1476
Caxton Press at Westminster
William Caxton set up England's first printing press in a shop in the almonry at Westminster Abbey. Within a few years he was issuing Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Malory's Morte d'Arthur, and popular translations. The English language began its slow consolidation around his editorial choices in spelling and usage. His decision to print in London dialect helped standardize the form of English that eventually became the national language.
Battle of Grandson
The Swiss pikemen of the cantons ambushed Charles the Bold's army in a narrow Alpine valley and overran the Burgundian camp. Charles fled so quickly that his silver, his library, his tent, and a diamond later set in an imperial crown were left behind for delighted peasants. The invincible duke had been humiliated.
Battle of Murten
The Swiss crushed Charles the Bold again, this time in an afternoon bloodbath beside a lake. Ten thousand Burgundians were slaughtered in the shallows and the reeds. Switzerland's pikemen became Europe's most feared infantry overnight. Charles, twice-beaten in one summer, began unraveling into monomaniac obsession. The speed of the Swiss attack became a textbook example of infantry shock tactics studied by military theorists for generations.
First Printing Press in Spain
German printers established a press at Valencia and began issuing books in Spanish, Catalan, and Latin. Within a generation, Spanish printing would spread to Seville, Burgos, Salamanca, and Zaragoza. Iberian readers acquired their first locally-printed books in the same years Isabella was consolidating Castile. The spread of printing across Iberia coincided with the Reconquista's final phase, and many early Spanish books served the expanding state.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1476?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1476. The most significant is Caxton Press at Westminster: William Caxton set up England's first printing press in a shop in the almonry at Westminster Abbey.
What era was 1476 part of?
1476 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1476?
The curated events from 1476 span Europe.