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The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian years 1401 to 1500.
In European history, the 15th century is seen as the bridge between the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the Early modern period. Many technological, social and cultural developments of the 15th century can in retrospect be seen as heralding the "European miracle" of the following centuries. In religious history, the Roman Papacy was split in two parts in Europe for decades (the so-called Western Schism), until the Council of Constance. The division of the Catholic Church and the unrest associated with the Hussite movement would give rise to the Protestant Reformation in the following century.
Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, falls to emerging Ottoman Turks, forcing Western Europeans to find a new trade route. At the same time, the beginning Age of Sail allows Spanish and Portuguese explorations led to the first European sightings of the Americas (the New World) and the sea passage along Cape of Good Hope to India, in the last decade of the century. The Spanish Reconquista leads to the final fall of the Emirate of Granada by the end of the century.
In Asia, under the rule of the Yongle Emperor, who built the Forbidden City and commanded Zheng He to explore the world overseas, the Ming Dynasty's territory reached its pinnacle. Tamerlane established a major empire in the Middle East and Central Asia, in order to revive the Mongolian Empire.
In Africa, the spread of Islam leads to the destruction of the Christian kingdoms of Nubia, by the end of the century leaving only Alodia (which was to collapse in 1504). The formerly vast Mali Empire teeters on the brink of collapse, under pressure from the rising Songhai Empire.
In the Americas, both the Inca Empire and the Aztec Triple Alliance reach the peak of their influence.
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See links above for Italian Renaissance painting and Renaissance sculpture.
List of 15th century inventions
Constantine XI
Domenico Ghirlandaio, Amerigo Vespucci, part of the Madonna della Misericordia at the Ognissanti church in Florence, c. late 15th century
Tolley, Thomas (2001). "Eyck, Barthélemy d'". In Hugh Brigstocke. The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Madrid, Andalusia, Portugal, European Union, Barcelona
United Kingdom, European Union, Italy, Canada, Spain
Spain, Portuguese language, Lisbon, Porto, Madeira
Baroque music, Opera, Medieval music, Venice, Rome
United Kingdom, Angles, Cornwall, Isle of Man, English language
Amsterdam, Holland, Capetian House of Anjou, Turin, Yuan dynasty
Dutch East India Company, Ottoman Empire, France, Isaac Newton, 1605
Julian calendar, Florence, Azerbaijan, Millennium, 1503
Michelangelo, Florence, Leonardo da Vinci, Julian calendar, Kingdom of France
Henry VII of England, Julian calendar, 1558, Portugal, Millennium