Century

15th Century

9 sourced events from this period.

Events

15th Century Timeline

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1410

Military 15th Century Europehigh

Polish-Lithuanian Army Defeats Teutonic Knights at Grunwald

The Teutonic Order had long waged crusades against non-Christian neighbors and questioned the sincerity of Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas’s conversion after his 1386 marriage alliance with Poland. In 1409 the Order’s Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian union. An allied army of roughly 29,000 troops under King Władysław II Jagiełło and Vytautas advanced toward the Order’s capital at Marienburg. On July 15 the forces met between the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg in northeastern Poland. After hours of combat the Teutonic heavy cavalry initially gained ground, yet Lithuanian forces returned to strike the Knights’ rear; von Jungingen was killed and most of the Order’s leadership fell or was captured.

Why it matters: The decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory ended the Teutonic Order’s expansion along the southeastern Baltic coast and triggered its long-term decline in power. Poland-Lithuania emerged as a major European state, shaping the political balance in Eastern Europe for generations and becoming a cornerstone of Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian national memory.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1422

Politics 15th Century Europehigh

Infant Henry VI Ascends English Throne

In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, King Henry V of England had been campaigning successfully in France when he fell ill with dysentery during the siege of Meaux. He died on August 31, 1422, at the Château de Vincennes near Paris at age 35. His only son, Henry VI, born the previous December, was just nine months old and immediately succeeded to the English throne as the youngest monarch in English history. Under the terms of the Treaty of Troyes, the infant also stood to inherit the French crown upon the death of his grandfather Charles VI, which occurred weeks later. Regents including the Duke of Bedford were appointed to govern during the minority, setting the stage for prolonged instability in both kingdoms.

Why it matters: The accession placed a child on the throne during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War, leading to divided regencies and eventual English losses in France. It contributed directly to the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses decades later by weakening Lancastrian authority and fueling noble rivalries over control of the young king.

Event Detail

1456

Law 15th Century Europehigh

Joan of Arc Acquitted of Heresy in Posthumous Retrial

In the mid-15th century, France remained embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with England, and Joan of Arc had emerged as a charismatic military leader who inspired French forces before her capture and execution in 1431 on charges of heresy. Twenty-five years later, at the request of her family and amid efforts to rehabilitate her reputation and bolster French national identity, a retrial convened in Rouen under ecclesiastical authorities. The proceedings examined the original trial's irregularities, including procedural flaws and political motivations tied to English influence. On July 7, 1456, the court issued a verdict declaring Joan innocent of heresy, nullifying the prior condemnation. This outcome restored her standing as a national heroine and set precedents for later canonization processes in the Catholic Church.

Why it matters: The acquittal immediately helped legitimize the French monarchy's narrative of divine support during the war's final phases and contributed to the erosion of English claims in France. Over centuries, it transformed Joan into a enduring symbol of resistance and faith, influencing French cultural identity and culminating in her sainthood in 1920.

Event Detail

1456

Military 15th Century Europehigh

Hunyadi's Forces Repel Ottomans at Belgrade

In the mid-15th century, the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Mehmed II sought to expand into Europe following the 1453 fall of Constantinople. Hungarian regent John Hunyadi organized a defense of the strategic fortress city of Belgrade, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, bolstered by crusader volunteers and local forces. Ottoman troops besieged the city starting in early July, deploying heavy artillery and naval forces on the Danube. On July 21, Mehmed launched a major assault that nearly breached the walls, but defenders held firm. The next day, July 22, the Ottomans faced a determined counterattack and supply issues, prompting Mehmed, who was wounded, to lift the siege and retreat. This outcome preserved Hungarian control over the Danube frontier for decades.

Why it matters: The victory halted Ottoman momentum into Central Europe immediately after Constantinople's conquest, buying time for Christian states to regroup. It demonstrated the effectiveness of combined peasant, knight, and crusader forces against superior numbers and artillery. Long-term, the event inspired later resistance and contributed to the broader pattern of Ottoman-Habsburg conflicts that defined European borders for centuries.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1483

Politics 15th Century Europehigh

Richard III and Queen Anne Crowned at Westminster Abbey

Following the death of his brother Edward IV in April 1483, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, moved swiftly to secure the throne amid claims that Edward's sons were illegitimate. Parliament invited him to assume the crown on June 26. Preparations for the joint coronation with his wife Anne Neville proceeded rapidly at Westminster Abbey. On July 6, the ceremony unfolded with great pomp before much of the English peerage, including the procession from the Tower of London the previous day. Richard and Anne were anointed and crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a double ceremony that underscored the new regime's legitimacy.

Why it matters: The coronation formalized Richard's contested claim during the Wars of the Roses, setting the stage for his brief reign and the eventual Tudor victory at Bosworth two years later. It highlighted the fragility of dynastic succession in late medieval England and influenced later historical narratives about Richard's rule.

Event Detail

1485

Military 15th Century Europehigh

Battle of Bosworth Field Ends Wars of the Roses

By the mid-1480s, England had endured decades of dynastic conflict known as the Wars of the Roses between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. King Richard III of the House of York faced a challenge from Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, a Lancastrian claimant who had gathered support from disaffected nobles and French backing. On August 22, 1485, the two armies met near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Henry's forces, reinforced by the timely intervention of Lord Stanley's troops, overwhelmed Richard's army. Richard III was killed in the fighting, becoming the last English monarch to die in battle. Henry was crowned King Henry VII on the battlefield, uniting the warring factions through his marriage to Elizabeth of York and establishing the Tudor dynasty.

Why it matters: The battle concluded the Wars of the Roses, a thirty-year struggle that had destabilized the English monarchy and nobility. Henry VII's victory created a more stable centralized monarchy that endured for over a century, laying foundations for the English Renaissance and the later British Empire.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1492

Exploration 15th Century Globalhigh

Columbus Sets Sail from Spain on First Voyage

In the late 15th century, European monarchs sought new trade routes to Asia amid competition for spices and wealth. Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator backed by Spain's Ferdinand and Isabella, secured funding after years of proposals. On August 3, 1492, he departed Palos de la Frontera with the Santa María, Pinta, and Niña. The expedition aimed westward to reach the Indies. After weeks at sea with growing crew anxiety, land was sighted on October 12. This voyage opened sustained European contact with the Americas.

Why it matters: The 1492 departure launched centuries of exploration, colonization, and cultural exchange between Europe and the Americas. It shifted global trade patterns and initiated the Columbian Exchange of plants, animals, and diseases. Spain's sponsorship established patterns of royal patronage for overseas ventures that other powers soon followed.

Event Detail

1497

Exploration 15th Century Globalhigh

Vasco da Gama Begins Voyage to India

In the closing years of the 15th century, Portuguese leaders sought a reliable sea route to the spice markets of Asia that would avoid the costly and dangerous overland paths controlled by Ottoman and other intermediaries. King Manuel I selected the experienced navigator Vasco da Gama to command a small fleet of four vessels carrying roughly 170 men. On July 8, 1497, the expedition departed Lisbon and followed a daring course across the South Atlantic to round the Cape of Good Hope. After months of hardship, the ships reached the Indian coast in 1498, establishing the first direct European maritime connection with Asia. The voyage returned with valuable cargo and detailed navigational knowledge that reshaped European understanding of global geography.

Why it matters: The successful journey initiated direct European trade with India and Southeast Asia, fueling Portuguese colonial expansion and intense competition among European powers for Asian commerce. It laid the foundation for centuries of maritime empires, cultural exchanges, and conflicts that integrated the Indian Ocean region into a worldwide economy.

Event Detail

1498

Exploration 15th Century Latin America & Caribbeanhigh

Columbus Discovers Trinidad on Third Voyage

By the late 15th century, European monarchs sponsored voyages seeking new trade routes and territories after the fall of Constantinople closed eastern paths. Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain on his third expedition, had already reached Caribbean islands but sought more lands. On July 31, 1498, his fleet sighted the island of Trinidad off the coast of South America. Crews landed, interacted with indigenous peoples, and noted the island's resources and strategic position. The discovery expanded Spanish claims in the region and provided a base for further exploration of the mainland.

Why it matters: The sighting initiated sustained European contact with Trinidad and facilitated Spanish colonization efforts in the southern Caribbean. It contributed to the broader mapping of the Americas and the integration of the region into transatlantic trade networks that reshaped global economies over the following centuries.

Event Detail