1444

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	14th century – 15th century – 16th century
Decades:	1410s  1420s  1430s  – 1440s –  1450s  1460s  1470s
Years:	1441 1442 1443 – 1444 – 1445 1446 1447

Year 1444 was a leap year. It started on a Wednesday.

Events

• March 2 – The Albanian League started in Lezha; Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg becomes leader of the Albanian resistance
• April 16 – Truce of Tours begins between England and France
• June 15 – Cosimo de' Medici starts the Laurentian Library.
• August 26 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs in the Old Zürich War.
• August – Murad II abdicates because of defeat at the Battle of Jalowaz.
• November 10 – Battle of Varna. King Ladislas of Poland and Hungary is killed.
• The Sultan of Egypt fails to take Rhodes from the Knights of Rhodes
• The Iguvine Tables are discovered at Gubbio, Italy
• Portuguese explorers reach the mouth of the Senegal river and the Gambia river.
• The Mercado de Escravos, the first European slave market for selling African Slaves, opens in Lagos, Portugal.
• A fire occurs at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Births

• January 24 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Italian duke (died 1476)
• March 1 – Sandro Botticelli, Italian artist (died 1510) (born 1444 or 1445)
• March 11 – Donato Bramante, Italian architect (died 1514)
• John de Mowbray, English duke (died 1476)
• Nilakantha Somayaji, Indian mathematician and astronomer (died 1544)

Deaths

• February 14 – Henriette of Mömpelgard,countess (born 1387)
• March 9 – Leonardo Bruni, Italian humanist (born 1374)
• April 26 – Robert Campin, Flemish artist (born 1378)
• May 20 – Bernardino of Siena, Italian saint and missionary (born 1380)
• May 27 – John Beaufort, English duke and military leader (born 1404)
• October 15 – Niccolò Piccinino, Italian mercenary (born 1386)
• November 10 – King Wladislaus III, king of Poland (born 1424)
• November 25 – Martin Gouge, French chancellor