The Second Millenium

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1439

Philip the Peaceful begins his ten year reign as Pope. An honest man, he had successfully ruled the House of Savoy before becoming a hermit. Appointed as a rival to Pope Nicolas V, he voluntarily resigned after being offered a cardinal's seat.

Gutenburg alters the course of history when he invents the printing press. Sort of. Gutenburg's press used movable type successfully. Printing presses, in which the entire page was printed from a single block had been used successfully, and the Chinese had already invented a printing press with movable type, but they failed to exploit it.

In Poland, the Battle of Grotniki is a minor battle, but it ends the Hussite movement in Poland. Polish authorities now begin consolidating power under the central government.

One of the four remaining parts of the Mongol Empire successfully invades Russia, which is now virtually independent of the Mongolians.

 

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1440

At the time, Harfleur was the biggest seaport on France's northwestern coast. Although they are losing the Hundred Years War, England manges to recapture it.

Gilles de Raid was a French nobleman who had fought by the side of Joan of Arc. He did so well that he was later made Marshal of France. After retiring, he became a serial killer of children. This year, he is hanged.

Moctezuma begins his 29 year reign as Emperor of the Aztecs. He successfully strengthens the union with two other city-states, absorbing most of them peacefully into the Empire. Using warfare, he conquered neighboring city-states until he reached the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

England founds Eton College (which is actually a high school) as a boarding school for boys. Still in existence, it is one of the greatest educational institutions in the world.

 

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1441

Sweden has overthrown four Kings in rapid succession. This year, they make Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark and Norway, their new King. He quickly put down three peasant rebellions, including a massive revolt in Denmark. But he steadily lost power to the nobles.

Ethiopia sends a delegation to a Catholic Church Council in Florence. They are unsuccessful in merging the Coptic Church into the Catholic Church.

The Mayan Civilization in southern Mexico and Central America splits into warring city-states.

Potugal begins importing Black slaves to Europe.

 

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1442

Hungary defeats Turkey in a massive battle that costs the Turks about 17,500 killed. It is Hungary's third victory in a row over the Turks.

Alfonso the Magnanimous, King of Aragon (in Spain), had some claim to the Kingdom of Naples (in Italy) through inheritance. He besieges the city with massive artillery, and this year, the city surrenders. He then begins his sixteen year reign as King of Naples.

 

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1443

Hungary, Serbia, and Wallachia unite in the Crusade of Varna, and they win another victory over the Turks.

Albania rebels against their Turkish rulers.

Sejong the Great, King of Korea, institutes a new alphabet.

Buddhists complete the Zhihua Temple in Beijing. Still in use as a temple, museum, office, and tourist site, it is one of the few wooden structures from the Ming Dynasty that survives.

 

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1444

The nation of Albania is founded--sort of. When the Turks had first invaded, they had found Albania divided into small principalities that were often at war with each other, and the Turks had easily conquered the land. Having thrown off the Turks, Albania now unites with a common army that will devastate the Turks. Other European nations will provide funds and supplies to this army. But eventually, they union falls apart, they begin fighting each other, and the Ottoman Empire returns and easily reconquers the land.

France and England sign a five year truce in the Hundred Years War. Stuck with an army that has nothing to do, France invades Switzerland. They win, but their losses are so heavy that they withdraw.

The first European Black slave market opens in Portugal.

 

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1445 is a rough year for the Moslems.

Ethiopia defeats a Moslem rebellion in the south, firmly establishing their countrol over that part of their country.

Albania wins another victory over the Turks.

Meanwhile, Portugal sets up a permanent trading post on an African island that will eventually ship 800 slaves a year to Portugal. Surrounded by dangerous reefs and without a good harbor, the island changes hands among the Europeans several times and is now part of the African nation of Mauritania.

Also, Portugal discovers The Green Cape, a small península that is the westernmost part of mainland Africa.

 

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Sorry for the delay, Folks, but our internet service was down.

1446

China rebuilds The Precious Belt Bridge, which still stands today. It was already 600 years old, and is a stome bridge with arches in the center.

Turkey invades Albania again, and they have a new tactic: their army is almost 100% cavalry. But an Albanian army 1/3 their size defeats them.

But victorious Turks capture and loot the entire Peloponnesian Peninsula in Greece, taking it away from various Christian kingdoms that hold parts of it.

Is it really true? If you kiss the Blarney Stone, will you get the gift of gab? The Irish weren't sure, but they hoist the already famous Stone up to a tower of Blarney Castle and cement it into place. And since that time, millions of people have kissed the Blarney Stone.

 

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1447

Nicholas V begins his eight year reign as Pope. A great builder, he restores the ancient waterduct system of Rome, providing the poor with free clean water. He rebuilds some of Rome's fortifications, conducts massive street repairs, and tears down crumbling buildings so he can use the marble to put up newer ones.
He encourages Portugal to capture Black African slaves from their newly-explored territories, but only if they aren´t Christian.

Venice unites with the Ottoman Turks to battle Albania in a dispute over possession of a fortress. But next year, Albania defeats them both and Venice withdraws.

 

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Welcome to 1448!

Hungary suffers a smashing defeat from the Turks at the Second Battle of Kosovo. With 17,000 soldiers killed, Hungary has to pay reparations and restore some territory. However, the Turks are not able to make any more advances into Hungary after this battle.

Count Drácula briefly rules Wallachia before being overthrown by his brother.

The Vatican Library is founded. Starting with about 3,500 documents, it quickly became the largest library in the Western World. Today it contains about 75,000 documents.

 

[Vince53]

1449

Constantine XI, "The Marble Emperor," begins his four year reign over the Byzantine Empire. He had ruled Peloponesia until it was conquered by the Turks, and he had to flee. As Emperor, he successfully balances power between Greek, Latin, and Turkish rulers who want to seize territory from his small and dying Empire. But then the Turkish ruler dies, and his nineteen year old son decides to conquer Constantinople...

Pope Felix V voluntariliy resigns in exchange for a cardinal's seat, and once again the Catholic Church has only one Pope, Nicholas V.

Ottoman Turks capture a major fortress in Albania, but they spare the survivors.

Mongolians defeat a Chinese army and capture the Emperor. China promptly deposes him and puts his brother on the throne.

France recaptures Rouen, the capital of English-occupied France.

 

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It would have been better for England if 1450 had not taken place.

The English commander and his army in France are surrounded and besieged by the French. A second English army marches to their rescue and is defeated.

Frustrated by the corrupt and brutal English government, high taxes to finance the Hundred Years War, and the loss of most of Normandy, Jack Cade leads a rebellión. His army invades and loots London before being driven off by the citizens.

The English commander in France surrenders. One month later, the last English city in Normandy surrenders to the French.

Elsewhere in the news: victorious Albanians defeat a 100,000 man Turkish army and drive them out of the country. In Peru, Incas begin constructing a magnificent estate for their Emperor. Located over a mile above sea level, "Old Mountain" is the most famous Inca site to survive and is an international tourist attraction.

 

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English misfortune continues into the year 1451.

France invades Guyenne, an area along France's southwestern coast. They quickly capture Bordeaux, a major river port that is today the ninth largest city in France. The French then race southwest to capture the port city of Bayonne, England's southwesternmost possession, and all of Guyenne is now controlled by France.

But France has troubles of its own. The city of Ghent declares itself independent and starts siezing territory and pillaging the countryside. Burgundians (who had switched from England's side to France) suffer defeat when they try to stop Ghent, but next year the rebellion is defeated.

 

[Vince53]

1452

Frederick the Peaceful begins his 41 year reign as Holy Roman Emperor. Criticized as a slow, deliberate decisión-maker, he is today recognized as an astute politician who used patience as a diplomatic tool. He would lose wars and then inherit the lands of the victor by outliving his opponents. He established the House of Habsburg as a major European power and made Austria a prosperous nation.

England pulls a surprise move. They land in Guyenne (southwestern France) and quickly retake most of it without a fight.

Pope Nicholas V issues the decree "Until Different," officially authorizing the African slave trade. Later Popes would re-authorize this decree.

Kuwae, an underwater volcano east of Austrtalia, erupts, causing massive global cooling for the next three years. China receives heavy snow and freezing temperatures, with tens of thousands of people dying from cold and starvation. Constantinople receives a massive thunderstorm, thick fog, and lightning effects. Almost all of Sweden's crops fail, and the pine forests of the western United States are badly damaged by frost.

 

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1453 is such an incredible year that we'll have to return a few times.

The Hundred Years War unofficially ends. The war left both sides devastated, with English nobles bitter over the loss of their French holdings. Most of the suffering was born by the common people, with France having a smaller population after it was over. Along with the Black Death, other diseases, and civil wars, the Hundred Years War reduced the French population from 17 million to 8.5 million. Both sides restored standing armies, the first in Europe since the Roman Empire. Officially, the War ends twenty years later with a peace treaty.
The increased use of the longbow spelled the end of knighthood--a heavily-armored knight made a valuable target, so they got killed first. Studying the tactics of Joan of Arc, the French learned the value of strategy, along with the value of heavy artillery. Heavy, small, and inefficient, cannon began the Hundred Years War as being useful for defending castles, but they were too clumsy to move around much. By the end of the war, cannon could be massed outside a city gate and batter it down. The power of gunpowder was increased three times during the war.

 

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In 1453, the Hundred Years War came to an end. And so did the Roman Empire.

After seizing two small towns, the Ottoman Turks besiege Constantinople with heavy artillery. The city collapses after weeks of bombardment. It is the first major battle in which the victors relied heavily on artillery.

On May 29, 1453, Emperor Constantine XI was personally leading troops in combat. He said "The city is fallen, and I am still alive." Tearing off his regal garments so he would look like a commmon soldier, he led a final charge and was killed.

Founded in 753 BC, the Roman Empire now comes to an end.

2,205 years is an awfully long time. Starting as a collection of small cities, Rome had grown into a monarchy, then a five-century long republic, and then an empire. At its height, it completely encircled the Mediterranean Sea. Overwhelmed by Germans from the east, the western half of the Empire collapsed when Italy declared itself independent. Byzantium (the eastern half of the Roman Empire) at one point managed to recapture most of its African territory and even the city of Rome, but the rise of Islam and the rise of the Turks doomed it.

The Byzantine Empire never identified itself as such. It was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, but after the western half collapsed, Byzantium developed its own culture and political system.

 

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Welcome to 1454

The Teutonic Knights had been granted territory in order to cover their expenses as they fought for Catholicism in various kingdoms. This year, the Prussian Confederation revolts, wanting to be annexed by Poland. And so the Thirteen Years War begins, with Poland and Prussia fighting the Teutonic Knights. Eventually, Prussia and Poland win.

Amerigo Vespucci is born. He wasn't that great, but they named two continents after him.

 

[Vince53]

1455

Shortly before his death, Pope Nicolas V sanctions the conquest of non-Christian lands and the subjugation of their people to perpetual slavery.

Callixtus III begins his three year reign as Pope. A university law professor who became a successful diplomat, he was a compromise candidate of genuine piety, but who quickly appointed family members to high postitions. He ordered a re-trial of Joan of Arc, which acquitted her of all charges, and he gave his approval to the growing African slave trade.

Although he failed to organize a Crusade to recover Constantinople, he did organize a successful Crusade that defeated the Turks besieging Belgrade.

The Gutenberg Bible is printed. It is not the first printed book, (as is commonly believed) but it is the first major book printed on movable type. It is a printing of the Latin Vulgate, and it begins the age of printing. Well-printed on high-quality paper, 21 complete copies, and 27 partial copies, survive.

Suffering financially from the Hundred Years War (which England lost) the House of York rebels against their cousins, the House of Tudor, and the War of the Roses begins. York quickly captures the King of England, but decades later, the House of Tudor will win the war.

Albania begins a disastrous siege of a Turkish fortress in Albania. Next year, the Albanians will be shattered with such a defeat from Turkish re-enforcements that their resistance will be crippled for some time.

 

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1456

Vlad the Impaler becomes ruler of Wallachia. Known today as "Count Dracula," he will execute tens of thousands of victims, usually by impaling them on a stake. Raised as a hostage in the Ottoman Court, he became an expert in warfare, horseback riding, and literature. Returned to take the throne of Wallachia after his father's death, he was quickly overthrown by the Turks. Personally leading an army, he killed the ruler in hand-to-hand combat and took over an area that had been ruined by war.
Vlad ruthlessly murdered his opponents, replacing them with foreigners or obscure people who would only be loyal to him. He boosted agricultural production, increased trade, and built villages.
When Turkey sent ambassadors to collect the tribute he had promised, he nailed their turbans to their heads. He supported Hungary in its Crusade against the Turks, and became a European hero when he devasted an invading Turkish army three times larger than his own.
Defeated later, he fled to Hungary, where he was imprisoned for twelve years. Released in return for converting to Catholicism from Orthodoxy, he was forced to marry a Hungarian princess. He quickly re-seized his throne but was assassinated by Turks two months later.
A small-time military genius, his raids against the Ottoman Turks were so successful that they were unable to expand into Transylvania (now part of Romania).

 

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We continue with the year 1456, which is a really bad year for the Turks.

First , Count Dracula comes into power, and he will spend years tearing up the Turks. This year, Dracula (who was known as Vlad the Impaler) slaughters two Turkish armies and impales thousands of prisoners.The Turks also lose the siege of Belgrade (in modern Yugoslavia). And they invade Albania and are defeated by a smaller army.

The Pope had ordered all church bells to be rung at noon to remind people to pray for the defenders of Belgrade. The order has never been rescinded, and some churches still ring their bells at noon.

Halley's Comet appears. Regarded as a bad omen for the Christian defenders of Belgrade, the comet disappeared harmlessly weeks before the Christians won.

Rigidly following Church Law, clergy from all over Europe overturn the guilty verdict of Joan of Arc.