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The 1480s: A Decade of Turmoil and Transformation

The 1480s decade ran from January 1, 1480, to December 31, 1489. This period was marked by significant events in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia that would shape the course of history for centuries to come.

In Europe, the 1480s stood as a turning point in relation to minorities, expressed through permissions that began to give popes to the existence of Inquisitions and other types of persecution. The decade saw the rise of powerful monarchies, the decline of feudalism, and the emergence of new trade routes and cultural exchange.

One of the most significant events of the 1480s was the Reconquista in Spain, where King Ferdinand II and his wife Isabella I, Queen of Castile, signed the Treaty of Tordesillas in March 1480. This treaty recognized the conquests of Afonso V of Portugal in Africa and transferred the Canary Islands to Spanish authority, marking an end to the Wars of Inheritance in the Iberian Peninsula.

The decade also saw the rise of powerful leaders who would shape European politics for centuries to come. King Louis XI of France bought the succession rights to the Duchy of Brittany from Countess Nicole de Châtillon in January 1480, while Pedro de Vera was appointed as colonial Governor of Gran Canaria by Spanish monarchs.

In England, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, becoming King of England and ending the Wars of the Roses. The decade also saw significant events in Scotland, where James IV was crowned king in June 1484.

The Ottoman Empire continued to expand its territories during the 1480s, with the Siege of Rhodes beginning in May 1480 as part of a larger campaign to conquer the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, in Africa, King Afonso V of Portugal ordered his navy to capture anyone trading illegally and threw goods and ship's crews into the sea.

The decade also saw significant events in Italy, where Pope Sixtus IV launched a crusade against the Ottoman Empire from Otranto in southern Italy on August 14, 1480. The city was later massacred by Ottoman forces led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, who took control of the city after breaking through its defenses.

The Spanish Inquisition began to take shape during the 1480s, with