Questions tagged [15th-century]
The 15th century began on January 1, 1401, and ended on December 31, 1500.
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How did the plague doctors get rid of the infections on their gear?
Back in the day with "plague doctors", they had this scary-looking but apparently effective protection gear with the beak and gloves and hat and cape and whatnot.
Apparently, it was enough ...
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Should the aluminados be considered to be the roots of the illuminati mythos?
It was always my understanding that the illuminati mythos had its roots in Adam Weishaupt's Bavarian Illuminati of 1 May 1776, and this is what I have always argued with conspiracy theorists on ...
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Are there any estimates of military spending as a percentage of total government expenditure anywhere in 15th century Europe?
A little piece of information stuck in my head about the military expenditure. Namely, the current expenditure on the military is incredibly low when compared to that in the middle ages. I am not sure,...
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In the coat of arms of Georg von Frundsberg, where does the ostrich come from?
Georg von Frundsberg (24 September 1473 – 20 August 1528) and all his successors had a dual coat of arms - one part with a black mountain, the other with a white or silver ostrich.
Some heraldry ...
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Are there any examples of mercenaries receiving title and land in medieval Hungary for services rendered?
I am mostly interested in examples from the 15th century. Could a former mercenary from the Black Army earn a title such as baron or count (alongside a piece of land) for serving the king (or one of ...
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How many Scots were present at the Battle of Bauge?
The Battle of Bauge
According to Wikipedia the Battle of Bauge was a decisive battle in liberating France from England during the one hundred years war. Apparently the battle was won by a five ...
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Was the term connoisseur used during the 1400s?
I need to know if the title connoisseur was used in the 1400's. Connoisseur meaning an expert in art who could judge such art.
I tried some research but didn't seem to be able to find anything
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Were beaches red with lobsters upon arrival of Columbus?
I remember reading somewhere that upon arrival in Hispaniola, Columbus found beaches that were so plentiful with lobsters that they appeared red. It is possible I read this in a book by Bill Bryson, ...
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Why did really old paintings use such bizarre, unnatural perspective/proportions?
I say "really old" because at least in the 17th century, they are all photo-realistic. (I still don't understand how anyone can paint that beautifully and realistically.)
However, let's say ...
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Were people really as haphazardly *burned at the stake* back in the day in Europe as they make it out to have been? [closed]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalrician
This is just one of countless articles/stories I've read over the years about how some crazy folks in Europe burned other, equally crazy folks at the stake -- ...
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Are there factors which caused the printing revolution to begin in Europe in 1450 and not some other place some other time?
The printing press was a big deal. It brought a communication revolution and led to the development of larger collective consciousnesses.
What I am refering to the printing revolution is the ...
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How effective are rope helmets as protection?
I accidentally found this in some 15th century painting
in "The Arrest of Christ" in the "Karlsruher Passion"
from Master of the Karlsruhe Passion (Hans Hirtz?) "The Disrobing of Christ"
and after ...
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Why did the negotiations between Henry V of England and France fail?
Before Henry V of England resumed the Hundred Years War against France, he and the French government acting for Charles VI who was mentally ill were negotiating for a peace treaty where Henry V would ...
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When were differing hemispheric seasons first understood?
When did people - scientists or philosophers - first realise/discover/understand that the seasons in the southern hemisphere were the opposite to those in the northern hemisphere?
Additionally, when ...
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Question about the Wars of the Roses [closed]
This question concerns the history of England in the 15th century.
In Political Ideals (1917), Bertrand Russell wrote
The stage we have reached in the affairs of Europe corresponds to the stage ...
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Teaching of Mathematics in Italy and in Germany in the fifteenth century
In is book Beyond numeracy, John Allen Paulos tells this story:
A German merchant of the fifteenth century asked an eminent professor where he should send his son for a good business education. The ...
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Perceptions and relationships of 14-15th century Spaniards / Romani / Moors
What perceptions of the Romani people were held by the Moors who occupied Granada around the time of the Reconquista? What were the relationships like between the Moors, Romani and the Sephardic Jews ...
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What was the Hundred Years' War called at the time?
Similar to this question — What was the Seven Years War called at first? — but for yet a different war.
According to Wikipedia, the Hundred Years' War is divided by historians into three smaller "...
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Does any copy exist of the Papal bull which authorized the Spanish Inquisition?
I have been trying, without success, to find an exemplification or any lesser copy of the Papal bull (issued by Pope Sixtus IV on November 1, 1478) known as Exigit Sinceras Devotionis Affectus (...
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Why was the standoff on the Ugra river the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia?
This is a very layman question, since my only source of knowledge is Wikipedia. I'm sure there are works that cover this subject in more details, please mention them in your answer.
Wikipedia says:
...
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Where is or was the place called Apapis?
I've been trying to find out more about the origins of my rare surname Apap (from Gozo in Malta) and have been reading about its origin through military men with the surname De Apapis.
The first ...
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What was the name for the region before it was "the Balkans"?
I'm working on a project set in the 15th century as the Ottoman Turks made forays into the West.
I'm looking for an appropriate term for the region bordered by Anatolia, Romania and Bulgaria to the ...
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How long did the battle of Bosworth last?
How long the battle of Bosworth actually last?
The Wikipedia article on the Battle of Bosworth Field doesn't say anything about how long the battle lasted.
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Was Johannes Gutenberg left-handed?
This may sound an absurd question, but I have a reason for asking. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote and drew with his left hand, and hence was adept at writing in reverse. Movable type is set backwards, and ...
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Were there ever any libraries in medieval villages?
I know that in towns and cities there might be libraries built, but is it possible or likely that peasants can have access to it as well? I've heard that every village has an least a monastery or ...
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Did the fortunes in the Hundred Years' War depend largely on the weather?
In the Hundred Years' War, the French had more numerous and heavily armed troops, while the English had fewer, more lightly armed (with longbows and less armor) troops that had the advantage of being ...
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Pre-columbus, what tools did Native Americans use to shave their heads and faces?
I have read that before Columbus, the Native Americans only had stone axes to cut down trees. The Europeans traded them metal axes in exchange for beaver furs. The metal axes cut down trees much ...
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Why did Columbus cross the mid-Atlantic instead of exploring from Greenland?
Greenland was known to Europe since long before 1492. In fact, Leif Erikson reached modern Canadian lands around the year 1000, coming from Greenland. That journey was forgotten, but he chose a ...
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Regarding the Columbian exchange, why did the ecological factors surrounding the re-connecting of the continents favor the Old World?
Regarding the Columbian exchange, why did the ecological factors surrounding the re-connecting of the continents (Americas and Europe) favor the Old World (Europe)?
Is there any irony in this?
I ...
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History about Triplex Plate Armour?
An example of triplex plate armour was discovered and dated to the War of the Roses at the Royal Armoury of Leeds. They even had a reproduction made by A Plaisance Armouries for a crossbow and musket ...
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How much of a symbiotic relationship was there between the Renaissance and the Printing Press?
Both the Renaissance and the Printing Press are dated to be around the 14th century. While the first Printing Press was in 1436 (Johannes Gutenberg), the Renaissance is also supposed to start around a ...
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What's the story behind the making of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible?
The Complutensian Polyglot Bible was the first printed polyglot of the entire Bible and was, from what I can gather, a pretty complex scholarly effort in which many different scholars had to come ...
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Are there any sources which talk about the experience of attending a 15th/16th century fencing school?
I'm interested to know of any material which describes the experience of being a student at a medieval period fencing school e.g. once which may have been run by a Master teaching in the Lichtenauer ...
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Did the Muslims of Granada expect their Christian conquerors to keep their promised terms?
The Treaty of Granada which surrendered Granada, the last Muslim-controlled area in medieval Spain, to King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile seemed to be quite generous, magnanimous ...
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Was The Prince by Machiavelli intended as satire?
Researching Machiavelli's other works, I found online that there is a disagreement on whether The Prince was actually meant to be read as political satire.
http://www2.idehist.uu.se/distans/ilmh/...
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What exactly happened with beer and Leeuwarden in 1487?
On the history page for the day July 24th at Wikipedia, one of the events listed as happening that day is:
1487 – Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands strike against a ban on foreign beer.
This claim ...
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What was the reason behind the Reinheitsgebot (beer purity law)? [closed]
Was it some health concern, a matter of tradition being enforced via law? It doesn't make a lot of sense in today's world, but I imagine in context there had to be a reason.
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Why did the Ming treasure fleet voyages end?
Have we come to know more reasons, on why the Treasure Fleet Voyages of the Ming Dynasty ceased, other than eunuch-to-civil power shift? Wikipedia says
However, in 1433, the voyages ceased and ...
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What was the prevalence of ethnic minorities in 15th century Bohemia?
What was the prevalence of what we in contemporary western culture would consider "ethnic minorities" (Africans, East Asians, South Asians, Latinos, etc) in the population of early 15th century ...
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After the fall of Constantinople was there a re-evaluation of the basis of Russia's religion?
According to the Primary Chronicle, Vladimir the Great rejected Judaism in 987 with the rationale that they lost Jerusalem. When Constantinople was conquered in 1453 by the Ottomans, was there any ...
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Why did Sir William Stanley support Perkin Warbeck?
It seems odd that the Brother of Lord Thomas Stanley would swap sides so soon after the beginning of Henry VII's reign. I want to ascertain the political, social or economic motivations that could ...
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Could Margaret Beaufort have been responsible for killing of the Princes in the Tower? [closed]
According to Philippa Gregory, Margaret Beaufort had the best motive, because with their deaths her son Henry became 2 steps closer to the throne, and also she hated Elizabeth Woodville.
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Which bank was the oldest surviving bank in the world prior to MPS getting that status?
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. [...] (MPS) is the oldest surviving bank in the world [...]
Wikipedia: 1 (and 2, 3)
Assuming that this is correct, and using the same criteria, which was the ...
user3428
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What was El Greco's relationship with the Spanish Inquisition?
2007's biopic El Greco claims the painter was put on trial by the Spanish Inquisition, more specifically Grand Inquisitor Fernando Niño de Guevara, for blasphemy. The film is a heavily fictionalized ...
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Was Christopher Columbus Polish?
A Polish friend of mine stated that Columbus was of Polish heritage. Claims are made that he was a Polish immigrant to Italy, and that he came from a disgraced noble family in Poland.
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Why didn't King Ferdinand take over Portugal during the Spanish Reconquista?
After unifying Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon through marriage, Ferdinand I proceeded to conquer the Emirate of Granada and almost unified the Iberian Peninsula, but left Portugal alone.
Is there ...
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Organisation of mercenaries
In the War of the roses how were mercenary units organised and administrated?
Were they paid per lance, archer, knight etc?
Would there be a King's representative who would go the mercenary ...
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Were women banned from entering the castle of Trakai?
According to legend, Vytautas the Great banned women from entering the Trakai Island Castle under penalty of death.
I read it in Russian, it is called "The Horse of knyaz Vytautas". The plot is ...
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Who gave Charles the Bold his nickname and why?
I am talking about the Duke of Burgundy here.
Wikipedia has a tantalizing footnote (n. 1):
Charles le Téméraire is more accurately translated in English as "the
Rash", but the English ...
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When was the Western Facade on the Sant Andrea Basilica by Alberti constructed?
I've found conflicting answers on other website and was wondering if anyone knows.
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