Editing 1440 (section)

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== January–March ===
* [[January 6]] &ndash; [[Louis, Duke of Savoy|Ludovico]] becomes the new [[Counts and dukes of Savoy|Duke of Savoy]] upon the abdication of his father [[Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy|Amadeus VIII]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contironco.it/savoia/indice.htm |title= Dinastia Casa Savoia |access-date= July 12, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070418105017/http://www.contironco.it/savoia/indice.htm |archive-date = April 18, 2007}}</ref>
* [[January 8]] &ndash; Seventeen new Roman Catholic Cardinals are added to the College of Cardinals afer having been appointed by Pope Eugene IV on December 18.<ref>{{cite web|authorlink=Salvador Miranda (historian) |last=Miranda |first=Salvador |title=Consistories for the creation of Cardinals 12th Century (1099-1198): Eugenius IV (1431-1447) |url=https://cardinals.fiu.edu/consistories-xv.htm#EugeniusIV|work=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church |accessdate=|publisher=[[Florida International University]]|oclc=53276621}}</ref>
* [[February 21]] &ndash; The [[Prussian Confederation]] is proposed as an opposition to the [[Teutonic Knights]] at a meeting in [[Elblag|Elbing]] by nobles from the cities of [[Chełmno|Culm]], Elbing, [[Toruń|Thorn]], [[Gdańsk|Danzig]], [[Braniewo|Braunsberg]], [[Kaliningrad|Königsberg]], and [[Knipawa|Kneiphof]], all of which will become part of Poland a little more than 500 years later. The delegates agree to hold a larger meeting on March 14 at [[Kwidzyn|Marienwerder]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=[[Poznań]]|page=xxxi |language=pl}}</ref>
* [[February 22]] &ndash; Four months after the death of [[Albert II of Germany|King Albert of Hungary]], his son, [[Ladislaus the Posthumous]], is born at [[Komárom]] (now Komárno in Slovakia) to Albert's widow, [[Elizabeth of Luxembourg|Elisabeth]], regent for the vacant throne. Elizabeth argues to the Hungarian nobles that Ladislaus should be elected as the rightful successor to King Albert, and that she should serve as the boy's regent.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pálosfalvi |first=Tamás |editor-last=Kristó |editor-first=Gyula |title=Magyarország vegyes házi királyai ''[The Kings of Various Dynasties of Hungary]'' |publisher=Szukits Könyvkiadó |year=2002 |pages=139–140 |chapter=V. László |isbn=963-9441-58-9 |language=hu}}</ref>
* [[February 26]] &ndash; Ibrahim II becomes the [[Candar dynasty|Bey of Candar]], a monarchy on the [[Black Sea]] that now encompasses 10 Turkish provinces, upon the death of his father, Mubariz al-Din Isfendiyar, at the capital, [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinop]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yücel |first1=M. Yaşar |title=Candar-oğlu Çelebi İsfendiyar Bey 1392-1439 |journal=Ankara University History Research Journal |date=1 May 1964 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=157-174 |doi=10.1501/Tarar_0000000282 |language=tr|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[February]] The [[Praguerie]], an uprising by the French nobility rises up against King [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], begins in France and lasts until June.
* [[March 8]] &ndash; Despite the birth of a posthumous son of the late King Albert V, the Hungarian nobles vote to elect King Vladislaus III of Poland as the new King of Hungary.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Solymosi |first1=László |last2=Körmendi |first2=Adrienne |editor-last=Solymosi |editor-first=László | title=Magyarország történeti kronológiája, I: a kezdetektől 1526-ig ''[Historical Chronology of Hungary, Volume I: From the Beginning to 1526]'' |publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó |year=1981 |pages=257 |chapter=A középkori magyar állam virágzása és bukása, 1301–1526 [The Heyday and Fall of the Medieval Hungarian State, 1301–1526] |isbn=963-05-2661-1|language=hu}}</ref>
* [[March 14]] &ndash; The [[Prussian Confederation]] is formed by 53 nobles and clergy, representing 19 Prussian cities, who meet at [[Elblag]] to form an opposition to the [[Teutonic Knights]].
* [[March 20]] &ndash; [[Sigismund Kęstutaitis]], the [[List of Lithuanian monarchs#Grand Duke|Grand Duke of Lithuania]], is assassinated at his residence at the [[Trakai Peninsula Castle]] by supporters of his rival, Svitraglia.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Bronius |last=Dundulis |editor-first=Vytautas |editor-last=Spečiūnas |encyclopedia=Lietuvos valdovai (XIII–XVIII a.): enciklopedinis žinynas |title=Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis |year=2004 |publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas |location=Vilnius |isbn=5-420-01535-8 |pages=94–96 |language=lt}}</ref>

=== April–June ===
* [[April 9]] &ndash; [[Christopher of Bavaria]] is elected [[King of Denmark]].
* [[April]] &ndash; Ottoman Sultan [[Murad II]] begins the [[Siege of Belgrade (1440)|siege]] of [[Belgrade]], at the time part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] after the conquest of Serbia. The fortress is heavily damaged, but the defenders' use of [[artillery]] prevents the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]] from capturing the city, and the siege ends after six months.
* [[May 4]] &ndash; [[Metrophanes II of Constantinople|Metrophanes II]], Bishop of Cyzicus, is appointed by the Byzantine Emperor [[John VIII Palaiologos]] as the new [[List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]], leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, to succeed the late [[Joseph II of Constantinople|Joseph II]], who had died in 1439.
* [[May 15]] &ndash; [[Elizabeth of Luxembourg]], regent for the vacant throne of Hungary, has her infant son, [[Ladislaus the Posthumous]], crowned king at [[Székesfehérvár]] with the stolen [[Holy Crown of Hungary|Crown of Saint Stephen]].
* [[June 29]] &ndash; 
**The League of Italian States (Florence, Venice and the Papal States) defeats the army of the [[Duchy of Milan]] at the [[Battle of Anghiari]] in [[Tuscany]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anghiari.it/new-english/english/battaglia_anghiari.asp |title=The Battle of Anghiari |access-date=6 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103180717/http://www.anghiari.it/new-english/english/battaglia_anghiari.asp |archive-date=3 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
**[[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] is proclaimed as the new [[List of Lithuanian monarchs|Grand Duke of Lithuania]] by the [[Lithuanian Council of Lords]].<ref>J. Kiaupienė, ''Valdžios krizės pabaiga ir Kazimieras Jogailaitis'' (The End of the Government Crisis and Kazimieras Jogailaitis), (Vilnius: Electronic Publishing House, 2003)</ref>
**The [[Diet of Hungary]] approves a resolution declaring the coronation of Ladislaus as King of Hungary to be invalid, declaring that "the crowning of kings is always dependent on the will of the kingdom's inhabitants, in whose consent both the effectiveness and the force of the crown reside".<ref>{{cite book |last=Engel |first=Pál |year=2001 |title=The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526 |publisher= I.B. Tauris Publishers |isbn=1-86064-061-3}}</ref>

=== July–September ===
* [[July 11]] &ndash; [[John V, Duke of Brittany]], signs a neutrality agreement with the Kingdom of England, promising not to give shelter to England's enemies in the ongoing English occupation of western France.<ref>{{cite book |last= Wagner |date=2006 |first=John A. |title=Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War |url= http://dl.lilibook.ir/2016/03/Encyclopedia-of-the-Hundred-Years-War.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180716235643/http://dl.lilibook.ir/2016/03/Encyclopedia-of-the-Hundred-Years-War.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2018-07-16 |publisher=Greenwood Press |place=[[Westport, Connecticut|Westport]] |page=183 |isbn=978-0-313-32736-0 }}</ref>
* [[July 17]] &ndash; [[Władysław III of Poland|Wladyslaw III]], King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania, is crowned as [[List of Hungarian monarchs|King László I of Hungary]] at the [[Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary]] in [[Székesfehérvár]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ágoston |first=Gábor |date=2023 |title=The Last Muslim Conquest. The Ottoman Empire and Its Wars in Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4zS0EAAAQBAJ |location=Princeton |publisher=University Press |pages=64-65 |isbn=9780691205397}}</ref>
* [[July 24]] &ndash; At [[Basel]] in Switzerland, [[Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy]] is crowned as "Pope Felix V" by Roman Catholic cardinals of the [[Council of Florence#Rump Council of Basel|Council of Basel]] who had voted to depose [[Pope Eugene IV]] as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.<ref>[https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/it/articles/012614/2006-04-10/ "Felice V: Amedeo VIII diSavoi"], by Bernard Andenmatten, in ''Dizionario storico della Svizzera'' (2006)</ref> As Felix V, he is  designated in Vatican history as [[Antipope#List of historical antipopes|the last "antipope"]]. He remains in Basel and never travels to Rome to assume the papacy; in 1449, after the death of Eugene IV, Amadeus assumes an oath of loyalty to Eugene's successor, [[Pope Nicholas V]].
* [[August 31]] &ndash; In France, the [[Siege of Tartas]] is commenced in [[Gascony]] by troops of the Kingdom of England and the English-controlled [[Duchy of Gascony]] in an attempt to oust  a French supporter of King Charles VII, [[Charles II d'Albret]], who has taken control of Tartas. The siege lasts for almost two years before being abandoned by the English.<ref>{{citation |url=http://journeedetartas.blogspot.com.br/|title=Charles VII at Tartas|date=30 June 2009|access-date=16 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Piraud |date=2010 |first=Claude-Henri |title=Les armistices de 1441 en Guyenne |journal=Bulletin de la Société historique et archéologique du Périgord |language=fr |volume=137 |pages=34 |issn=1141-135X |url=https://www.academia.edu/13216649 }}</ref>  
* [[September 10]] &ndash; A rebellion in Hungary, instigated by [[Ladislaus Garai]] against the newly elected [[Władysław III of Poland|King Laszlo]] (who is also king of Poland), is ended when Garai's army is annihilated in a battle at [[Bátaszék]] by the troops of General [[John Hunyadi|János Hunyadi]] and of [[Nicholas of Ilok]], [[Ban of Croatia|ruler of Croatia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Museranu |first=Camil |date=2018 |title=John Hunyadi. Defender of Christendom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4BAjEAAAQBAJ |location=Las Vegas |publisher=Histria Books |pages=73-74 |isbn=9781592111152}}</ref>
* [[September 12]] &ndash; [[Eton College]], one of the most famous prepratory boarding schools for boys in England, is founded by [[Henry VI of England|King Henry VI]] as "Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore".
* [[September 13]] &ndash; 
**[[Christopher of Bavaria]], King Christopher III of Denmark, is formally enthroned as [[List of Swedish monarchs|King Kristofer I of Sweden]], bringing an end to the regency of [[Charles VIII of Sweden|Karl Knutsson Bonde]]. 
**Breton knight [[Gilles de Rais]] is arrested at his castle at [[Machecoul]], after an accusation of murdering children is brought against him by the [[Bishop of Nantes]].<ref>{{Citation |language=fr |last=Bataille |first=Georges |author-link=Georges Bataille |title=Procès de Gilles de Rais. Documents précédés d'une introduction de Georges Bataille |location=Paris |publisher=Club français du livre |year=1959 |page=158}}</ref>
* [[September 21]] &ndash; The [[Burgraviate of Nuremberg]], a member nation-state of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], comes to an end after more than three centuries when the two sons of the last Burgrave, [[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg
|Frederick V]], divide the territory into two separate principalities. [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick VI]] (who is also Elector of Brandenburg) becomes the ruler of the [[Principality of Ansbach]], while [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John III]] becomes the ruler of the [[Principality of Bayreuth]]

=== October–December ===
* [[October 22]] &ndash; [[Gilles de Rais]] confesses, and is sentenced to death on a conviction of murdering at least 140 children. He is hanged on October 26 and his corpse is then burned at the stake.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Benedetti |first=Jean |title=Gilles de Rais |location=New York |publisher=Stein and Day |year=1971 |pages=182-190 |isbn=978-0-8128-1450-7}}</ref> 
* [[November 2]] &ndash; The [[Old Zurich War]] begins as the [[Canton of Zurich]], led by the [[burgomaster]] [[Rudolf Stüssi]], is expelled from the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss Confederation]] (''Corpus helveticum'') by the leaders of the other [[Swiss canton|canton]]s (Bern, Glarus, Lucerne, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Uri and Zug). Stüssi makes an alliance with [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor]] and a war which will last more than five years begins.
* [[November 3]] &ndash; [[Charles, Duke of Orléans]], is released from incarceration in England, 25 years after he had been taken as a prisoner of war at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] in [[1415]]. His freedom is gained after the negotiations made by two of his former enemies, the Duke of Burgundy and the Queen of Portugal, and payment of a ransom of 80,000 gold coins. The Duke of Orleans, now aged 46, returns to French soil after more than a quarter of a century in England.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc |last=Goldstone |first=Nancy |year=2013 |publisher= Phoenix Paperbacks, London |pages=225-226}}</ref>
* [[November 24]] &ndash; The "[[Clan Douglas#Black Dinner|Black Dinner]]" takes place at [[Edinburgh Castle]] as Lord Chancellor of Scotland [[William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton|William Crichton]] conspires with the [[James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas|James Douglas]], uncle of the late [[Archibald Douglas]] (who had served as regent for King James II) to invite Archibald's two sons, 16-year old [[William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas]] and David Douglad to dinner with King James. At the dinner, the two boys are taken hostage and murdered, the members of [[Clan Douglas]] besiege the castle, and James Douglas inherits the Earldom.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/collinsscottishc0000wayg/page/384/mode/2up?q=1440&view=theater|"Douglas", in ''Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''], George Way and Romilly Squire, eds., (Glasgow: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1994) pp. 384–385</ref>
* [[December 1]] &ndash; Representatives of the Swiss canton of Zurich sign the Peace of Lucerne, bringing a temporary halt to the [[Old Zurich War]].

=== Date unknown ===
* [[Itzcóatl]], [[Aztec]] ruler of [[Tenochtitlan]], dies and is succeeded by [[Moctezuma I]] ''([[Moctezuma Ilhuicamina]])''.
* [[Lorenzo Valla]]'s ''De falso credita et ementita Constantini Donatione declamatio'' demonstrates that the [[Donation of Constantine]] is a forgery.
* Sir Richard Molyneux is appointed constable of [[Liverpool Castle]], in [[Kingdom of England|England]].
* The [[Ming dynasty]] government of [[China]] begins a decade-long series of issuing harsh edicts towards those who illegally mine [[silver]], the latter known as 'miner bandits' ({{lang|cmn|kuangzei|italic=yes}}), a trend begun in [[1438]]. The government wants to cap the amount of silver circulating into the market, as more grain taxes are converted into silver taxes. The government establishes community night watches known as 'watches and tithings' ({{lang|cmn|baojia|italic=yes}}), who ensure that [[illegal mining]] activities are brought to a halt. However, these are desperate measures, as illegal silver mining continues to thrive as a dangerous but lucrative venture.
* Uwaifiokun, [[Oba of Benin]], is killed by his brother, the Prince Ogun, who succeeds him as [[Ewuare|Ewuare I]].
* [[Zhu Quan]] writes the ''[[Cha Pu]]'' ("Tea Manual") in [[Ming dynasty|China]].</onlyinclude>