15th Century Timeline: Events, People and History

Events in the 15th Century 17

651 – 1501 Islamic Persia — caliphates, Seljuks and Mongols Centuries of Islamic rule and a Persian cultural flowering After the conquest, Persia was ruled successively by the Arab caliphates, Persian and Turkic dynasties, the Seljuk Turks, and — devastatingly — the Mongols under Genghis Khan and Hulagu in the 13th century. Yet this era produced a brilliant Persian cultural renaissance: the poetry of Ferdowsi, Rumi, Hafez and Omar Khayyam, and advances in science and mathematics.
1206 – 1526 Delhi Sultanate Three centuries of Indo-Islamic rule in the north The Delhi Sultanate was a succession of five Muslim dynasties — Mamluk, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi — that ruled much of northern India for over three centuries. It introduced Persian administration and Indo-Islamic architecture, and repelled the Mongols, before falling to Babur at Panipat in 1526.
1336 – 1573 Muromachi period Ashikaga shoguns; Zen arts and growing chaos Under the Ashikaga shogunate based in Kyoto's Muromachi district, Japan saw the flowering of Zen-influenced arts — the tea ceremony, Noh theatre, ink painting and rock gardens. But central authority weakened, and the catastrophic Onin War (1467) tipped the country into the Sengoku age of civil war.
1336 – 1646 Vijayanagara Empire The great Hindu empire of the south As the Sultanate pressed south, the Vijayanagara Empire rose to become the dominant Hindu power of southern India for three centuries. Its capital Hampi was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, famed for its temples and markets, until its defeat at Talikota in 1565.
1343 – 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer English poet Chaucer authored The Canterbury Tales, helping establish English as a major literary language.
1368 – 1644 Ming Dynasty — the Great Wall and Zheng He's voyages Native Chinese rule restored — isolation and grandeur The Ming dynasty restored native Han Chinese rule and presided over one of China's most prosperous and culturally rich periods. The Forbidden City was built in Beijing (1406–20), the Great Wall was rebuilt in brick and stone to its present form, and Admiral Zheng He led seven enormous naval expeditions across Southeast Asia, India and East Africa (1405–33). China then turned inward, abandoning maritime expansion and eventually falling to the Manchu Qing.
1405 – 1433 Zheng He's great voyages The largest fleet in history sails to Africa — then China turns inward Between 1405 and 1433, Muslim eunuch admiral Zheng He led seven extraordinary naval expeditions commanding fleets of up to 300 ships and 28,000 men — vessels far larger than anything European sailors had. He reached Southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf and the East African coast, establishing tributary relationships and collecting exotic animals. After his death, the Ming court banned further voyages, destroying the ships and records — one of history's great "what ifs."
1406 – 1420 Forbidden City built in Beijing 980 buildings, 8,700 rooms — the world's largest palace complex Emperor Yongle ordered the construction of the Forbidden City between 1406 and 1420, employing an estimated million workers and 100,000 craftsmen. The complex of 980 buildings covering 72 hectares served as the Chinese imperial palace for 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was the political and ceremonial heart of China for nearly 500 years. Today it is the world's most visited museum.
1440 Gutenberg printing press Movable type transforms the spread of knowledge Around 1440, Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz developed a system of movable metal type and oil-based ink that made printing books fast and cheap for the first time. The Gutenberg Bible of 1455 was among the first major books printed. The printing press transformed the spread of scientific knowledge — enabling Copernicus, Vesalius, and later Newton and Galileo to reach audiences across Europe within years rather than decades. It is arguably the single most important technological enabler of the Scientific Revolution.
1452 – 1519 Leonardo da Vinci Painter, sculptor, engineer, scientist — the ultimate Renaissance man Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, near Florence, and died on May 2, 1519 in Clos Lucé, France. The most diversely talented person who ever lived, he excelled as painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist and writer.
1467 – 1615 Sengoku — the Warring States age A century of civil war among rival daimyo The Sengoku ("Warring States") period was the most violent age in Japanese history, as feudal lords (daimyo) fought ceaselessly for territory and power. From this chaos rose three great unifiers — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu — who step by step reunited the country.
1469 – 1527 Niccolo Machiavelli Political philosopher Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a groundbreaking political treatise analyzing power, leadership, and statecraft.
1475 – 1536 Thomas More English philosopher and writer More wrote Utopia, describing an ideal society that influenced political philosophy for centuries.
1475 – 1564 Michelangelo Renaissance / Mannerism · Italy Michelangelo (March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564) was a sculptor, painter and architect who created the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the statue of David and St. Peter's Basilica dome — perhaps the greatest artistic output in history.
1483 – 1530 Martin Luther German theologian and writer Luther translated the Bible into German and triggered the Protestant Reformation, transforming European religion and politics.
1492 Columbus reaches the Americas A new world enters European scientific knowledge On 12 October 1492, Christopher Columbus made landfall in the Bahamas, opening sustained contact between Europe and the Americas. Beyond its enormous historical consequences, the discovery revolutionised geography, biology, botany, zoology, and medicine — introducing Europe to hundreds of unknown species, new foods, and entirely different ecosystems. It also demonstrated that the Earth was larger than ancient geographers had believed and accelerated the development of accurate global cartography.
1494 – 1553 Francois Rabelais French writer and satirist Rabelais used humor and satire in Gargantua and Pantagruel to critique society and human nature.