Timeline of Kings and Queens, page 12
1456
Hungary and Croatia The Hungarians, under nobleman John Hunyadi, storm Belgrade and drive out the Turks. Wallachia Vlad III the Impaler invades and seizes power; he uses extreme violence to control the country, including impaling some 20,000 Turkish prisoners on stakes.
1457
Monaco Claudine becomes ruler, jointly with Pomelline Fregoso. Sweden Charles VIII is deposed; Christian I takes the throne. Venice Doge Francesco Foscari is forced to withdraw from government, following the death of his son Jacopo, who had been tried and banished for corruption; Pasquale Malipiero is elected doge. Aragón, Navarre, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily John II becomes king. Bohemia Ladislaus V’s death is followed by a brief interregnum.
1458
Monaco The Grimaldi control of Monaco is confirmed when Lambert Grimaldi marries his cousin Claudine, as the state’s constitution stipulates that the inheritance of Monaco can only be passed to male heirs; he spends his reign fighting to preserve Monaco’s independence. Aragón, Navarre and Sicily On the death of Alfonso V of Aragón and Sicily, his younger brother, King John of Navarre, becomes king of all three states. Rome Bishop Enea Silvio Piccolomini, former poet laureate of the Holy Roman Empire, is elected pope as Pius II. Naples Ferdinand I becomes king. Hungary and Croatia Matthias Corvinus the Great, son of John Hunyadi, is elected king; he extends his kingdom and introduces the Renaissance into Central Europe. Bohemia George of Poděbrady becomes king as George I.
1459
Serbia is taken by the Ottoman Turks.
1460
England The earl of Warwick and Edward, earl of March, eldest son of the duke of York, seize London; at the Battle of Northampton, they defeat a Lancastrian army and capture King Henry; York becomes Henry’s heir, but dies in the Battle of Wakefield. Scotland James II is accidentally killed by an exploding cannon, during the siege of Roxburgh Castle; James III succeeds him as king of Scots.
1461
England Henry VI is deposed and Edward IV becomes the first king from the House of York. France Louis XI the Prudent becomes king, establishing an absolute monarchy; he wears ordinary clothes and mixes with the people. Bosnia and Serbia Stephen Tomašević becomes king.
1462
Venice Cristoforo Moro is elected doge, the 11th person of his family to hold the position; his reign is characterized by wars with the Turks as well as threats from northern Italian cities. Wallachia Vlad III the Impaler is ousted by the Ottomans, who place his brother Radu cel Frumos on the throne. Russia Ivan III the Great becomes grand prince of Vladimir-Moscow; he is the first ruler to adopt the title ‘Grand Duke of all the Russias’; he is effectively the first sovereign of all of Russia.
1463
Bosnia and Serbia King Stephen Tomašević is executed by Mehmet II of Turkey, who seizes control of his kingdom; the Ottoman Empire rules Bosnia until 1875.
1464
Rome Cardinal Pietro Barbo is elected pope as Paul II. Sweden Christian I is deposed; Charles VIII is restored to the throne. Zeta/Montenegro Ivan Crnojević the Black becomes ruler and the first lord of the Principality of Montenegro.
1465
England Henry VI is imprisoned by Edward IV. Sweden Charles VIII is deposed again and exiled; the country is governed by regents until 1467. Byzantine Empire Thomas Palaiologos, brother of Constantine XI and claimant to the Byzantine throne, dies in exile in Rome; Andrew Palaiologos, his son, is next in line; he sells his titles to King Ferdinand II of Aragón and Queen Isabella of Castile.
1467
Sweden Charles VIII is restored to the throne for the final time.
1468
Sicily Ferdinand II of Aragón becomes king.
1469
Bohemia Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary, is elected king by dissident Catholic nobles, but never crowned.
1470
England Henry VI is restored to the English throne, but is deposed once more by Edward IV. Sweden On the death of Charles VIII, Sten Sture the Elder becomes regent.
1471
England Henry VI dies, probably murdered, in the Tower of London. Venice Nicolo Tron is elected doge. Rome Cardinal Francesco della Rovere is elected pope as Sixtus IV; he founds the Sistine Chapel. Bohemia King George of Poděbrady dies suddenly as Bohemian Catholics revolt against him; Ladislaus Jagiellon, nephew of Ladislaus V and first ruler of Bohemia from the Jagiellon dynasty that rules Poland and Lithuania, becomes king.
1473
Venice Nicolo Marcello is elected doge. Wallachia Basarab Laiotă the Elder, son of Dan II, is elected prince; he will rule on four separate occasions; Radu cel Frumos returns to the throne for the second time.
1474
France Louis XI declares war on Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. León-Castile-Galicia Henry IV dies and a power struggle ensues between supporters of his half-sister Isabella and his daughter, Juana; Henry names Isabella as his successor; her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragón lays the foundations for a united Spain; Ferdinand also becomes king of Valencia, Sardinia and Navarre. Venice Pietro Mocenigo, one of Venice’s greatest admirals, is elected as Venice’s 70th doge. Wallachia Basarab Laiotă the Elder regains the throne, but loses it again to Radu cel Frumos.
1475
England Edward IV invades France; the peace of Piquigny is agreed between England and France. Wallachia Basarab Laiotă the Elder returns to power for the fourth time.
1476
Venice Andrea Vendramin is elected doge. Wallachia Vlad III the Impaler returns to the throne briefly; Basarab Laiotă the Elder regains power for the fifth time.
1477
France Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, is defeated and killed by the Swiss. Portugal Afonso V retires to a monastery; João II succeeds him. Austria The marriage of Maximillian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy makes the Habsburgs heirs to one of the most powerful European states. Wallachia Basarab Ţepeluş the Younger seizes power.
1478
Venice Giovanni Mocenigo, brother of the previous ruler, Pietro, is elected doge. Hungary and Croatia gain Moravia and Silesia. Albania is captured by the Turks.
1479
Spain is united, with the exception of Navarre, under Ferdinand II and Isabella. Navarre Eleanor, daughter of John II, is crowned queen on 28 January and dies on 12 February; aged 10, Francis Phoebus of Foix becomes King Francis I, the first king of the House of Foix; his mother, Magdalena de Valois, acts as regent. Bohemia Matthias Corvinus, antiking, agrees to limit his rule to Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia, while retaining his title.
1480
Russia Tsar Ivan III stops paying tribute to the Mongols.
1481
Portugal Afonso V abdicates; João II formally becomes king. Denmark Hans, son of Christian I, becomes king. Albania comes under Ottoman rule until 1912. Zeta/Montenegro Ivan I Crnojević regains control of Montenegro from occupying Ottoman Turks; he tries to maintain good relations with Venice and the Turks. Wallachia Mircea rules for less than a year; Vlad Călugărul the Monk, son of Vlad II Dracul, seizes power before being ousted by Basarab Ţepeluş the Younger.
1482
Scotland James III is briefly deposed and imprisoned by the duke of Albany, but is restored to the throne.
1483
England Edward IV dies; he is succeeded by Edward V; Richard III deposes Edward, houses him in the Tower of London where (it is believed) he dies, and declares himself king. France Louis XI dies after becoming obsessively fearful of death; he is said to have drunk the warm blood of infants to ward it off; Charles VIII becomes king. Navarre Francis I dies; his sister Catherine becomes queen. Portugal João II begins to rule through fear; he has the powerful duke of Braganza executed.
1484
Navarre Queen Catherine marries John III d’Albret, duke of Gause; they rule jointly. Portugal João II personally stabs to death his cousin and brother-in-law, the duke of Viseu; countless others are executed or murdered. Rome Cardinal Giovanni Battista Cybo is elected pope as Innocent VIII.
1485
England Henry VII becomes the first Tudor king of England and Wales after the defeat and death of the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth Field; the Wars of the Roses end. Venice Marco Barbarigo is elected doge. Hungary and Croatia captures Vienna and Lower Austria, making it the most powerful state in Central Europe.
1486
Germany Maximilian I is elected co-king of Germany; through war and marriage, he will extend the influence of the Habsburg family across Europe. Venice Agostino Barbarigo succeeds his brother Marco in being elected doge; he forms an Italian coalition that expels the French of Charles VIII from Italy, and Venice annexes Cyprus and strongholds in Romagna; he loses important Mediterranean bases, however.
1488
Scotland James III is defeated and killed by an army of disaffected nobles at the Battle of Sauchieburn; James IV, who had fought against his father, becomes king; he is recognized as the most successful of the Scottish Stewart monarchs.
1490
Hungary King of Bohemia, Ladislaus Jagiellon, becomes Ulászló II of Hungary. Zeta/Montenegro Ivan I Crnojević dies, having become one of the greatest Montenegrin and Serbian leaders; his son, Đurađ IV Crnojević, becomes ruler, calling himself ‘Duke of Zeta’.
1491
Portugal João II’s only son Afonso, also heir to the throne of Castile, dies in a mysterious fall from a horse; the succession to the throne is now in question; Manuel, duque de Beja and brother of Queen Leonor, is next in line.
1492
Spain The Spanish capture Granada from the Muslims, ending Muslim influence in Spain. Rome Cardinal Rodrigo de Lanzòl-Borgia, nephew of Pope Innocent VIII, is elected pope as Alexander VI; he is said to have bought the papacy; his reign became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy at that time. Poland Jan I Olbracht, third son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, becomes king. Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon, fourth son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, becomes grand duke.
1493
Holy Roman Empire Emperor Frederick dies while having his leg amputated.
1494
France Charles VIII invades Italy. Monaco Jean II becomes lord of Monaco. Naples Alfonso, duke of Calabria, becomes king as Alfonso II.
1495
France Charles VIII is defeated by the Holy League. Portugal João II dies, possibly poisoned; during his reign, Portuguese explorers have opened up the world; Manuell I, his first cousin and brother-in-law, becomes the first king of the House of Aviz-Beja; he continues the Portuguese exploration of the Atlantic, started by his predecessor, making Portugal a rich and powerful nation. Naples Alfonso II, facing invasion by France, abdicates in favour of his son Ferdinand II. Wallachia Radu the Great becomes prince.
1496
Naples The French capture Naples; Ferdinand II flees, but when the French leave is welcomed back by the citizens; he dies without an heir; his uncle, Frederick IV, becomes king. Zeta/Montenegro Đurađ IV Crnojević is forced into exile by the Ottoman Turks; Stefan II Crnojević becomes ruler.
1497
Sweden King Hans of Denmark and Norway conquers Sweden; he becomes John II; Scandinavia is united again in the Kalmar Union.
1498
France Louis XII, great-grandson of Charles V, becomes king, first king of the Valois-Orléans dynasty; he invades Italy and conquers Milan. Portugal Isabella of Aragón, heiress to the throne of the future united Spain, and wife of Manuel I, dies in childbirth, ending Manuel’s ambitions to be king of Spain as well as Portugal. Zeta/Montenegro Ivan II Crnojević becomes ruler.
1501
Sweden renounces John II (Hans of Denmark and Norway) as king, following a damaging defeat in northern Germany; regents rule the country until 1513.Venice Leonardo Loredan is elected doge; Venice is excommunicated for capturing territories in the northern Papal States; Pope Julius II allies with France and the Holy Roman Empire against the republic; Venice is defeated and humiliated. Naples France conquers Naples; King Frederick is taken as a prisoner to France, where he dies in 1504; Louis, king of France, becomes king. Zeta/Montenegro Đurađ V Crnojević becomes ruler. Poland Alexander Jagiellon, grand duke of Lithuania, becomes king on the sudden death of his brother Jan I Olbracht.
1503
Scotland James IV (left) marries Henry’s daughter Margaret Tudor in August 1503. This union of the Thistle and the Rose, however, did very little to improve the Anglo-Scottish relations.
Rome Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini is elected pope as Pius III, after Cesare Borgia is persuaded to leave Rome so that he could not influence the conclave; Pius III dies, possibly poisoned, after a papacy lasting just 26 days; Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere is elected pope as Julius II, and is the first pope to take control of the entire Papal States; he is a patron of Raphael and Michelangelo. Bohemia Louis Jagiellon, also Louis II of Hungary, becomes king.
1504
León-Castile-Galicia Joanna the Mad, daughter of Queen Isabella, becomes queen; regents take advantage of her mental illness to control the kingdom. Naples Ferdinand II of Aragón takes Naples from the French and becomes king as Ferdinand III.
1505
France In the Treaty of Blois, France keeps Milan but gives Naples to Spain. Monaco Jean II, whose marriage is childless, is murdered by his brother Lucien, who becomes lord of Monaco. Russia Vasili III becomes grand prince of Vladimir-Moscow; he consolidates the achievements of his father Ivan the Great, annexing the remaining autonomous provinces for Russia.
1506
Poland and Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon dies; he is the last-known ruler of the House of Gediminaičiai to speak the family’s ancestral Lithuanian language; following his death, Polish becomes the family language, thus fully Polonizing the Jagiellon family; Sigismund the Old, son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, becomes king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania.
1508
Holy Roman Empire With the approval of Pope Pius III, Maximillian I, often referred to as ‘the Last Knight’, adopts the title Erwählter Römischer Kaiser – Elected Roman Emperor – thereby bringing to an end the custom by which the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the pope to become emperor. Wallachia Mihnea the Great becomes prince.
1509
England Henry VIII becomes king; he will reign for 38 years; he marries the Infanta Catalina de Aragón y Castilla, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, popularly known as Catherine of Aragon. Wallachia Mircea III Dracul becomes prince.
“To wish myself (specially an evening) in my sweetheart’s arms, whose pretty ducks [breasts] I trust shortly to kiss.”
Henry VIII — taken from a letter to Anne Boleyn
1510
Wallachia Vlad cel Tânăr becomes prince.
1512
France The French are driven out of Milan. Navarre Pamplona is occupied by the duke of Alba; Queen Catherine and her family flee to France; the Cortes of Navarre declares King Ferdinand of Spain ‘King of Navarre’ and Upper Navarre becomes part of Spain; Catherine and John reign only in Baja Navarra, north of the Pyrenees, in modern-day France. Wallachia Neagoe Basarab becomes prince.
1513
Scotland James IV is killed by the English at the Battle of Flodden Field. Rome Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, second son of Lorenzo de’ Medici, ruler of Florence, is elected pope as Leo X; during his pontificate, the Protestant schism begins. Denmark, Norway and Sweden Christian II is crowned king of all three countries on the same day.
1515
France François I, brother of Louis XII, becomes king; he leads France in a cultural renaissance and captures Burgundy.
1516
England Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragón celebrate the birth of a daughter, Mary. Spain Charles I, son of Joanna the Mad, becomes king of Spain; already Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V, he rules vast areas of Europe and becomes the most powerful man on the continent; he occupies the thrones of Castile and Leon, Aragón, Navarre, Majorca, Germany, Austria, Sicily and Naples. Hungary and Bohemia Ten-year-old Louis II becomes king of both countries. Zeta/Montenegro Đurađ V Crnojević retires to Venice; he hands power to Vavila, the vladika or prince-bishop – the local ecclesiastical authority; Zeta/Montenegro becomes a theocracy, and prince-bishops rule Montenegro, as it is now known, until 1918.
1517
Navarre Queen Catherine dies in exile; her son, Henry II, becomes king; his throne is disputed by Ferdinand II of Aragón, but Henry enjoys the protection of King François I of France.
1519
Germany and Holy Roman Empire Charles I of Spain, grandson of Maximilian I, is elected king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, as Charles V; he will fight throughout his reign with France and with the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent.
1520
England and France François I of France and Henry VIII of England meet on the Field of Cloth of Gold; they fail to form an alliance. Sweden Christian II, son of Hans of Denmark and already king of Norway and Denmark, becomes king; the murder of 82 notable people in Stockholm, known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, earns him the nickname ‘Christian the Tyrant’. Montenegro German II becomes prince-bishop.
1521
Navarre French troops seize Navarre in an effort to make Henry II de facto sovereign, but are expelled by the Spanish. Portugal João III becomes king; Portugal is at the height of its mercantile and colonial power; during his reign, Portuguese possessions extend into Asia and Brazil in the New World; Lisbon becomes one of the most commercially important cities in the world. Sweden Gustav Vasa leads a revolt against Danish rule; Christian the Tyrant is deposed and Gustav becomes regent. Venice Antonio Grimani is elected doge. Wallachia Teodosie becomes prince; there are 10 rulers in the next eight years.
1522
France Charles V drives the French out of Milan. Rome Dutch Cardinal Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens is elected pope, as Adrian VI; he is the last non-Italian pope until Pope John Paul II, 456 years later.
1523
Monaco Honoré I, youngest child of Lucien Grimaldi, becomes lord of Monaco, aged 9 months, on the assassination of his father; his uncle, Augustine Grimaldi, rules as regent; he severs the relationship with France and allies Monaco with Spain, which lasts until 1641. Sweden The Kalmar Union is effectively ended when Sweden leaves it; Gustav Vasa, related to the influential Sture family, is elected king of Sweden as Gustav I, first monarch of the House of Vasa; he becomes known as the father of modern Sweden. Norway and Denmark remain together and will stay united for two centuries; Christian II, as unpopular in Denmark and Norway as in Sweden, is deposed, imprisoned for 27 years and replaced by his son, Frederick I. Venice Andrea Gritti, a distinguished diplomat and military man, is elected doge. Rome Cardinal Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici, cousin of Leo X, is elected pope. as Clement VII; there is chaos in Rome during his reign.
