January 25 – (5 Adar5242) The first printing of the Torah by movable type, in the original Hebrew language, is made in Bologna, marking the first use of the Hebrew alphabet rather than the Roman alphabet in printing.[1]
April 28 – In Spain, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Castile formally takes command in the Granada War at Alhama.[5]
May 10 – King Edward IV of England summons fighting men to participate in an invasion of Scotland with the goal of deposing King James III and installing a puppet monarch who will bring Scotland under English control.[6]
May 25 – German printer Erhard Ratdolt creates the first printed edition of The Elements, originally written by the Greek mathematician Euclid around 300 BC and translated from ancient Greek into Latin by Campanus of Novara in the 13th century. The date for the printing of one of the most influential books in history is printed by Ratdolt on the title page.[7]
May 27 – Cem Sultan, who briefly reigned as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for several weeks in 1481 before being deposed by his half-brother, Bayezid II, invades the Turkish mainland and besieges the city of Konya, but is defeated and forced to withdraw to Ankara. Upon trying to retreat to Cairo in Egypt, he finds that all the roads are under Bayezid’s control.[8]
July 22 – Following a mutiny of Scottish troops at Lauder, King James III is brought back to Edinburgh Castle and held under house arrest by the mutineers.[6]
July 29 – Cem Sultan of the Ottoman Empire flees to the island of Rhodes after having turned down two offers from his half-brother, Sultan Bayezid II, to give up all claims to the Ottoman throne.[8]
September 29 – King James III is allowed to walk out of Edinburgh Castle in the wake of the English siege led by his brother, Alexander, Duke of Albany.[13]
November 15 – King Edward IV of England summons the members of the English House of Commons and the English House of Lords to assemble at Westminster on January 20.
