Leonardo Da Vinci Biography

Leonardo da Vinci was born on

April 15, 1452, near the village of Vinci. He was the son
of Ser Piero but was born out of illegitimacy (his
parents were not married). But because of his
illegitimacy his father did not pay for education and
Leonardo wasnt even able to inherit anything such as
land or even his father's name so he was considered a
low life. However,as Leonardo turned 15 he left Vinci
and traveled to Florence with his father he began to
find away to show that although he was illegitimate,he
wanted to make a life for himself a carrier.
As Leonardo knew one thing about how to gain
status in the renaissance world of Italy, he had to join
a guild and he found one which was directed by
Andrea del Verrocchio who was a well known sculptor,
painter, and goldsmith. He accepted Leonardo into his
guild as an apprentice and Verrocchio was the one
who would teach and train Leonardo and help
Leonardo have a place in history. As Leonardo was in
the guild he learned amy things such as how to paint

with perspective and detail while also learning basic

engineering because while he was an apprentice he
was helping with a task that Andrea del Verrocchio
was assigned. Andrea was assigned to place a large
heavy bronze ball on top of an important building. He
learned of the levers and pulley systems that can help
hoist large heavy objects such as the huge bronze ball
and this was the main part of Leonardo's entrance into
engineering.
After 5 years, Leonardo had completed his
apprenticeship and is a full member of Andreas guild
and also during this time Leonardo makes a piece of
artwork that shows his talent and skill. The painting he

had created (around 1472) was the

Baptism of Christ, which showed how Leonardo had
captured movement in his paintings. He was know for
making his painting very lifelike and giving character
to people and his great work had caught the eyes of
very rich families and he began building his reputation
and his career and Leonardo's life was now at its
highest point. In 1479 Leonardo's great city of

Florence which has given him a new life. Will soon be

destroyed by a war between Navels which was a war
that was enacted by King Ferdinand because one of
the popes was executed and war has broken out.
Soon the Florence forces are cut down but with this
war on hand this war will influence Leonardo to create
machines of war. He created ladders used to
defending and scaling walls. But soon those plans will
be useless as the war has been settled by a nobleman
named Lorenzo who had convinced king Ferdinand to
end the war.
In 1841 Leonardo began to lose interest in
painting and has not finishing his pieces and clients
become angered but though Leonardo has many ideas
he cant seem to put them to fruition, so he began to
think of changing his profession so he travels to
Milan, Italy a city state of war. Here is where Leonardo
can put his war machines ideas to the test. A year
later he sent a letter to the Duke Ludovico Sforza of
Milan and lets him of the many ideas he has such as
lighter and more mobile bridges and cannons that can
make it seem like it is raining stone and large accurate
catapults. The main conceptualization of the tank is
made by Leonardo but will not be really made until
World War I and when it was designed ("Museum of
Science, Boston.) it contained many light cannons
these were arranged on a circular platform which was
based on four wheels and provided a firing range of
360 degrees. The whole platform was surrounded by a
conical cover with a sighting turret at the top. At the

centre of the car, two cranks were used to set the

machine in motion.

Leonardos tank design

Leonardo's Cannon

Soon Leonardo was hired by the Duke Ludovico

Sforza's and the Duke made leonardo paint and sculpt
and design many weapons and buildings for him but
in ("Museum of Science, Boston.) 1485 to 1490,
Leonardo produced a studies on loads of subjects,
including nature, flying machines, geometry,
mechanics, municipal construction, canals and
architecture and he even created his own studio and
many students and apprentices flocked to Leonardo's
studio wanting to learn. Leonardo even made some

new invention such as the submarine and even

creating the Last Supper Painting which was a
painting of Jesus and his disciples gather to eat
before Jesus was crucified. So this was one of
Leonardo's busiest years but he never kept to one
thing so many of his great projects which would have
been fantastic we're never finished because Leonardo
was just doing too much but one thing he did do that
was important was he was given dead bodies of
criminals and he cut them up learning about the
human body such as the measurements and basic
organs and soon in form 1490 to 1495 Leonardo began
recording his findings such as the parts of the body
and also his plans for the flying machine, tank,and
drawings, plans for architecture and drawings of
different animals such as cats dogs and birds (which
was his main inspiration for the flying machine). So
this was the part of his life were we get most of the
information of his life and other things he had done.
One 1503 Leonardo da vinci began work on his
most famous painting and you probably heard of, it's
the Mona Lisa which took him twelve years to paint.
But this was one of the last thing Leonardo would do
because, on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France Leonardo
died. It was sad as a great mind of the renaissance
had died only if he could have lived longer of finished
his many ideas but alas he couldnt. Even Leonardo
was saying that time was his greatest enemy and he
wishes he had just a bit more time. But with what he
left the world was great things that would shape

history such as the famous flying machine or his

grand paintings that have affected are to this day such
as the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper. He also created
the plans for the tank that would eventually be
brought up in the world wars as I said earlier. But we
can also take a good thing to remember from
Leonardo, which is to always do more than you may
seem to be capable of and strive to be the best at
whatever you do if its learning,sports,music,or even
painting like Leonardo. (Or dont procrastinate
because the guy didnt finish much).

Primary sources

Two of the original drawings of Leonardo da vinci

on the Plans of the tank showing the wheels and how
they were powered by cranks and how the tank was
completely surrounded with small cannons.

A close up of Mona Lisa one of Leonardo's most

famous paintings. Which was of Lisa del Giocondo a
wife of a noble husband.

This is the Baptism of christ which was one of

Leonardo's first paintings and even gave Leonado a
name in Florence and began the rode of Leonardo to
become known as the Renaissance man.

A self portrait of Leonardo a few years before he

died.

Leonardo's sketch for a large crossbow used for

sieging cities of even defending a city.

Leonardo's sketch of the famous flying machine

designed after the wings of birds which Leonardo has

also sketched.