1400–1409

Events

* 1402: The conquest of the Canary Islands signals the beginning of the Spanish Empire.
* 1402: Ottoman and Timurid Empires fight at the Battle of Ankara resulting in Timur's capture of Bayezid I.
* 1402: Sultanate of Malacca founded by Parameshwara.
* 1403: The Yongle Emperor moves the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing.
* 1405: Zheng He of China embarks on the first of seven voyages of exploration.

Births

* 1400: Johannes Gutenberg, credited with inventing movable type printing in Europe.
* 1401: Catherine of Valois, Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422.
* 1401: Emperor Shōkō, the 101st emperor of Japan.
* 1403: Charles VII of France, King of France from 1422 until his death in 1461.
* 1404: Murad II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451.
* 1404: Gilles de Rais, murderous French noble considered by some historians to be a precursor of the modern serial killer.
* 1405: Constantine XI, the last reigning Roman Emperor.
* 1405: Thomas Malory, the author or compiler of "Le Morte d'Arthur".
* 1405: Pope Pius II, Pope from 1458 until his death in 1464.
* 1409: Charles VIII of Sweden, king of Sweden for three separate reigns between 1448 and 1470.

Deaths

* 1400: Richard II, deposed King of England, died in captivity.
* 1402: The Jianwen Emperor, second Emperor of the Ming dynasty, killed in a coup.
* 1403: Bayezid I, deposed sultan of the Ottoman Empire, died in captivity.
* 1404: Pope Boniface IX.
* 1405: Timur, also known as Tamerlane, Turco-Mongol conqueror, died of plague while invading China.
* 1406: Robert III, King of Scots, allegedly died of grief.
* 1406: Pope Innocent VII, died suddenly amidst rumours of foul play, of which no evidence was ever found.