1460s

The 1460s decade ran from January 1, 1460, to December 31, 1469.

Events

1460

January–December

January 15 – Battle of Sandwich: Yorkists raid Sandwich, Kent, England, and capture the royal fleet.^[1]
March 5 – King Christian I of Denmark issues the Treaty of Ribe, enabling himself to become Count of Holstein, and regain control of Denmark's lost Duchy of Schleswig.
April 4 – The University of Basel is founded in Switzerland.
June 26 – Wars of the Roses: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Edward, Earl of March (eldest son of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York) land in England with an army, and march on London.
July 4 – The cannons of the Tower of London, still in Lancastrian hands, are fired on the city of London, which is mostly in Yorkist hands. The Tower is surrendered on July 19.^[2]
July 10 – Wars of the Roses – Battle of Northampton: Warwick and March defeat a Lancastrian army and seize King Henry VI of England.^[3] It is agreed that York will be Henry's heir, disinheriting the King's son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
August 3 – While supervising a siege of English occupiers of Roxburgh Castle, King James II of Scotland is killed, when one of his own cannons explodes.
December 30 – Wars of the Roses – Battle of Wakefield: A Lancastrian army under Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland decisively defeats a Yorkist army under Richard of York and his son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, who are both killed. York's son Edward becomes leader of the Yorkist faction.^[4]

Date unknown

Ali Bey Mihaloğlu captures Michael Szilágyi.
Portuguese navigator Pedro de Sintra reaches the coast of modern-day Sierra Leone.
A famine breaks out in the Deccan Plateau of India.
A monk, Leonardo da Pistoia, arrives in Florence from Macedonia, with the Corpus Hermeticum.

1461

January–December

February 2 – Battle of Mortimer's Cross: Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, in Wales.^[5]
February 17 – Second Battle of St Albans, England: The Earl of Warwick's army is defeated by a Lancastrian force under Queen Margaret, who recovers control for her husband.^[6]
March 4 – The Duke of York seizes London, and proclaims himself King Edward IV of England.
March 5 – Wars of the Roses: Henry VI of England is deposed by Edward, Duke of York.
March 29 – Battle of Towton: Edward IV defeats Queen Margaret, to make good his claim to the English throne (thought to be the bloodiest battle ever fought in England).
July 10 – Stephen Tomašević becomes the last King of Bosnia, on the death of his father Stephen Thomas; he is crowned on November 17, in Saint Mary's Church, Jajce.
June 28 – Edward, Richard of York's son, is crowned as Edward IV, King of England (reigns until 1483).
July – Byzantine general Graitzas Palaiologos honourably surrenders Salmeniko Castle, the last garrison of the Despotate of the Morea, to invading forces of the Ottoman Empire, after a year-long siege.
July 22 – Louis XI of France succeeds Charles VII of France as king (reigns until 1483).
August 7 – The Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor; after setting fire to the eastern and western gates of the Imperial City, Beijing (which are doused by pouring rains during the day-long uprising), Cao Qin finds himself hemmed in on all sides by imperial forces, loses three of his own brothers in the fight, and instead of facing execution, he flees to his home in the city, and commits suicide by jumping down a well located within his walled compound.
August 15 – The Empire of Trebizond, the last major Romano-Greek outpost, falls to the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed II, after a 21-day siege.
November 27 – 1461 L'Aquila earthquake. A severe earthquake occurs in L'Aquila.

Date unknown

Cirencester Grammar School is founded in southwest England by the Bishop of Durham.
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli become students of Verrocchio.
Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is founded by the Ottomans.
François Villon writes Le Grand Testament.

1462

January–December

March 27 – Ivan III of Russia becomes the ruler of Russia, following the death of his father, Vasili.^[7]
June 17 – The Night Attack: Vlad III Dracula attempts to assassinate Mehmed II, forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
June 30 – Battle of Seckenheim: Frederick I, Elector Palatine is victorious over four other opponents.^[8]
July 22 – The first siege of Chilia by Stephen the Great fails, and he is seriously wounded.
September 17 – Thirteen Years' War – Battle of Świecino (Battle of Żarnowiec): The Kingdom of Poland defeats the Teutonic Order.^[9]
September – Siege of Mytilene: Mehmed II captures the town of Mytilene, thus conquering the island of Lesbos.
December – After Radu III the Fair takes over the throne in Wallachia, Vlad III Dracula seeks help in Transylvannia, where he is captured by Mathias Corvinus, and imprisoned for the next 12 years, over false charges of treason.

Date unknown

The Jews are expelled from Mainz, Germany.
Portugal begins to settle the Cape Verde Islands, with slaves from the coast of Guinea.

1463

January–December

January 5 – French poet François Villon receives a reprieve from death by hanging, and is banished from Paris (his further life is undocumented).
May – The Kingdom of Bosnia falls to the Ottoman Empire.
September 15 – Battle of Vistula Lagoon: The navy of the Prussian Confederation defeats that of the Teutonic Order.
October 8 – The Truce of Hesdin ends French support for the House of Lancaster in England.^[10]

Date unknown

Muhammad Rumfa starts to rule in Kano.
Corpus Hermeticum is translated into Latin, by Marsilio Ficino.

1464

January–December

April 25 – Battle of Hedgeley Moor in England: Yorkist forces under John Neville defeat the Lancastrians under Sir Ralph Percy, who is killed.^[11]
May 1 – Edward IV of England secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville, and keeps the marriage a secret for five months afterwards.^[11]
May 15 – Battle of Hexham: Neville defeats another Lancastrian army, this one led by King Henry and Queen Margaret themselves. This marks the end of organized Lancastrian resistance for several years.^[12]
June 11 – A 15-year-truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland is signed.^[11]
June 18 – Pope Pius II himself shoulders the cross of the Crusades, and departs for Ancona to participate in person. He names Skanderbeg general captain of the Holy See, under the title Athleta Christi. This plan forces Skanderbeg to break his ten-year peace treaty with the Ottomans signed in 1463, by attacking their forces near Ohrid.
June 23 – Christian I of Denmark and Norway, who is also serving as King of Sweden, is declared deposed from the latter throne. His deposed predecessor Charles VIII of Sweden is re-elected to the throne on August 9.
August 21 – Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan abdicates, and is succeeded by his son, Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado.
August 30 – Pope Paul II succeeds Pope Pius II, as the 211th pope.^[13]

Date unknown

In China, a small rebellion occurs in the interior province of Huguang, during the Ming Dynasty; a subsequent rebellion springs up in Guangxi, where a rebellion of the Miao people and Yao people forces the Ming throne to respond, by sending 30,000 troops (including 1,000 Mongol cavalry) to aid the 160,000 local troops stationed in the region, to crush the rebellion that will end in 1466.^[14]^[15]
Jehan Lagadeuc writes a Breton-French-Latin dictionary called the Catholicon. It is the first French dictionary as well as the first Breton dictionary of world history, and it will be published in 1499.
Tenguella, the founder of the Empire of Great Fulo, becomes chief of the Fula people.

1465

January–December

January 24 – Chilia is conquered by Stephen the Great of Moldavia, following a second siege.
January 29 – Amadeus IX becomes Duke of Savoy.
January 30 – Charles VIII of Sweden is deposed. Clergyman Kettil Karlsson Vasa becomes Regent of Sweden.
c. March – Queens' College, Cambridge, is refounded by Elizabeth Woodville.
May 14 – The Moroccan Revolt in Fez ousts the Maranid rulers, and leads to the killing of many Jews.^[16]^[17]
May 26 – Elizabeth Woodville, Queen consort of Edward IV of England, is crowned in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
July 16 – Battle of Montlhéry: Troops of King Louis XI of France fight inconclusively against an army of great nobles, organized as the League of the Public Weal.^[18]
July 18 – Former King Henry VI of England is captured by Yorkist forces. On July 24 he is imprisoned in the Tower of London. His queen consort Margaret of Anjou and Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, have fled to France.^[19]
August 11 – In Sweden, Regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa, Bishop of Linköping, is succeeded as Regent by Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna.

Date unknown

Massive flooding in central and southern China motivates the initial construction of hundreds of new bridges.
The main altar of St Martin's Church, Colmar is finished by painter Caspar Isenmann.

1466

The Kingdom of Georgia collapses into anarchy, and fragments into rival states of Kartli, Kakheti, Imereti, Samtskhe-Saatabago and a number of principalities; this breakup is finalised in 1490, when Constantine II of Georgia has to recognize his rival monarchies.
The Mentelin Bible, the first printed German language Bible, is produced.
Louis XI of France introduces silk weaving to Lyon.^[20]
The first known shop specialising in eyeglasses opens in Strasbourg.
The second largest bell of Saint Peter's Church, Fritzlar in Hesse is cast by Meister Goswin aus Fritzlar.

1467

January–December

June 15 – Philip the Good is succeeded as Duke of Burgundy, by Charles the Bold.
October 29 – Battle of Brustem: Charles the Bold defeats the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
October 30 or November 11 – Battle of Chapakchur: Uzun Hasan defeats Jahan Shah.
November 12 – Regent of Sweden Erik Axelsson Tott supports the re-election of deposed Charles VIII of Sweden to the throne.
December 15 – Battle of Baia: Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia decisively defeat the forces of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, at Baia (present-day Romania). This is the last Hungarian attempt to subdue the Principality of Moldavia.

Date unknown

Third Siege of Krujë: A few months after the failure of the second siege, Mehmed II leads another unsuccessful Ottoman invasion of Albania.
The Ōnin War (1467–1477), which initiates the Sengoku period (1467–1615) in Japan, begins.
While Hassan III of the Maldives is on Hajj, Sayyidh Muhammad deposes his son, acting regent. On his return, Hassan regains the throne.
Some papal abbreviators are arrested and tortured on the orders of Pope Paul II, among them Filippo Buonaccorsi.
King Matthias Corvinus founds the first university in Slovakia, the Universitas Istropolitana in Bratislava.
The first European polyalphabetic cipher is invented by Leon Battista Alberti (approximate date).
Juan de Torquemada's book, Meditationes, seu Contemplationes devotissimae, is published.^[21]

1468

January–December

June 30 – Catherine Cornaro is married by proxy to James II of Cyprus, beginning the Venetian conquest of Cyprus.
August 26 – Baeda Maryam succeeds his father Zara Yaqob, as Emperor of Ethiopia.
October 14 – The Treaty of Péronne is signed by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and Louis XI of France.^[22]
October 30 – Troops of Charles the Bold conduct the Sack of Liège.

Date unknown

The Lancastrians surrender Harlech Castle to King Edward IV of England after a seven-year siege.
The Great Council of the Republic of Venice attempts to curb the power of the Council of Ten through legislation restricting them to acting on emergency matters.
Orkney is pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. As the money is never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland becomes perpetual.
Fire breaks out at Metz Cathedral in France.
Sonni Ali, king of the Songhai Empire, takes power over Timbuktu.

1469

January–December

February 4 – Battle of Qarabagh: Uzun Hasan decisively defeats the Timurids of Abu Sa'id Mirza.
July 24 – Battle of Edgcote: Yorkists are defeated and, in the aftermath, King Edward IV of England is taken prisoner.^[23]
August–October – Caister Castle in England is besieged by John de Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk.
October 19 – Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile in Valladolid, bringing about a dynastic union.^[24]

Date unknown

Sigismund of Austria sells Upper-Elsass (Alsace) to Charles the Bold, in exchange for aid in a war against the Swiss.
Moctezuma I, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan, dies and is succeeded by Axayacatl.
Anglo-Hanseatic War breaks out.
Marsilio Ficino completes his translation of the collected works of Plato, writes Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love, and starts to work on Platonic Theology.

^ Peter Burley; Michael Elliot; Harvey Watson (9 September 2013). The Battles of St Albans. Pen and Sword. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-84415-569-9.
^ Bennett, Vanora. "London and the Wars of the Roses". Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
^ Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 183–185. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
^ Philip A. Haigh (1996). The Battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460. Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-1342-3.
^ Peter Reid (2007). By Fire and Sword: The Rise and Fall of English Supremacy at Arms, 1314-1485. Constable. p. 398. ISBN 978-1-84529-526-4.
^ Peter Burley; Michael Elliott; Harvey Watson (9 September 2013). The Battles of St Albans. Pen and Sword. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-4738-1903-0.
^ John Stevens Cabot Abbott (1882). The Empire of Russia: Its Rise and Present Power. Dodd, Mead. p. 167.
^ Hans Delbrück (1975). History of the Art of War Within the Framework of Political History: The Germans. Greenwood Press. p. 595. ISBN 978-0-8371-8163-9.
^ Beata Możejko (16 September 2019). Peter von Danzig: The Story of a Great Caravel, 1462-1475. BRILL. p. 55. ISBN 978-90-04-40844-9.
^ Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 128–131. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
^ ^a ^b ^c Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 128–131. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
^ Clive Kristen (10 June 2014). Battle Trails of Northumbria. Andrews UK Limited. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-84989-438-8.
^ Johann Carl Ludwig Gieseler; John C. L. Gieseler (1855). A Text-book of Church History: A.D. 1305-1517. Harper. pp. 265–.
^ Bowman, John Stewart (2000). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture - Google Books. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231110044. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
^ Beck, Sanderson (2010). "Ming Empire 1368-1644 by Sanderson Beck". san.beck.org. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
^ Stillman, Norman A. (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands. Jewish Publication Society. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-8276-1155-9. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
^ García-Arenal, Mercedes (1 January 1978). "The revolution of Fās in 869/1465 and the death of Sultan 'Abd al-ḥaqq al-Marīnī". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 41: 43–76. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00057773.
^ Christina J. Moose (2005). Great Events from History: The Renaissance & early modern era, 1454-1600. Salem Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-58765-215-8.
^ Medieval History. Headstart History. 1991. p. 79.
^ Burke, James (1978). Connections. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-24827-9.
^ "Meditations, or the Contemplations of the Most Devout". World Digital Library. 1479. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
^ Philippe de Commynes (1892). The Memoirs of Philip de Commines, Lord of Argenton: Containing the Histories of Louis XI, and Charles VIII. Kings of France and of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. G. Bell and Sons. p. 130.
^ Keith Dockray (1999). Edward IV: A Sourcebook. Sutton Pub. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-7509-1942-5.
^ Norman Davies (2011). Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe. Penguin Books. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-14-196048-7.

[1] Peter Burley; Michael Elliot; Harvey Watson (9 September 2013). The Battles of St Albans. Pen and Sword. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-84415-569-9.

[2] Bennett, Vanora. "London and the Wars of the Roses". Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-16.

[Cassell's_Chronology-3] Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 183–185. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.

[4] Philip A. Haigh (1996). The Battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460. Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-1342-3.

[Reid2007-5] Peter Reid (2007). By Fire and Sword: The Rise and Fall of English Supremacy at Arms, 1314-1485. Constable. p. 398. ISBN 978-1-84529-526-4.

[BurleyElliott2013-6] Peter Burley; Michael Elliott; Harvey Watson (9 September 2013). The Battles of St Albans. Pen and Sword. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-4738-1903-0.

[7] John Stevens Cabot Abbott (1882). The Empire of Russia: Its Rise and Present Power. Dodd, Mead. p. 167.

[8] Hans Delbrück (1975). History of the Art of War Within the Framework of Political History: The Germans. Greenwood Press. p. 595. ISBN 978-0-8371-8163-9.

[9] Beata Możejko (16 September 2019). Peter von Danzig: The Story of a Great Caravel, 1462-1475. BRILL. p. 55. ISBN 978-90-04-40844-9.

[10] Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 128–131. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.

[CBH-11] Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 128–131. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.

[12] Clive Kristen (10 June 2014). Battle Trails of Northumbria. Andrews UK Limited. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-84989-438-8.

[GieselerGieseler1855-13] Johann Carl Ludwig Gieseler; John C. L. Gieseler (1855). A Text-book of Church History: A.D. 1305-1517. Harper. pp. 265–.

[14] Bowman, John Stewart (2000). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture - Google Books. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231110044. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

[15] Beck, Sanderson (2010). "Ming Empire 1368-1644 by Sanderson Beck". san.beck.org. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

[16] Stillman, Norman A. (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands. Jewish Publication Society. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-8276-1155-9. Retrieved 30 September 2024.

[17] García-Arenal, Mercedes (1 January 1978). "The revolution of Fās in 869/1465 and the death of Sultan 'Abd al-ḥaqq al-Marīnī". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 41: 43–76. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00057773.

[18] Christina J. Moose (2005). Great Events from History: The Renaissance & early modern era, 1454-1600. Salem Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-58765-215-8.

[19] Medieval History. Headstart History. 1991. p. 79.

[20] Burke, James (1978). Connections. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-24827-9.

[WDL-21] "Meditations, or the Contemplations of the Most Devout". World Digital Library. 1479. Retrieved 2013-09-03.

[22] Philippe de Commynes (1892). The Memoirs of Philip de Commines, Lord of Argenton: Containing the Histories of Louis XI, and Charles VIII. Kings of France and of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. G. Bell and Sons. p. 130.

[23] Keith Dockray (1999). Edward IV: A Sourcebook. Sutton Pub. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-7509-1942-5.

[24] Norman Davies (2011). Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe. Penguin Books. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-14-196048-7.

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