15thcentury

The 15th century refers to the period from 1401 to 1500. It was an era of political consolidation in parts of Europe, cultural and intellectual transformation, and the beginning of sustained long-distance exploration that would later redefine global connections. Regions outside Europe also experienced political change, trade, and social developments that shaped subsequent centuries.

In Europe, the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 shifted trade routes and power balances. The Renaissance gathered pace with the spread of ideas and the advent of movable-type printing in the 1440s. Iberian kingdoms consolidated, the Reconquista concluded in 1492, and conflict, such as the Wars of the Roses, shaped national politics.

Sea exploration began to connect continents. Portuguese navigators rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope by 1488, and Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498. In the western Atlantic, Columbus’s 1492 voyage opened sustained contact with the Americas. The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas divided new lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

In Asia, the Ming dynasty conducted early treasure voyages under Zheng He (c. 1405–1433), while the Ottoman state expanded in the Middle East and Europe, culminating in the 1453 conquest of Constantinople. These developments helped shift trade networks and military technology across regions.

Technologies such as printing, gunpowder, and navigational tools facilitated progress. The Renaissance influenced education, architecture, and science, while urban centers expanded and trade networks grew. Overall, the century marked a transition toward the early modern era.