Battle of Castillon; defeat of the English; loss of all the English conquests in France, except Calais; end of the Hundred Years’ War.

Emperor Frederick III creates Austria a duchy.

1454.  Mental aberration of Henry VI of England; the Duke of York protector.

Publication of the first-known printing with movable type.  See “ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF PRINTING,” viii, i.

Venice by a treaty with Turkey secures trade privileges in Greece.

1455.  Beginning of the contest for the crown of England.  See “WARS OF THE ROSES,” viii, 72.

1456.  Battle of Belgrade; victory of Hunyady over the Turks.  Athens conquered by the Turks.

1457.  Church of the Unitas Fratrum organized in Bohemia.  Francis Foscaro, being deposed as doge of Venice after a reign of thirty-four years, dies of grief on hearing the bells rung to celebrate the election of his successor.

At Mainz is published the Book of Psalms, the earliest work printed with its date.

1458.  Pope Pius II acknowledges Ferdinand I as King of Naples, strives to restore peace, and unite all powers in resistance to the Turkish aggressions.

Genoa submits to the King of France, Charles VII.

Election of Matthias, son of Hunyady, as King of Hungary.

George Podibrad, leader of the church-reform party, chosen King of
Bohemia. 1459.  Silesia submits to Podibrad, King of Bohemia.

1460.  James II of Scotland takes up arms against the English; he is killed, by the bursting of a cannon, at the siege of Roxburgh castle; his son, James III, succeeds.

Christian I of Denmark inherits Schleswig and Holstein.

Discovery of the Cape Verd Islands by the Portuguese; they penetrate to the coast of Guinea.

1461.  Death of Charles VII of France; his son, Louis XI, involves himself in a contest with his leading nobles.

Prince Henry of Portugal, just prior to his death, sends Peter Covilham and Alfonso Paiva, overland, to explore India.

Trebizond, the last Greek capital, surrenders to the Ottoman Turks.

1462.  Accession of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow.  See “IVAN THE GREAT UNITES RUSSIA AND BREAKS THE TARTAR YOKE,” viii, 109.

1463.  War between Venetians and Turks in Greece.

Conference between the kings of France and Castile; the artful policy of
Louis XI prolongs discord in Spain.

1464.  Queen Margaret invades England; her adherents are defeated at Hexham.  See “WARS OF THE ROSES,” viii, 72.

Pope Pius II attempts the organization of a crusade against the Turks; he dies at Ancona; Paul II elected.

Sforza, Duke of Milan, makes himself master of Milan.

1465.  Henry VI of England is imprisoned in the Tower of London.

War between the League of the Public Good and Louis XI of France; treaty of Conflans; the King makes many promises, few of which he performs.