1484 CE

William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, prints his translation of Aesop's Fables in London. The "White Elephant War", which had started in 1479 with the invasion of the Kingdom of Lan Xang (now Laos) by the Dai Viet Empire (now northern Vietnam) with the Vietnamese withdrawing their troops and failing to conquer the Laotians. The city of Galway is granted a royal charter and mayoralty by Richard III of England.

In the 1480s, the 15th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • January 23 – King Richard III of England assembles his first, and only Parliament, opening a 29-day session.source
  • February 9 – Philippe Pot delivers a speech calling for reforms in the government structure of France, alarming the royal government.Francesource
  • March 22 – The kingdoms of France and Scotland renew the Auld Alliance, with the Lord of Aubigny signing on behalf of France.source
  • March 22 – The Auld Alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France is renewed.Francesource
  • August 7 – The Treaty of Bagnolo is signed, ending the War of Ferrara fought in Italy between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Ferrara after two years. Ferrara loses most of its territories which Venice had conquered north of the River Po, while Ferrara's Duke Ercole I d'Este regains his territories in Ariano nel Polesine, Corbola, Adria, Melara, Castelnovo Bariano and Ficarolo.source
  • September 21 – Treaty of Nottingham: A three-year truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland is signed.source
  • 15 October – Great Council (sitting of the Parliament of Ireland) at Naas.Irelandsource
  • November 23 – Louis, Duke of Orleans a contender for the French throne, signs a treaty with François II, Duke of Brittany, with an agreement for the marriage of the Duke's 7-year-old daughter, Anne of Brittany to Louis, with a goal of Louis having control of Brittany and of France. The proposed marriage, however, is contingent upon the annulment of Louis' existing marriage to Joan of France, Duchess of Berry.source
  • November 23 – Louis, Duke of Orleans and Francis II, Duke of Brittany sign a treaty arranging the marriage of the duke's daughter, Anne of Brittany to Louis. This is contingent the annulment of the latter's marriage to Joan of France, Duchess of Berry.Francesource
  • An Irish province of the Dominican Order is established.Irelandsource

Conflict & Security

  • February 24 – King James III of Scotland gives royal assent to numerous acts passed by the Scottish Parliament, including the Defence of the Realm Act 1483 (summoning the members of the nobility to come defend Scotland); the Duke of Albany Act, an arrest warrant for all person who made treasonable assistance to the King's rebellious brother, Alexander, Duke of Albany; and the two Barratry Acts, prohibiting "the having of mone furth of the Realme" (the exportation of money out of the realm) to the Court of Rome.source
  • May 11 – The Kingdom of Hungary defeats the army of the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Leitzersdorf.source
  • July 22 – Battle of Lochmaben Fair: A 500-man raiding party led by Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, is defeated by forces loyal to Albany's brother James III of Scotland; Douglas is captured.source
  • 21 August – John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, is appointed Lieutenant in Ireland by his uncle Richard III of England.Irelandsource
  • October 31 – The "White Elephant War", which had started in 1479 with the invasion of the Kingdom of Lan Xang (now Laos) by the Dai Viet Empire (now northern Vietnam) with the Vietnamese withdrawing their troops and failing to conquer the Laotians.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • July 6 – Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.source
  • Maximilian I, Duke of Burgundy, orders foreign merchants to leave Bruges. Most merchants move to Antwerp, greatly contributing to its growth as an international trading center.source
  • The King of Portugal appoints a commission of mathematicians to perfect tables, to help seamen find their latitude.source

Religion & Belief

  • February 22 – Pope John XIII of Alexandria begins a reign of 40 years as the partiarch of the Coptic Christian Church, filling a vacancy of five months since the death of Pope John XII.source
  • March 26 – William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, prints his translation of Aesop's Fables in London.source
  • April 19 – Muhammad Shah Mir becomes the new Sultan of Kashmir in India, succeeding Hasan Khan.source
  • 14 June – Walter Fitzsimon is appointed Archbishop of Dublin, an office which he will hold until his death in 1511.Irelandsource
  • June 22 – The first known book printed by a woman, Anna Rügerin, is an edition of Eike of Repgow's compendium of customary law, the Sachsenspiegel, produced in Augsburg.source
  • 28 September – St. Nicholas' Church, Galway, is raised to the status of a collegiate church by Donatus Ó Muireadhaigh, Archbishop of Tuam.Irelandsource
  • September – Thomás Bairéad, Bishop of Annaghdown, is commissioned by the King to treat with Conn mac Enri Ó Néill, lord of Tír Eógain, and Hiberno-Normans.Irelandsource
  • December 5 – Pope Innocent VIII issues the Papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, giving the Inquisition a mission to hunt heretics and witches in Germany, led by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger.source

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The first cuirassier units (kyrissers) are formed in Austria.source
  • The first sugar mill becomes operational in the Gran Canaria.source

Culture & Society

  • January 15 – In France, the Estates General, a consultative assembly of 855 delegates (285 apiece) representing the three economic classes — the First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility) and— for the first time, the Third Estate (commoners, including peasants) is convened for the first time since 1468. The convening of the Estates General of 1484 at Tours has been ordered by Anne of France, the mother of and regent for the 13-year-old King Charles VIII since the death of King Louis XI, with the goal of designating the regent during Charles's minority. Although King Louis had designated Anne and her husband, Pierre de Beaujeu, to serve as regents, Louis, Duke of Orleans, the second cousin of the late King, seeks approval from the Estates General for the regency. The session of the Estates General becomes a call for reform of the laws of France.source
  • January 15 – In Tours, the Estates General of 1484 convenes by order of Anne of France to designate the regent for the period of Charles VIII's minority.Francesource
  • February 5 – The Great Bell of Dhammazedi, at 293.4 metric tons (323 U.S. tons) the largest bell ever created, is cast from bronze at Dagon in the Hanthawaddy kingdom (now Yangon in Myanmar) by order of King Dhammazedi. The casting comes despite advice from the royal astrologer that the date is inappropriate, and the bell is noted for its unpleasant tone. The bell will be stolen from the Shwedagon Pagoda in 1608 by Arakan mercenaries commanded by the Portuguese warlord Filipe de Brito e Nicote, but skin, into the Bago and Yangon Rivers while it is being transported on de Brito's ship.source
  • February 9 – At the Estates General, the nobleman Philippe Pot, representative of the Second Estate, delivers a famous speech calling upon reforms in the structure of government of France. His speech is successful in persuading the Estates to endorse the continuing regency of Anne and Pierre Beaujeu, but also leads to numerous recommendations for reform and alarms the royal government.source
  • May 30 – The coronation of the 13-year-old son of the late Louis XI, Charles the Affable, as King of France takes place at Reims.source
  • May 30 – The coronation of the Charles VIII as King of France at Reims.Francesource
  • June 14 – Joanes III is proclaimed by his fiancée, Queen Katalina, to be her co-ruler of the Kingdom of Navarre at Pamplona, now part of the Basque region of Spain.source
  • July–August – Gearóid Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, Lord Deputy of Ireland, attends the English court.Irelandsource
  • 15 December – The city of Galway is granted a royal charter and mayoralty by Richard III of England.Irelandsource

Births

  • January 1 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss religious reformer (died 1531)source
  • January 17 – George Spalatin, German religious reformer (died 1545)source
  • February 21 – Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (1499–1535) (died 1535)source
  • March 4 – George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (died 1543)source
  • April 12 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (died 1546)source
  • April 12 – Maharana Sangram Singh, Rana of Mewar (died 1528)source
  • April 23 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian humanist scholar (died 1558)source
  • June 25 – Bartholomeus V. Welser, German banker (died 1561)source
  • July 11 – Ottaviano de' Medici, Italian politician (died 1546)source
  • November 29 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist and reformer (died 1551)source
  • December 13 – Paul Speratus, German Lutheran (died 1551)source
  • date unknown – Purandara Dasa, Indian composer and saint (died 1564)source
  • date unknown – Luisa de Medrano, Spanish scholar (died 1527)source
  • date unknown – Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese military commander (died 1531)source

Deaths

  • March 4 – Saint Casimir, Prince of Poland (born 1458)source
  • March 5 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (born 1443)source
  • April 9 – Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales (born c. 1473)source
  • May 1 – Adalbert of Saxony, Administrator of Mainz (1482–1484) (born 1467)source
  • 21 May – Olivier le Daim, courtier and close advisor of Louis XI of France (born c. 1428)Francesource
  • 5 July – Hélie de Bourdeilles, Franciscan, Archbishop of Tours and cardinal (born 1423)Francesource
  • July 11 – Mino da Fiesole, Italian sculptor (born c. 1429)source
  • July 14 – Federico I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1478–1484) (born 1441)source
  • August 12 – Pope Sixtus IV (born 1414)source
  • August 20 – Ippolita Maria Sforza, Italian noble (born 1446)source
  • 20 August – Giolla Pádraig (son of Éamonn mac Thomáis Óig, Mág Uidhir), tánaiste of Fir Manach, is killed by his five brothers, leading to dynastic tension.Irelandsource
  • August 29 – Giovanni Battista Cybo, Bishop of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, is elected to succeed the late Pope Sixtus IV (who died on August 12) as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and takes the regnal name of Pope Innocent VIII as, the 213th pope.source
  • October 2 – Isabel of Cambridge, Countess of Essex (born 1409)source
  • November – Réamonn mac Mathghamhna, king of Airgíalla, dies in captivity at Drogheda and is succeeded by his nephew Aodh Óg.Irelandsource
  • December – Premislav of Tost, Silesian ruler (born 1425)source
  • William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness (born 1410)source
  • Aşıkpaşazade, Ottoman historian (born 1400)source
  • Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (born 1432)source