1420★★★★★
Forbidden City completed
The Yongle Emperor completes the Forbidden City palace complex and moves the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.
ArtPolitics· China
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Events this year
c. 1420s★★★★★
Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand
Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg builds a great observatory in Samarkand, where one of the most accurate star catalogues of the age is compiled.
Science· Uzbekistan
Ongoing
c. 11th century – c. 1450s★★★★★
Great Zimbabwe flourishes
Great Zimbabwe, a city of mortarless stone enclosures, was the centre of a powerful state that prospered from cattle and the gold trade with the Swahili coast.
CultureEconomy· Zimbabwe
1206 – 1526★★★★★
Founding of the Delhi Sultanate
Qutb ud-Din Aibak establishes the Delhi Sultanate, which dominates much of northern India for over three centuries.
DynastyPolitics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
1250 – 1517★★★★★
Mamluk Sultanate established in Egypt
Mamluk slave-soldiers overthrow the Ayyubids and seize power in Egypt, ruling Egypt and Syria for over two and a half centuries.
DynastyPolitics· Egypt, Syria
1337 – 1453★★★★★
Hundred Years' War
A series of conflicts between England and France over the French throne ends with England losing nearly all its continental lands.
War· France, United Kingdom
1351 – 1767★★★★★
Founding of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
King Ramathibodi I founds the capital of Ayutthaya, beginning a Siamese kingdom that lasts over four centuries.
DynastyPolitics· Thailand
c. 1400 – 1511★★★★★
Founding of the Malacca Sultanate
Parameswara founds Malacca, which becomes the key port on the Strait of Malacca and a centre for the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia.
DynastyEconomyReligion· Malaysia
1405 – 1433★★★★★
Voyages of Zheng He
Admiral Zheng He leads seven Ming treasure voyages to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Arabia and East Africa.
Exploration· China
1418 – 1427★★★★★
Lam Sơn uprising
Lê Lợi launches a revolt at Lam Sơn (Thanh Hóa) against Ming rule; the ten-year struggle restores independence.
WarRevolution· Vietnam, China