1424

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political events

Count Giacomo Sforza drowns in the Pescara River January 4 at age 54 while engaged in a military expedition against the Spanish near Aquila. Giacomo Attendolo, the Romagna-born condottiere kidnapped in his youth by a band of adventurers, gained command of the group, took the name Sforza in the field, became constable of Naples under Joanna II, and has served Pope Martin V, who made him a Roman count. His illegitimate son Francesco, 23, will carry on the Sforza name and become duke of Milan in 1450.

Umbrian nobleman Malatesta Baglioni, 35, joins with Perugia's tyrant Bracchio Fortebracchi in opposing Pope Martin V but is wounded and imprisoned. He gains release by promising to persuade the people of Perugia to submit to the pope and will be rewarded next year with the seigneury of Spello, the communities of Bettona and Bevagna, and some other territories (see 1437).

Venice's doge Francesco Foscari concludes an alliance with Florence and goes to war with Filippo Maria Visconti, duke of Milan, beginning 3 years of hostilities that will end with Venice gaining control of Verona, Vicenza, Brescia, Bergamo, and Crema.

Scotland's James I gains his freedom at age 29 after nearly 18 years in English hands. The earl of Somerset remits 10,000 marks in ransom money as a dowry for his daughter Jane, who marries James February 12 at Southwark. James is crowned at Scone May 21 and will reign until 1437.

John Plantagenet, duke of Bedford, assembles an English army of 9,000 in the continuing 100 Years' War and soundly defeats a combined force of 15,000 French and Scottish troops August 17 at Verneuil, 50 miles west of Paris. Led by the duc d'Alençon and the earls of Douglas and Buchan, the French and Scots have 900 mounted crossbowmen and 1,000 mounted men-at-arms but are no match for Bedford's archers. The fighting is even fiercer than at Agincourt 9 years ago. Most of the 5,000 casualties are Scots (Douglas killed at age 55, Buchan at age 43), the duc d'Alençon is captured, and Bedford advances south to the Loire. His brother Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, who married Jacoba of Bavaria 2 years ago, invades Hainaut in October, destroying the English-Burgundian alliance as he asserts his wife's claim to the county (see 1425).

Yolande of Anjou arranges a meeting between her son-in-law Charles and Arthur, earl of Richmond and sovereign lord of Brittany, in an effort to detach Brittany from the English cause. Charles signs an agreement October 21 under pressure from Yolande to accept whatever conditions Richmond wishes for his support.

Hussite leader Jan Zizka dies of plague at the siege of Przibislav in the ongoing conflict with the German king Sigismund of Luxembourg.

China's third Ming dynasty emperor Yong Le (Yung-lo) dies August 5 at age 65 while en route to Beijing (Peking) after a 22-year reign, having usurped the throne but then raised the dynasty to the height of its power; a brutal power struggle begins as contending forces vie to succeed him.

religion

Cologne expels its Jewish community, which has existed in the city since the time of Constantine the Great (see politics, 1794).

literature

Nonfiction: De Imitatione Christi (Imitation of Christ) by German ecclesiastic Thomas à Kempis (Thomas Hammerken or Hemerken), 44, who says, "Man proposes, but God disposes"; "And when a man is out of sight, quickly also is he out of mind"; "Sic transit gloria mundi" ("Thus passes away the glory of this world"). No book except the Bible will be more widely read in Europe for more than a century.

art

Bronze doors designed by Florentine painter-goldsmith Lorenzo Ghiberti (Lorenzo di Clone di Ser Buonaccorso), 46, are installed as the north portals of the baptistery of San Giovanni at Florence with reliefs depicting scenes from the New Testament. Ghiberti has worked for 21 years on the doors and is commissioned to create the east portals that he will complete in 1447 with scenes from the Old Testament.

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