The great castle of Krak des Chevaliers is built in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Knights of St John

The new abbey church of St Denis is consecrated near Paris, introducing the style of architecture later known as Gothic

The Gothic style is first seen in Britain in the new east end of Canterbury cathedral

Work begins on the Alhambra, the palace fortress of the Muslim kings of Granada

Construction begins in Paris on the Sainte Chapelle, designed to house relics acquired by Louis IX, the king of France

The authorities in Siena publish strict regulations for the design of the buildings around a new central piazza, the Campo

Flying buttresses are a striking new structural feature on the exterior of Gothic cathedrals

The Early English phase in Gothic architecture gives way to the Decorated style

In places such as Siena and Orvieto, Italian architects add a blaze of colour to the more restrained northern pattern of Gothic

The Doge's Palace, begun in its present form in this year, is only one of the spectacular beauties of Venetian Gothic

The bridge now known as Ponte Vecchio is constructed in Florence (replacing an older old bridge)

The Perpendicular style develops from the Decorated phase in English Gothic architecture

Fan vaulting becomes part of the Gothic tradition, seen to perfection in the cloisters of Gloucester cathedral

The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto is built by the shogun Yoshimitsu as his own villa

Timur is buried in a mausoleum (the Gur Amir) in Samarkand, a city which becomes an inspiration to his descendants

Shah Rukh, son of Timur, begins rebuilding the city of Herat

Filippo Brunelleschi begins studying the ruins of classical Rome, with a view to rediscovering classical architecture

A competition is launched for an architect to construct a dome above Florence's cathedral, and is won by Brunelleschi

Glazed windows become a feature of the richer homes of northern Europe

Work begins in Florence on Brunelleschi's Pazzi chapel, which encapsulates in miniature the new ideals of Renaissance architecture

The massive architecture of the Incas, consisting of finely dressed irregular blocks of stone, becomes a feature of Cuzco

Mehmed II, conqueror of Constantinople, begins to build Topkapi Sarayi as his palace

The new pope, Sixtus IV, secures his name in history, establishing the Sistine chapel and the Sistine choir

Even the remote city of Machu Picchu, on its peak above the jungle, is built in the massively precise Inca style of masonry

Julius II, together with the architect Bramante, lays the foundation stone for the new St Peter's