Year(s) | Event | Key Figures / Dynasties | Significance |
1450s | Printing press invented | Johannes Gutenberg | Revolutionized information spread; accelerated Renaissance humanism and Reformation ideas. |
1453 | End of Hundred Years’ War | Charles VII (Valois), Henry VI (Lancaster) | France consolidated monarchy; England turned to domestic Wars of the Roses. |
1453 | Fall of Constantinople | Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire | Cut off key overland trade; spurred maritime exploration by Portugal & Spain. |
1455–1487 | Wars of the Roses in England | Houses of Lancaster & York (Plantagenet branches) | Dynastic civil war; ended with rise of Tudor dynasty. |
1469 | Marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon & Isabella of Castile | Trastámara dynasty | United Spain under Catholic monarchs; foundation for Spanish Empire. |
1485 | Battle of Bosworth Field | Henry Tudor (VII) | End of Plantagenet rule; start of Tudor dynasty in England. |
1488 | Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope | Portugal | Opened sea route to Indian Ocean, launching European overseas trade dominance. |
1492 | Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas | Catholic Monarchs of Spain | Beginning of European colonization in the New World; start of Spanish overseas empire. |
1494–1559 | Italian Wars | France (Valois), Spain (Trastámara), Holy Roman Empire (Habsburg) | Major power struggle for control of Italian states; cemented Habsburg dominance in Europe. |
1497–1499 | Vasco da Gama reaches India | Portugal | Established direct sea route to Asia, bypassing Ottoman-controlled land routes. |
1503 | Machiavelli’s The Prince (drafted) | Niccolò Machiavelli | Political philosophy challenging medieval moral governance, emphasizing realpolitik. |
1517 | Martin Luther’s 95 Theses | House of Wettin (Saxony), Holy Roman Empire (Habsburg Charles V) | Sparked Protestant Reformation, dividing Europe along Catholic/Protestant lines. |
1519–1521 | Magellan’s circumnavigation begins | Charles V (Habsburg Spain) | Demonstrated global reach of European powers; Spain claims Philippines. |
1519–1556 | Charles V reign | Habsburg dynasty | Controlled Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Naples, Netherlands, Austria — peak of Habsburg power. |
1524–1525 | German Peasants’ War | Protestant reformers vs. Catholic princes | Largest popular revolt in Europe before the French Revolution; crushed, strengthening feudal lords. |
1526 | Battle of Mohács | Hungary vs. Ottoman Empire | Collapse of medieval Hungary; Habsburgs claim Hungarian crown. |
1534 | Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy | Tudor dynasty | England breaks with Papacy; foundation of Anglican Church. |
1543 | Copernicus’ On the Revolutions | — | Laid groundwork for Scientific Revolution; challenged geocentric worldview. |
1550s | Habsburg–Valois rivalry peaks | Charles V, Francis I & Henry II (Valois) | Decisive for European balance of power; Habsburg supremacy entrenched. |
Renaissance & Italian Wars (1450–1550)
Created
Aug 10, 2025 10:02 AM
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