1440

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political events

German electors at Frankfurt vote February 2 to make the Hapsburg duke of Styria and Carinthia successor to the late Albrecht II (see 1439; 1442). Albrecht is succeeded as king of Hungary and Bohemia by his posthumous son, who is born February 22, taken out of his crib at the insistence of his mother, Elizabeth, to be crowned at Székesfehévár May 15, and will reign until his death in 1457 under the guardianship of his uncle Friedrich as Ladislas (László) V Posthumus, but the former Bohemian regent Ulrich von Cilli has secured the infant's coronation and is the real power in Bohemia.

Poland's Wladyslaw (Vladislav) III Warnenczyk accepts the Hungarian crown in March and begins a 4-year reign in July as Ladislas (László) VI while the posthumous son of the late Albrecht II remains under the protection of his uncle Friedrich III. Zbigniew Cardinal Oleshnicki is the real power in Poland.

The Battle of Anghiari June 29 gives the Florentine Republic's condottiere Niccolo Piccinino, 65, overlord of Bologna, a victory over the forces of Milan's Filippo Maria Visconti led by Micheletto Attendol and Giampaolo Orsini (the battle follows nearly 24 hours of skirmishing and the only casualty occurs when a soldier falls off his horse) (see Painting, 1503). The success keeps central Italy in Florentine hands; Florence's Cosimo de' Medici backs the claims of Francesco Sforza to the duchy of Milan and supports a coalition of Venetians and Florentines, who defeat Piccinino.

Harfleur falls to English forces under John Beaufort, 37, duke of Somerset, and his brother Edward. A peace mission to France led by Henry Cardinal Beaufort, now 67, has no more success than did his similar mission last year.

The elector of Brandenburg Friedrich I dies at Kadolzburg September 21 at age 48, having declined an offer to accept the Bohemian throne. Friedrich has brought the house of Hohenzollern to greatness.

commerce

Cosimo de' Medici institutes a progressive income tax to lighten the burden on the poor of Florence, who support the Medici family.

science

Philosopher Nikolaus von Cusa, now 39, hypothesizes on intuition alone that the earth turns on its axis and revolves around the sun, that space is infinite, and that the stars may be other suns with planets of their own (see Aryabhata I, 499; Rheticus, 1540).

education

Florence's Platonic Academy is founded.

England's Eton School is founded by Henry VI. The King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor will become the largest of the ancient English public schools (see Winchester, 1379; Shrewsbury, 1552).

art

Painting: Christ Appearing to His Mother by Rogier van der Weyden; The Last Judgment by German painter Stefan Lochner, 30. Florentine painter Andrea del Castagno, 17, is commissioned to paint a fresco on the façade of the Palazzo del Podesta; the fresco shows men hanged as traitors and Andrea will be nicknamed "Andrew of the Hanged Men" (Andreino degl'impiccati).

crime

The late Joan of Arc's erstwhile companion in arms, Gilles de Rais, is executed October 20 near Nantes. Made marshal of France at age 25, he became so addicted to alcohol and consumed by lust that he has been enticing young beggars and women to follow him and then having them taken to his châteaux at Tiffauges, Machecoul, and Chanptoce, where he allegedly violated them, tortured them, cut their throats, or hanged them. Charged with committing more than 140 crimes, he has been arrested, tried, and convicted.

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