1471
Battle of Barnet
In dawn fog on a ridge north of London, Edward IV's forces crashed into Warwick the Kingmaker's army. The fog confused both sides; a Lancastrian banner was mistaken for a Yorkist one and attacked by its own allies. Warwick was caught trying to mount his horse and killed. The Kingmaker died in the mud.
Vietnam Conquers Champa
The Le dynasty emperor Le Thanh Tong crushed the Cham capital of Vijaya after weeks of siege, killing forty thousand defenders and deporting thirty thousand more. The millennial Indianized Cham kingdom was reduced to a rump state. Vietnamese settlers poured south, shaping modern Vietnam's long coastal spine. The destruction ended a civilization that had flourished for a thousand years, drawing on Indian traditions to produce remarkable temple architecture.
Incas Conquer Chimu Kingdom
Tupac Inca Yupanqui cut the desert water canals that fed the Chimu capital Chan Chan on the Peruvian coast, forcing its surrender without a major battle. The Chimu king was taken to Cuzco with his goldsmiths, whose work would later stun Pizarro. The Inca absorbed their rival's engineers and metalworking secrets.
Battle of Tewkesbury
Edward IV finished the Lancastrians in a brutal engagement beside the Severn. Queen Margaret's son Prince Edward was killed, perhaps in flight, perhaps by summary execution. That night Henry VI was quietly murdered in his Tower cell. The main Lancastrian bloodline was extinguished, and Edward IV ruled unchallenged until his own sudden death.
Sixtus IV Elected Pope
The Franciscan theologian Francesco della Rovere was elected pope, taking the name Sixtus IV. He would rebuild Rome, commission the Sistine Chapel that bore his name, elevate half a dozen of his nephews to the cardinalate, and quietly orchestrate the Pazzi Conspiracy against the Medici. The Renaissance papacy had found its template.