1478

1478 may refer to the year 1478 CE or to the natural number 1478. In the historical record, 1478 was a year in the late medieval period when European politics and the Italian Renaissance were taking shape.

One of the most noted events tied to 1478 occurred in Florence, Italy, where the Pazzi conspiracy was carried out during Easter Sunday. The plot aimed to undermine the Medici by killing Lorenzo de’ Medici and his brother Giuliano during a Mass at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Giuliano was killed and Lorenzo was wounded, but both survived. The conspirators, many from the Pazzi family and allied factions, were subsequently punished, and Medici influence in Florence was reaffirmed. The incident is often regarded as a turning point that strengthened Medici control and affected Florentine politics for years to come.

Beyond Florence, the year sits within the broader context of late 15th-century Europe, a period characterized by dynastic marriages, shifting alliances, and ongoing conflicts among city-states, principalities, and the Papacy as Renaissance ideas continued to spread.

As a mathematical integer, 1478 factors as 2 × 739, making it an even semiprime. 739 is a prime number.