1460s

The 1460s refers to the decade spanning 1460 to 1469, a period marked by political realignments, dynastic conflict, and continued cultural change across regions. In Europe, the Wars of the Roses dominated English politics, with key engagements such as the Yorkist victories at Wakefield in 1460 and Towton in 1461 helping to secure Edward IV’s claim to the throne for much of the decade. While Yorkist power was ascendant, Lancastrian opposition persisted, shaping the political landscape of the kingdom.

In the Iberian Peninsula, the dynastic union of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile began to coalesce into a more centralized monarchy, foreshadowing the later unification of Spain. Their partnership would influence domestic governance and foreign policy in the ensuing decades, including the sponsorship of overseas exploration.

The Ottoman Empire continued its southeast European expansion during the 1460s under Mehmed II, with notable activity in the Balkans, including the conquest of Bosnia in 1463. This period contributed to shifting balances of power in the eastern Mediterranean and among Christian and Muslim states of the region.

West Africa saw the rise of the Songhai Empire, with Sonni Ali establishing control over major trade routes and centers around 1464, signaling the early consolidation of a powerful state in the region that would influence later trans-Saharan commerce.

Culturally, the Italian Renaissance persisted in the republics such as Florence. Patrons like Cosimo de’ Medici guided artistic and scholarly activity, and his death in 1464 ushered in a new generation of Florentine leadership that continued to support the arts and humanist learning.