Explore 102 historical events from 1450–1459.
John Stafford was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor (1432–1450) and as Archbishop of Canterbury (1443–1452).
John Stafford, English archbishop and politician
Frederick, sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was…
Frederick IV, King of Naples (died 1504)
The Ottoman Empire, historically also known as the Turkish Empire, was a state that spanned much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th century to the early…
A large Ottoman force begins the siege of Albanian rebel forces in Krujë, that ultimately will fail
The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani, was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Muslim dynasty or Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol origin desce…
Timurid monarch 'Abd al-Latif is assassinated
Loukas Notaras was a Byzantine Greek statesman who served as the last megas doux or grand duke and the last mesazon of the Byzantine Empire, under emperors John VIII Palaiologos an…
Loukas Notaras, last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire
The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the no…
Scottish Royal forces loyal to King James II defeat a rebel army of the Black Douglases in the battle of Arkinholm
Dona Eleanor of Avis, also known as Leonor de Lencastre or Eleanor of Viseu, was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and queen consort of Portugal. She was the wife of King John II of …
Eleanor of Viseu (died 1525)
Jack Cade's Rebellion or Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of Ap…
Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI
The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, by the Ottoman Empire. The ci…
With the fall of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans
Rita of Cascia, OSA, was an Italian Catholic widow and Augustinian nun. After Rita's husband died, she joined a small community of nuns who later became Augustinians. Therein, she …
Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (born 1381)
The Battle of Blore Heath took place during the English Wars of the Roses on 23 September 1459, at Blore Heath, Staffordshire. Blore Heath is a sparsely populated area of farmland …
The Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, is won by the Yorkists.
Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and Veldenz was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1489 to 1490.
Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, German nobleman (died 1527)
Martin Behaim, also known as Martin von Behaim and by various forms of Martin of Bohemia, was a German textile merchant and cartographer. He served John II of Portugal as an advise…
Martin Behaim, German navigator and geographer (died 1507)
Erik of Pomerania ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I until her death in 1412. Erik is known as Erik III as K…
Eric of Pomerania, King of Norway, Denmark and Sweden (born 1382)
Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini, usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He is noted for rediscovering and rec…
Poggio Bracciolini, Italian scholar and translator (born 1380)
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464.
Pope Pius II is elected the 211th Pope.
Dona Eleanor of Avis, also known as Leonor de Lencastre or Eleanor of Viseu, was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and queen consort of Portugal. She was the wife of King John II of …
Eleanor of Viseu (died 1525)
Jacopo Sannazaro was an Italian poet, humanist, member and head of the Accademia Pontaniana from Naples.
Jacopo Sannazaro, Italian poet, humanist and epigrammist (died 1530)
Lorenzo Pucci was an Italian cardinal and bishop from the Florentine Pucci family. His brother Roberto Pucci and his nephew Antonio Pucci also became cardinals.
Lorenzo Pucci, Catholic cardinal (died 1531)
Casimir Jagiellon was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The second son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, he was tutored by Johannes Longinus, a Pol…
Saint Casimir, Prince of Poland and Duke of Lithuania (died 1484)
Alfonso the Magnanimous was King of Aragon and King of Sicily and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death. He was involved with stru…
Alfonso V of Aragon (born 1396)
John II or III of Cyprus was the King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458. He was previously a titular Prince of Antioch.
John II, king of Cyprus and Armenia (born 1418)
Pope Callixtus III, born Alonso de Borja, but referred to in English-language accounts as Alfonso de Borgia as a member of the House of Borgia, was head of the Catholic Church and …
Pope Callixtus III (born 1378)
Dordrecht, historically known in English as Dordt or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fif…
The Dutch city of Dordrecht is devastated by fire
Hedwig Jagiellon, baptized as Hedwigis, was a princess of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. She was Duchess of Bava…
Hedwig Jagiellon, Duchess of Bavaria, Polish princess (died 1502)
Rita of Cascia, OSA, was an Italian Catholic widow and Augustinian nun. After Rita's husband died, she joined a small community of nuns who later became Augustinians. Therein, she …
Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (born 1381)
Lorenzo Valla was an Italian Renaissance humanist scholar, rhetorician, educator, and Catholic priest. He is best known for his historical-critical textual analysis that proved tha…
Lorenzo Valla, Italian author and educator (born 1406)
Andrea del Castagno, also known patronymically as Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla, was an Italian Renaissance painter in Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto di Bondon…
Andrea del Castagno, Italian painter (born 1421)
Peter II (1418–1457), was Duke of Brittany, Count of Montfort and titular earl of Richmond, from 1450 to his death. He was son of Duke John VI and Joan of France, and a younger bro…
Peter II, Duke of Brittany (born 1418)
The Hungarian–Ottoman wars were a series of battles between the Ottoman Empire and the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Following the Byzantine Civil War, the Ottoman capture of Gallip…
Ottoman–Hungarian wars: The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) begins.
The conviction of Joan of Arc in 1431 was posthumously investigated on appeal in the 1450s by Inquisitor-General Jean Bréhal at the request of Joan's surviving family—her mother Is…
A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution.
John Hunyadi was a leading Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as regent of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1446 to 1453, under the minor Ladisl…
John Hunyadi and his forces defeat the Ottoman fleet on the Danube, allowing them to reinforce and supply the besieged…
A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts…
Ottoman wars in Europe: Siege of Belgrade: John Hunyadi, Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, defeats Mehmet II of the…
The University of Greifswald, formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklen…
The University of Greifswald is established as the second oldest university in northern Europe.