Leonardo Leonardo's World 1427 Ser Piero da Vinci, Leonardo's 1428 father, born Joan of Arc leads French armies against the English 1435 1435 Artist Andrea Verrocchio, Leon Battista Alberti, Italian Leonardo’s mentor, born in Florence humanist, publishes laws of perspective 1439 Johannes Gutenberg, German craftsman, invents printing press 1451 Explorer Christopher Columbus born 1452 Leonardo da Vinci born 1453 Turks take Constantinople, kill Constantine XI End of Hundred Years’ War between England and France Johannes Gutenberg prints Bible 1455 War of the Roses begins in England 1465 Music first printed 1468 1468 Death of Leonardo's grandfather Johannes Gutenberg dies 1469 1469 Begins apprenticeship in Niccolò Machiavelli, Verrocchio's workshop Italian statesman, born Lorenzo the Magnificent becomes ruler of Florence 1472 1472 Becomes member of Dante's Divine Comedy Florentine Guild of Painters first printed 1472-75 Paints The Baptism of Christ, Madonna with the Flower 1473 Draws Arno Valley 1474 First book printed in English, Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye 1475 Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, 1476-78 painter and architect, born Paints Annunciation 1477 Sandro Botticelli paints Primavera 1478 1478 Receives commission for altar piece Giuliano de Medici, scion of in the Palazzo Vecchio Florence's ruling family, murdered Spanish Inquisition begins 1479 Draws the death of Baroncelli, murderer of Giuliano de Medici 1480 1480 Draws parachute Ivan III frees Russia from Tatars Kabuki theater develops in Japan 1481 Receives commission for Adoration of the Magi 1482 Moves to Milan under patronage of Lodovico Sforza 1483 1483 Receives commission for Charles VIII becomes Virgin of the Rocks king of France 1484 Botticelli paints Birth of Venus 1485 War of the Roses ends; Henry VII becomes king of England 1488 Paints Lady with an Ermine 1489 1489 Makes anatomical First printed use of plus and minus drawings of skulls signs 1490 1490 Paints Portrait of a Musician Ballet develops in Italian courts Discovers capillary action of Colorless glass invented liquids 1492 1492 Draws pedal-powered wing Spain expels Moors; Jews in Spain forced to convert or leave Christopher Columbus discovers New World 1493 Model for sculpture of horse displayed 1494 1494 Makes drawing of clock with Spain and Portugal divide New World pendulum in Treaty of Tordesillas Draws various arches and compares their relative strength 1495-98 Paints The Last Supper 1496 Designs roller bearings and rolling mill 1497 Famine in Florence News of tobacco plant reaches Europe John Cabot reaches east coast of North America 1498 1498 Receives vineyard from Lodovico Louis XII becomes king of France Sforza Vasco da Gama discovers sea route to India 1498-99 Draws cartoon for Virgin and Child with St. Anne 1499 1499 Leaves Milan Louis XII of France aligns with Florence and Venice against Milan Switzerland secedes from German Empire 1500 1500 Visits Mantua, then Lead pencils first used returns to Florence in England Designs helicopter Draws wheel-lock musket 1501 Michelangelo receives commission for David statue 1502 1502 Begins work as architect and Peter Heinlein constructs military engineer for Cesare "Nuremberg Egg," first pocket watch Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI 1503 1503 Begins work on Battle of Anghiari, Canterbury Cathedral completed in Mona Lisa England 1504 His father, Ser Piero da Vinci, dies 1505 Drawings of flight of birds 1506 1506 Starts legal action against Architect Donato Bramante begins brothers because left out of work on St. Peter's Basilica in father's will Rome Works in Milan for Louis XII of Machiavelli creates France Florentine militia, first national army in Italy Christopher Columbus dies 1507 Begins extensive study of eye 1508 Michelangelo begins work on Sistine Chapel 1509 1509 Begins painting Virgin and Child Henry VIII becomes with St. Anne king of England Earthquake destroys Constantinople Slave trade to New World encouraged by Bartolom de las Casas, Roman Catholic bishop 1510 Concentrates on study of anatomy 1512 1512 Draws self-portrait Michelangelo completes work on ceiling of Sistine Chapel 1514-16 1514 Lives in Rome but travels often Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch paintsThe Garden of Earthly Paints St. John the Baptist Delights 1515 Designs project for draining of Pontine Marshes 1516 Michelangelo sculpts Moses 1517 1517 Moves to France under patronage of Martin Luther posts his Francis I, king of France; does 95 Theses in Wittenberg geometrical studies Coffee first drunk in Europe Raphael paints The Transfiguration 1518 Works on final drawings 1519 1519 Dies at Amboise, France; Ferdinand Magellan leaves Europe manuscripts bequeathed to Francesco to sail around world Melzi, his pupil 1520 Suleiman the Magnificent becomes sultan of Turkey 1521 Hernán Cortés rules Mexico after Aztec state destroyed 1532 Machiavelli's The Prince published 1536 John Calvin publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus publishes his heliocentric theory 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England 1564 Galileo Galilei, astronomer and physicist, born William Shakespeare born 1570 Francesco Melzi dies; Leonardo's manuscripts dispersed ©1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc., a subsidiary of SoftKey International Inc.