Directory

1420 CE

A year defined by the Treaty of Troyes that reshaped the Anglo-French struggle, the continuing Hussite revolt in Bohemia, and the consolidation of power by rulers across Europe and Asia.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • The Treaty of Troyes was signed on May 21 between King Henry V of England and King Charles VI of France, disinheriting the French Dauphin and recognizing Henry as heir to the French throne.
  • Henry V of England married Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, on June 2 at Troyes Cathedral, sealing the Anglo-French dynastic alliance.
  • Philip the Good became Duke of Burgundy following the assassination of his father John the Fearless the previous year, and allied firmly with England against the Dauphin.
  • The Dauphin Charles, the disinherited French prince, refused to accept the Treaty of Troyes and continued to claim the French throne from his stronghold south of the Loire.
  • Emperor Sigismund of the Holy Roman Empire struggled to assert authority over Bohemia, where Hussite religious reformers defied both crown and church.

Conflict & Security

  • The Hussite Wars erupted in Bohemia following the death of King Wenceslaus IV in August, as followers of Jan Hus rose in open rebellion against Catholic and imperial authority.
  • Hussite forces under the military leadership of Jan Zizka defeated a royalist army at the Battle of Sudoměř in late 1420, one of the first significant Hussite military victories.
  • Emperor Sigismund launched a crusade against the Hussite rebels in Bohemia but was defeated at the Battle of Vitkov Hill near Prague on July 14.

Economy & Finance

  • The disruption caused by the Hussite Wars began to damage Bohemian silver mining and trade, affecting the regional economy.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The Forbidden City in Beijing was completed under the Yongle Emperor, serving as the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty.
  • Hussite forces in Bohemia pioneered the use of war wagons as mobile fortifications, creating an innovative defensive military tactic.

Science & Discovery

  • Ulugh Beg, grandson of Timur, began planning an astronomical observatory in Samarkand that would produce highly accurate star catalogues.
  • The University of Rostock was founded in northern Germany, expanding the network of higher learning in the Baltic region.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 272 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.

Culture & Society

  • The Hussite movement in Bohemia challenged the religious and social order, advocating for communion in both kinds and the use of the Czech vernacular in worship.
  • Christine de Pizan, the French-Italian author, continued to produce influential literary works advocating for the dignity and education of women.
  • Courtly culture thrived in the Burgundian court under Philip the Good, with lavish feasts, tournaments, and patronage of the arts.
  • The estimated global population was approximately 375 million, with the largest concentrations in China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe.