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In the tower of London, James I of Scotland was held prisoner for twenty years, as his uncle Robert of Albany ruled Scotland with hopes that his son would assume the throne in Jame's absence after Robert III's death. When James was released in 1423, he could finally succeed the throne as a strong leader that founded the Scottish Court of Session. He also restored the status of the monarchy and forfeited rebellious noble lands during his reign ("king James I of Scotland").
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During the Hundred Years War, King Charles VII was desperate for help against the English. When he heard of a Joan and her visions, he gave her a chance. At seventeen years old, Joan of Arc led the French Army against the English in the Siege of Orleans. Although she was shot by an arrow during the battle, she still pushed for the French Army to keep fighting. She was a figure of hope, a martyr, a saint, and was said to have visions from God which lead her to her victory ("Joan of Arc").
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A great famine came across the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan after a flood damaged the city. It's said that there were over ten thousand human sacrifices to their gods to make the flood stop, and many resources were used to restore the city and build a temple for their gods. The temple made as a result of the famine, is called the "Templo Mayor" ("Fall of the Empire").
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Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 in Anchiano, Italy. His mother was a peasant girl named Catalina, and his father- Piero di Antonio da Vinci- was a semi-aristocratic notary. Leonardo da Vinci was the only love child of the two. He had seventeen half-siblings (Durant 199).
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Leonardo da Vinci's mother yeilded her love child to his father Piero and Piero's wife. Although he lived with his father, it's said that Leonardo was raised by his uncle, Francesco. Either way, he grew up in a semi-aristocratic comfort without maternal love, and went on to studying painting and sculpture under Verrocchio. He took to math, music, and drawing, and made his father proud by singing and playing the lute (Durant 199).
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At fifteen years old, young Leonardo was taken to Verrocchio's studio in Florence by his father, Piero de Angelo, who recognized Leonardo's talent. Andrea del Verrochio painted the "Baptism of Christ", assisted by Leonardo da Vinci. Some speculate that Verrocchio refused to ever pick his brush up again because his pupil, Leonardo, surpassed him in skill, but this wasn't true (Durant, 200).
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A week before da Vinci's twenty-fourth birthday, Leonardo was accused of homosexuality. He was imprisoned briefly, but dismissed and released as unapproved. In the time that Leonardo da Vinci lived, homosexuality was unacceptable, but it was unquestionable that Leonardo was a homosexual- there were manuscripts about young men that he loved (Durant, 200).
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Leonardo da Vinci became tired of Florence and wanted new sights and places to see, so he moved to Milan. He heard that Ludovico wanted a military engineer, architect, painter and sculptor, and Leonardo da Vinci could offer it all, so he sent a (now famous) note to Ludovico. Leonardo spent much of his younger days working for Ludovico and his family in Milan (Durant, 202).
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Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned a project by Lodovico in 1483. He asked for an equestrian statue to commemorate Lodovico's father. Leonardo took to studying the anatomy and nature of a horse, and when it Lodovico began loosing faith that da Vinci would finish it, he thought about finding other artists, but could not think of any better than Leonardo (Durant, 206). The statue was finally finished in 1493, but could not be cast in bronze as it was originally intended (207).
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Christopher Columbus was hired by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to search for a western passage way to Asia on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. During one of his four expeditions, Columbus came across the Bahamas, which he thought was East Asia. He called the natives of the islands "Indians", and searched island to island for precious treasures and gold, but did not find much ("Columbus Reaches the New World").
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The first sketches of the helicopter come from Leonardo da Vinci. Although the helicopter was not built until the twentieth century, Leonardo da Vinci's inventive mind conceived the first theory of how a helicopter would work, centuries before the engine or helicopter was invented. It was said that he came up with the idea while observing the seeds of a maple tree or Archimedes Screw ("The Helicopter").
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The Last Supper took about three years to finish. Leonardo da Vinci found it difficult to find features that were worthy enough to depict the features of The Son of God, and it's even said that he would sit in front of the painting for hours without painting one stroke. When it was finished, it perfectly depicted the twelve apostles and Jesus on the day of Jesus's last supper from the Bible (Durant 204).
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The Mona Lisa took three years to paint, and it's said to have been made for Lisa Gheradini ("Mona Lisa Facts"). It's one of the most famous paintings, and has shaped the definition of Renaissance and art history. There are many speculations about the Mona Lisa, from her smile to her background, and it's these mysteries that make the Mona Lisa one of the most famous paintings until this day. ("Mona Lisa").
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In 1517, Leonardo da Vinci suffered a paralytic stroke that immobilized the right side of his body. Although he painted with his left hand, he still needed both hands for careful work (Durant, 226). In 1519, Leonardo died in Cloux at the age of 67, and was buried in saint-Florentine ("Leonardo da Vinci"). In Leonardo's simple will, he asks all services of the church to be at his funeral (Durant, 226).
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When scholars began challenging the ideas of ancient thinkers and the church, many old assumptions were replaced with new theories. Instead of believing whatever ancient scholars said, people began to question accepted beliefs and think about the world through careful observation. They discovered ancient manuscripts that contradicted each other, and collected information from European exploration as proof that there was much more of nature and science to understand ("The Scientific Revolution").
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The Renaissance Period ended because of economic decline, Protestant reformation, and religious wars. Many protestant churches were being build near northern Europe, and Catholics feared that Italy would also become protestant. Because Catholics feared this, they decided to reform so that Protestant teachings would not continue and grow. This started the period of Reformation ("Why Did The Italian Renaissance End?").
