1478
1478 is the year the Spanish Inquisition was established.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1478 fits
Why 1478 is special
It operated for over three centuries and was not abolished until 1834. Modern scholarship using its own detailed records gives execution figures far lower than the traditional accounts, while confirming the scale of surveillance and confiscation.
1478 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (4)
- 1, 2, 739, 1478
- Prime factorisation
- 2 × 739
- Digit sum
- 20
- Digital root
- 2
Representations
- Decimal
- 1478
- Scientific notation
- 1.478 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C D L X X V I I I
MCDLXXVIII uses the subtractive pair CD: a hundred before five hundred — five hundred minus a hundred.
Binary
1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
1 × 1,024 + 0 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,478
Octal
2 7 0 6
2 × 512 + 7 × 64 + 0 × 8 + 6 × 1 = 1,478
Hexadecimal
5 c 6
5 × 256 + c × 16 + 6 × 1 = 1,478
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 4 + 2 = 1,478.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 4 coils of rope, 7 hobbles, 8 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 4 × 100 + 7 × 10 + 8 × 1 = 1,478. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges + 4 vertical wedges (sixties place), 3 corner wedges + 8 vertical wedges (units place)
24 × 60 + 38 = 1478. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
- Happy number
- Semiprime
Related numbers & connections
1478 is a year in the 15th century, in the 1470s.
The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 and held its first auto-da-fé in 1481. It answered to the crown rather than to Rome, which is what made it an instrument of state.
View 1481 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- developed from1481
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
History
In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established under royal rather than papal control (Iberia).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: IberiaPeriod: 1478The Inquisition's own archives, studied systematically from the 1970s, produced execution figures far below the traditional accounts — while documenting the scale of denunciation, imprisonment and property seizure. Both corrections point the same direction: less killing, more control.
DocumentedHistoryGeography: SpainPeriod: 1478–1834
Common questions
Is 1478 a prime number?
No, 1478 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1478?
The factors of 1478 are 1, 2, 739, 1478.
What is 1478 in Roman numerals?
1478 in Roman numerals is MCDLXXVIII. CD is subtractive: a hundred before five hundred — five hundred minus a hundred. Written additively it would be MCCCCLXXVIII, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026