1444 (MCDXLIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 1444th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 444th year of the 2nd millennium, the 44th year of the 15th century, and the 5th year of the 1440s decade. As of the start of 1444, the Gregorian calendar was 9 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which was the dominant calendar of the time.