Leonardo DaVinci

End of 100 years war

Jan 1, 1452

In 1452 the 100 years war ended leaving the French victorious. The Frecnh were losing most of the war against the English until the very end of the war when there was a turning point. The turning point was the Battle of Orleans, the only way the Frecnh were able to win this battle was by Joan of Arc devising a plan to retreat and attack the English. (The Timetables of History)

Leonardo's Birth

Apr 15, 1452

Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in the village of Vinci near Florence, Italy. His father Ser Piero DaVinci and his mother Catrina were never married. His father was a prominent notary of Florence and raised Leonardo. (Gregory snd Lyon 11)

Turks conquer Bosnia

Jan 1, 1463

in the early summer of 1463 the turkish army conquers Bosnia. The Turks quickly withdrew their armies in autumn and instantly saw a back-fire. The gain the Turks had made in north Bosnia was quickly destroyed and overturned by the Hungarians. By 1527 Hungry had conquered lots of the land that was previously conquered by the Turks. (The Timetables of History)

Edward IV forbids bowling

Jan 1, 1465

In 1465 King Edwar IV passes an edict forbidding "hustling of stones" and other bowling like sports. Bowling was a peasants sport and was greatly liked amoung soldiers. He did this because his troops would prefer to bowl rather than go to archery practice and would often skip out on archery for bowling, (The Timetables of History)

Verrocchio's Apprentice

Jan 1, 1467

Leonardo apprentices Andrea del Verrocchio at the age of fifeteen. Verrocchio was the leading artist of Florence at the time. Verrocchio was ashamed when he saw how well Leonardo used colors when he let him paint the angel in The Baptism of Christ because he was said to understnad the use better than Verrocchio. Leonardo graduated from apprenticeship many years later as a master of the painters. (McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Biogrpahy)

Gold Coast discovered

Jan 1, 1470

In 1470 Portuguese port navigators discover the Gold Coast in Africa. It is a section of coastline in the Gulf of Guinea, it is called the Gold Coast ecause it contains large deposits of gold. The Portuguese discovered this coast first because they were the first europeans to explore there but the unfortunately didn't keep pocession of the Gold Coast and was later rivalved over for many years until it was finally able to declare its independence as a colony of Ghana. (The Timetables of History)

Leonardo opens a studio

Jan 1, 1478

In 1487 Leonardo set up his own art studio in Florence, Italy. This was an important step in Leonardo's art careeer because this studio allowed him to be creative and experiment with his art. This also allowed him to work on several works of art at once, which wouldn't have been unusual for Leonardo considering the fact that he often didn't finish his works of art because he would get bored of them quickly. (McGraw Hil Encyclopedia of Worl Biography 438)

Invents parachute

Jan 1, 1480

In 1480 Leonardo invented the parachute, although many people think that it was invented by Sebastien Lenormand in 1783. Leonardo's parachute was a pyramid made of wooden poles and linen cloth. It was said to be able to save a man from any injury when dropped from tall heights. It's proven that his parachute would save a man from injury but only when jumping off of a tree top, tower, or cliff. It's also proven that it sailed smoother than the parachutes we have today. (Leonardo DaVinci 66)

Columbus's voyage refused

Jan 1, 1483

In 1483 King John II of Portugal refused to finance Columbus's voyage but he refuses. Columbus wanted to sail west into the Atlantic to find a shorter route to Asia. King John II had his advisors look over Columbus's plans and told the King to decline his request because Columbus's calculations were wrong. His calculations of the traveling distance were far shorter than the correct calculations. (The Timetables of History)

Draws flying machine

Jan 1, 1492

In 1492 Leonardo drew a "flying macine" otherwise known as a plane. Although he had several drawings of this machine there is no evidence that he actually built one. He spent a long time studying the way birds fly and devised several sketches of a human-powered flying device, this device had wings that were based off of the wings of a bird or bat and worked in a similar way. (Leonardo DaVinci 66)

The Last Supper

Period: Jan 1, 1495 to Jan 1, 1498

n 1495 Leonardo started painting the Last Supper, one of his most famous paintings, but did not finish painting it until 1498. The original painting was painted in the dining hall in the Monastery of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Because Leonardo wanted to take his time on this painting he didn't use the typical painting technique of fresco, instead he created his own compound which he would coat onto the wall and slowly paint over. (McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography)

Mona Lisa

Jan 1, 1502

In 1502 Leonardo painted the famous painting the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is a portrait of the young wife of a wealthy Flourentine silk merchant. He used his understanding of geometry to form her famous smile and "following" eyes.

Portuguese found factiories in Africa

Jan 1, 1505

In 1505 the potuguese exploreers founded factories on the east coast of Africa. Prince Henry the Navigator started this colonization and was seeking to monopolize (control) trade with Africa. The portuguese exploreers thought that this would lead to linked trade between Africa and Europe and eventually lead to European domination in Africa. (The Timetable of History)

Anatomic drawing

Jan 1, 1506

In 1506 Leonardo returned to Milan from Florence to work on scientific observations. While in Milan he created the earliest anatomic drawing. In order to understand anatomy he disected human and animal bodies. Although he ocassionally confused animal and human anatomy his drawings are still considered valid today. (McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography)

First painter to the French King

Period: Jan 1, 1516 to Jan 1, 1519

After spending a few long years in Rome Leonardo moved to France. He moved there because the French King, Francis I, gace him the title of first painter, first architect, and first mechanic to the King. The King also gave him a country house at Cloux to live in, he stayed there until he died in 1519. (McGraw Hill Encylcopedia of World Biography)

Leonardo's Death

May 2, 1519

Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 at the age of sixty-seven. Leonardo had already retired by the time of his death. He died at his country house in Cloux, which was given to him from the French King. (Gregory and Lyon 17)