1481 1482 1483 1484 1485 1486 1487 1488 1489 1490
Contents: political eventshuman rights, social justice exploration, colonization commerce religion art architecture, real estate |
John de Vere, 13th earl of Oxford escapes from his prison in England (see 1473); now nearly 42, he joins Henry Tudor, who is planning to invade Wales and then England from France (see Bosworth Field, 1485).
James Douglas, 9th earl of Douglas, is captured by Scottish forces while raiding southern Scotland. Now 58, he is confined to Lindores Abbey at Fife.
Venice conquers Rovigo and the Polesine region from Ferrara, antagonizing other Italian states and reaching the height of its mainland expansion. Venetian territory will remain essentially unchanged for more than 300 years, but the city's wealth and power will soon begin to decline.
The new pope Innocent VIII inveighs against witchcraft and sorcery December 5. His bull Summis desiderantes initiates harsh measures against German "witches" and magicians. Any self-assured, independent woman risks being labeled a witch. English clerics cite the Old Testament ("Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," said Exodus [22:19]), as do clerics on the Continent, but so-called witches are often midwives, detested by physicians for encroaching on their obstetrical practice.
Christopher Columbus asks Portugal's João II to back him in a westward voyage to the Indies, but João rejects the request (see 1477; 1485).
Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (Diego Cano) discovers the mouth of Africa's Congo River. He will explore the west coast of the continent south to the 22nd parallel (see 1487).
The 12-year-old bank Monte dei Paschi at Siena makes 7,392 loans, all secured by lands or other assets. Siennese authorities have secured papal indulgences for anyone making a contribution to the bank. It extends loans at an annual interest rate of 7.5 percent to craftsmen and small traders, and by the end of the century it will have established its first branches outside Italy. Monte dei Paschi will have its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, and the availability of cheap credit will contribute to the demise of feudalism and the agrarian economy by providing a new way to organize not just money but also social life, giving rise to industrialized capitalism and the nation-state.
Pope Sixtus IV dies at Rome August 12 at age 70 after a 13-year papacy marked by nepotism and political intrigue in which the papacy has warred with Florence and incited Venice to attack Ferrara. The Venetians have saved him from a Neapolitan invasion, but Sixtus has turned on Venice for not halting the hostilities that he himself instigated. He is succeeded August 29 by Genoa-born Giovanni Battista Cardinal Cibo, 52, who will reign until his death in 1492 as Innocent VIII.
Painting: St. Anthony by Cosmé Tura; Garden of Delights and Earthly Paradise by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (Hieronymus von Aeken), 34 (dates of all Bosch paintings are speculative).
Kyoto's Silver Pavilion is completed for the former Ashikaga shōgun Yoshimasa near the Gold Pavilion completed in 1397.
1481 1482 1483 1484 1485 1486 1487 1488 1489 1490
