mid15th

Mid-15th refers to the middle of the 1400s, typically the years around 1440 to 1460. It is used to denote a transitional phase between the late medieval period and the early modern era, during which political consolidation, innovations in communication, and expanding international contacts began to reshape societies.

In Europe, the period saw a decisive shift in political and cultural life. The Hundred Years' War effectively ended in 1453 with French successes that altered monarchic trajectories and state formation. The Wars of the Roses in England began in 1455, signaling ongoing dynastic contest within a developing constitutional framework. Technological change accompanied these currents: the mid-1450s witnessed the advent of movable-type printing in Europe, notably in Mainz, which facilitated faster production and diffusion of books and ideas. Cultural life in Italian city-states and northern Europe also fostered Renaissance currents that would grow in the following decades.

A major turning point occurred in 1453 with the Ottoman capture of Constantinople, a event that redefined power in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. The fall of the Byzantine capital shifted regional dynamics and helped catalyze broader long-distance trade and imperial expansion.

Beyond Europe, the mid-15th century contributed to a broader pattern of increasing connectivity, urbanization, and the diffusion of ideas, even as many regions retained traditional structures. The period is often regarded as a hinge between medieval society and the early modern world, marked by continuity in daily life and notable changes in politics, technology, and international relations.