istoryworld
All Events
The new pope, Sixtus IV, secures his name in history, establishing the Sistine chapel and the Sistine choir
Topa succeeds his father, Pachacuti, as emperor of the Incas
Leonardo da Vinci joins the painters' guild in Florence, probably after training with Verrocchio
Tommaso Portinari, the Medici agent in Bruges, commissions an altarpiece from Hugo van der Goes for his family church in Florence
With Constantinople in Turkish hands, Moscow begins to see itself as the centre of Orthodox Christianity - or the third Rome
Edward IV, landing at Calais with a large army, is bought off at Picquigny with a bribe - ending his attempt to revive the Hundred Years' War
Giovanni Bellini becomes the key figure in the development of the Renaissance style in Venice
The Swiss win a decisive victory at Morat over the army of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy
Caxton establishes the first English printing press in London, after working in the new trade in Bruges
Ptolemy's concept of the world, with the Atlantic stretching to China and India, is printed in Bologna – fifteen years before Columbus sails west
Maximilian, heir to Austria, weds Mary, heiress to Burgundy, in the first of the great marriage alliances which form the Habsburg empire
A plot by the Pazzi family, with papal connivance, results in the murder of Guiliano de' Medici during high mass in Florence's cathedral
Ivan III subdues proudly independent Novgorod, removing the city's famous bell
Leonardo da Vinci takes a professional interest in the new science of fortification
The name of Constantinople changes to Istanbul, a word based on the everyday Greek name for the city
The Maravi Confederacy is formed by Bantu tribes and soon wins control over a large region between Lake Nyasa and the Zambezi
An increase in trade through the central Sahara benefits the Songhay, with their capital at Gao, at the expense of Mali
Botticelli paints the Birth of Venus and Spring for the villa of a Medici cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent
Ivan III, grand prince of Russia, becomes the first to deny the Mongols of the Golden Horde their annual tribute of tax
Tomas de Torquemada, from a family of converted Jews, is appointed Spain's first Grand Inquisitor
Civil war between squabbling Swiss cantons is averted by the diplomcy of a hermit, Brother Klaus, at the Convention of Stans
The English king Edward IV dies and his succeeded by his 12-year-old son as Edward V
The two royal princes, Edward V and his younger brother, are confined in the Tower of London by their uncle - soon to be Richard III
Richard III has himself proclaimed king by a parliament held at Westminster, and begins a short reign of only two years
The Portuguese establish a further presence on the west coast of Africa, at the mouth of the Congo river
