 - 1454 - 1455 - 1456 - 1457 -
1458 - 1459
The 1460s
1460 - 1461 - 1462 - 1463 - 1464 - 1465 - 1466 - 1467 -
1468 - 1469
The 1470s
1470 - 1471 - 1472 - 1473 - 1474 - 1475 - 1476 - 1477 -
1478 - 1479
The 1480s
1480 - 1481 - 1482 - 1483 - 1484 - 1485 - 1486 - 1487 -
1488 - 1489
The 1490s
1490 - 1491 - 1492 - 1493 - 1494 - 1495 - 1496 - 1497 -
1498 - 1499
14th Century - 15th Century - 16th Century
You will notice that the year 1400 has been included as part of the fifteenth
century, as it is hard to have much patience with pedantic statements about a year-counting
system which missed the event it supposedly starts from by about four
years. But if you insist, here's a link to the year 1500.