1486 CE
A year defined by the election of Maximilian I as King of the Romans, Bartholomeu Dias's preparations for his voyage around Africa, and the continued Spanish offensive against the Emirate of Granada.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- Maximilian of Austria was elected King of the Romans on February 16 at Frankfurt, securing the succession to the Holy Roman Empire and strengthening the Habsburg dynasty's position.
- King John II of Portugal commissioned Bartholomeu Dias to sail beyond the farthest point reached by Diogo Cao, seeking the southern extremity of Africa.
Conflict & Security
- Spanish forces captured the city of Loja in May after a significant siege, removing a key Nasrid stronghold and advancing the Christian frontier deeper into Granadan territory.
- Internal conflict within the Emirate of Granada continued, with the deposed sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali and his son Boabdil competing for the Nasrid throne.
- Henry VII faced the first serious Yorkist conspiracy, as Viscount Lovell and the Stafford brothers plotted to overthrow the Tudor king in the spring.
Science & Discovery
- Bartholomeu Dias departed Lisbon in August with two caravels and a supply ship, embarking on the voyage that would round the southern tip of Africa.
- Giovanni Pico della Mirandola published his 900 Theses in Rome, proposing a grand synthesis of philosophy and theology that drew from diverse intellectual traditions.
- Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man, prepared as an introduction to his theses, articulated a humanist vision of human potential and intellectual freedom.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 273 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Culture & Society
- Henry VII's marriage to Elizabeth of York on January 18 symbolically united the houses of Lancaster and York, helping to bring stability to English political life.
- The estimated world population was approximately 461 million people.