Directory

1470 CE

A year defined by the dramatic restoration of Henry VI to the English throne, the expansion of Ottoman power, and the continued spread of printing technology across Europe.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Henry VI was restored to the English throne in October after the Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker, switched allegiance from the Yorkist to the Lancastrian cause.
  • Edward IV fled England to Burgundy in October after Warwick's forces overwhelmed Yorkist support in the north and midlands.
  • The Earl of Warwick allied with Margaret of Anjou and Louis XI of France to engineer the Readeption of Henry VI, dramatically shifting the balance of the Wars of the Roses.

Conflict & Security

  • The Wars of the Roses escalated as Warwick's rebellion forced Edward IV from the English throne, leading to battles and shifting loyalties among the English nobility.
  • The Battle of Losecoat Field was fought in March, where Edward IV defeated Lincolnshire rebels allied with Warwick, exposing the earl's treasonous intentions.
  • Edward IV's forces were ultimately overwhelmed by the scale of Warwick's conspiracy, forcing the king to flee from King's Lynn to the Burgundian Netherlands.
  • The Ottomans besieged and captured the Venetian colony of Negroponte (Euboea) in July after a fierce assault, marking a significant blow to Venetian power in Greece.
  • The fall of Negroponte sent shockwaves through Christian Europe, as the well-fortified island had been considered a bulwark against Ottoman expansion.

Economy & Finance

  • The English economy suffered disruption from the political upheaval of the Readeption, as trade and commerce were hampered by civil conflict.
  • Venetian trade was severely damaged by the Ottoman capture of Negroponte, threatening the republic's lucrative eastern Mediterranean commercial network.
  • Antwerp was growing as a major commercial center, beginning to rival Bruges as the leading trading hub in the Low Countries.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The Ottoman siege of Negroponte demonstrated the growing effectiveness of artillery in reducing fortified positions.
  • Improvements in blast furnace technology in central Europe allowed for greater production of cast iron, supporting both civilian and military needs.

Science & Discovery

  • The German astronomer and mathematician Regiomontanus settled in Nuremberg, where he began establishing an observatory and printing astronomical tables.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 273 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.

Culture & Society

  • Leon Battista Alberti, the influential Renaissance architect and theorist, continued his work on architectural treatises that shaped building design across Italy.
  • The estimated world population was approximately 440 million, with the majority concentrated in China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe.