1451

1451 was a year in the 15th century CE, situated in the late Middle Ages and at the dawn of the Renaissance in parts of Europe. In England and nearby realms, dynastic tensions between the houses of Lancaster and York would escalate in the following years, contributing to the Wars of the Roses.

Across Europe and the Near East, the Ottoman Empire continued its Balkan expansion, setting the stage for the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The broader regional dynamics involved shifting powers, frontier conflicts, and the consolidation of centralized authority in several medieval states.

In Europe, the decade saw the emergence of movable-type printing, with Mainz becoming a focal point as Johannes Gutenberg and collaborators laid groundwork that would lead to the Gutenberg Bible in the mid-1450s. This development would later transform the dissemination of knowledge and literacy across the Continent.

Around the world, civilizations in Asia and the Americas persisted with their own political and cultural trajectories, largely operating independently of European contact for the era. Trade networks and local exchanges supported ongoing urban and cultural life in many regions.

Despite limited global communication in 1451, the year is often viewed as part of a broader transition from medieval to early modern centuries, marked by rising urbanization, shifting political powers, and technological innovations whose impacts would unfold in the decades that followed.