Directory

1487 CE

A year defined by the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum, the Spanish capture of Malaga in the Granada War, and the Battle of Stoke Field ending the last Yorkist challenge to Tudor rule.

Conflict & Security

  • The Battle of Stoke Field on June 16 was the last significant engagement of the Wars of the Roses, as Henry VII's forces defeated a Yorkist army supporting the pretender Lambert Simnel.
  • Lambert Simnel was captured after the Battle of Stoke Field and, rather than being executed, was pardoned by Henry VII and put to work in the royal kitchens.
  • Spanish forces laid siege to Malaga in May, surrounding the city by land and sea and subjecting it to a prolonged blockade and bombardment.
  • The city of Malaga fell to Spanish forces on August 18 after a siege of several months, with the entire Muslim population enslaved or forced to pay ransom for their freedom.
  • The fall of Malaga represented a major blow to the Emirate of Granada, depriving the Nasrid state of a key port and a significant portion of its remaining territory.

Economy & Finance

  • The fall of Malaga disrupted the Emirate of Granada's remaining commercial networks, weakening the Nasrid economy and reducing revenues available for defense.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The Malleus Maleficarum was published by Heinrich Kramer, a treatise on witchcraft that became one of the most widely printed books of the era thanks to the printing press.

Science & Discovery

  • Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope during his voyage, though this achievement would not be confirmed and reported until his return to Lisbon in 1488.
  • The Malleus Maleficarum, while not a scientific work, reflected contemporary beliefs about the natural and supernatural world and the boundaries of learned discourse.

Health & Medicine

  • The siege of Malaga caused significant suffering among the city's population, with disease and starvation accompanying the military blockade.

Climate & Environment

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

Culture & Society

  • The publication of the Malleus Maleficarum provided a systematic treatise on the prosecution of witchcraft, fueling the European witch trial movement for centuries to come.
  • The printing press played a crucial role in disseminating the Malleus Maleficarum widely, demonstrating the power of print to shape public belief and institutional practice.
  • The estimated world population was approximately 462 million people.