The Artistic Genius That Was Leonardo da Vinci

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Daily mail

Leonardo da Vinci has always been an artist to be admired. I’ve personally always loved his pieces and found the history of this man to be fascinating. He was born in Florence, Italy, in 1452 and lived in countless places over the course of his life. He is the creator of many commissioned paintings, including The Last Supper (1495-98), which was commissioned by the Duke of Milan. I have learned a lot of things about the man over the last years of researching him, being really passionate about art history myself, and I genuinely think he is of great importance to it.

I believe his great intelligence and knowledge have had an impact on history, not only for his creativity, both in visual art and other fields he specialized in, such as architecture and engineering, but also for his knowledge and intelligence.  While visiting the Clos Lucé in Amboise, the very place where da Vinci passed away, I had the opportunity to see the headquarters where he would make his sketches for his inventions. Some of those ended up inspiring actual items we have today, like the modern tank and bascule bridge, if I remember correctly.  He was of great importance to people of higher statuses for his artistic skills as well as his technical skills. As part of my research, I found out that while living in Milan, “He was listed in the register of the royal household as pictor et ingeniarius ducalis (‘painter and engineer of the duke’),” as said by Ludwig Heinrich Heydenreich. (Britannica)

wikipedia

Leonardo da Vinci had a great artistic sense. I always believed that his intelligence played a significant role in his art. This is something to be noticed particularly in da Vinci’s idea of the human body’s proportions called Vitruvian man (≈ 1490). I remember having a poster of this very drawing and noticing something about it. The writing around the drawing in the middle had always seemed illegible. While I thought that it was because Leonardo was Italian and wrote in his own language, it was actually because the writing was inverted.

As it turns out, his intelligence also presented itself in the form of specific skills, which in this case, gave him the ability to both write and draw at the same time, writing inverted to allow it to stay clear. It wasn’t for nothing that he was remarkably admired by other artists that followed his time, such as Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), who even described him as “the founder of High Renaissance,” (Britannica) which is an artistic movement in Italy, taking place between 1490 to 1527. A few other known artists, like Eugène Delacroix, who I personally admire a lot for his painting and their historical meanings, also admired Leonardo.

I have always admired and loved Leonardo da Vinci’s work, so it was a real honour for me to visit the place where he spent the last three years of his life in 2017. I learned a lot about his life and artistic view. I specifically remember hearing that, to him, his pieces were never finished; he always felt like there was room for improvement even if they were commissioned and given to the commissioners. This is something that I, myself, resonated a lot with. I also learned of his good relationship with the King, who invited him, himself, to come live in one of his properties and developed almost a friendship with the artist. I believe this might be the exact reason why the king appointed him the title of “Premier peintre, architecte et méchanicien du Roi,” (Britannica) which means first painter, architect, and mechanic to the King.

Before: The War of 1812

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On June 18th, 1812, the United States of America declared war on the United Kingdom. This conflict lasted 2 years and 7 months, and is often forgotten in the shadow of the Napoleonic Wars. Comparatively, this was a minor conflict; the most interesting part would be the White House burning down. Still, what led to this war? What happened before the War of 1812?

National Outlook

The American Revolutionary War wasn’t even 40 years old at this point. Enmity between the two countries was still strong. The United States still saw Britain as its principal rival in Europe, as a continuing threat to their independence.

Yet Britain’s outlook was dismissive. They thought of the United States as an upstart nation, not on the same footing as the other European nations. The United Kingdom had to contend with Napoleon at the time. In their view, America was a secondary concern; the French Empire was much closer threat.

Territorial Ambitions

The Louisiana Purchase
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Louisiana_Purchase.jpg

Beyond just mentality, both countries found themselves opposed by territorial ambitions. The United States expanded ever westward after France sold them the territory of Louisiana in 1804. And they still wanted more: Canada and Florida were firmly within their reach. Florida was still a Spanish possession at the time, but Spain was an ally of the United Kingdom.

Britain was also interested in expanding their North American possessions. They wanted to keep Canada safe and to contest American expansion. They formed alliances with the Native American tribes of the Ohio region, providing them with arms and ammunition. America believed Britain was trying to create a buffer state.

Barron surrenders to Humphreys aboard Chesapeake
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Story_of_one_hundred_years_-_A_comprehensive_review_of_the_political_and_military_events%2C_the_social%2C_intellectual_and_material_progress%2C_and_the_general_state_of_mankind_in_all_lands._Embodying_%2814595946297%29.jpg

Naval Skirmishes & Trade Restrictions

Even before the war started, American and British ships had come to blows. One such event occurred in 1807 when the HMS Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake. Many of these altercations ended with American sailors being pressed into service in the Royal Navy. The United Kingdom claimed these sailors were British deserters.

As part of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain imposed an embargo and blockade of French ports. If any neutral country wished to trade in these ports, they had to first stop in a British port and let themselves be inspected. The United States saw this as a violation of their neutrality and tried to retaliate with an embargo of their own. This had a worse effect on their own economy.

Failure of Diplomacy

It would be wrong to think both countries silently starred at each other. But diplomatic efforts to resolve these issues were largely unsuccessful. Unresolved issues from the Revolutionary War—such as the lack of defined borders in the Great Lakes region—strained relations.

There were some breakthroughs before the end; Britain repealed the Orders in Council that restricted American trade. But because of communication delays across the Atlantic, the United States were not aware of this development when they declared war.

Declaration of War

Ultimately, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and the rest of the War Hawks in the United States congress had their way. In June 1812, the United States declared war on the United Kingdom. They viewed Britain’s actions as hostile, challenging their territorial gains, violating their neutrality in the Napoleonic Wars, and tarnishing their honour and sovereignty. Neither side had the means to decisively win the war. Despite the inconclusive end and the relative obscurity, this war was no small stepping stone for the United States.

Hi, I’m David, and I write mostly Fantasy and Science-Fiction. I’ve been crafting fictional worlds for fifteen years, which is what interested me in studying history in the first place. I believe history is a great tool, not only to learn about our world directly, but to craft better universes. The lead-up to wars is often just as interesting as the wars itself, and the leaders stand out just as much as the notable events.

Disabilities in Pirates: Fact vs Fiction

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I was always told that pirates were the basis for normalizing disability in society. That they didn’t care if you had something wrong with you, as long as you could still do something to help out around the ship.

Unfortunately, that was wrong.

From my searches, there are only two popularly known pirates who had physical disabilities, Christopher “Billy One-Hand” Condent, and Francois “Jambe de Bois” Le Clerc. Billy One-Hand, as his name would suggest, only had one hand. I am unsure if he had a hook for a hand like stories would make one believe or if he just had his hand amputated while at sea. Jambe de Bois, in English known as Peg-Leg, was the first modern pirate to be credited with having a wooden leg prosthetic. The name Peg-Leg was actually given to him by the Spanish, whom he raided many times, as they would call him “Pata de Palo.”

It is believed that these two historic pirates are the reason behind many pirate myths surrounding disability. Billy One-Hand being the influence for James Matthew Barrie’s Captain Hook, and Jambe de Bois being the influence for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Long John Silver. These two fictional pirates inspired many other authors to create their own disabled pirates, eventually leading to the myth of pirates commonly having disabilities.

You may find yourself asking, “what would happen if pirates were injured while they were sailing?” I’m glad you asked! Often times, the chef, as there wasn’t usually a doctor around and cooks know their way around a knife, would be the one providing the care. Most of the time, this involved the injured person getting very drunk off rum to numb the pain. After they were drunk, the chef would tie something around their limb to cut off blood supply. Then they would cut off the impacted limb, leaving you with an open wound. Luckily, there’s a surplus of wood and iron around for you to get a very fashionable prosthetic, perfect for the look of a stereotypical pirate.

But wait, didn’t I just say that pirates didn’t often have prosthetics aside from a few? Yes, yes, I did. After the amputation, the injured former pirate would be let off at the next stop. And of course, these pirates weren’t heartless, they would reach into the common purse, a compilation of everyone’s joint money, and give the amputee enough money so that he can receive proper care. No more, no less. You have to remember in times like these, pirates are still very greedy. The more they give away, the less they have for themselves.

So, while they do make amazing characters, and they are definitely a memorable image when you think of pirates, disabilities on the ship are far and few between. Only in rare cases of a pirate needing prosthetics are they allowed to stay on board, otherwise the only other time you’ll see amputated pirated on the boat is when they are in the time in-between, after they have the procedure, before they reach the next town.

Sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Condent#:~:text=His%20frequently%2Dencountered%20nickname%20was,dates%20only%20to%20the%201950s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Le_Clerc#:~:text=Fran%C3%A7ois%20or%20Francis%20Le%20Clerc,have%20a%20%22peg%20leg%22.&text=He%20was%20often%20the%20first,during%20an%20attack%20or%20raid.

https://www.tga.gov.au/news/blog/fifteen-men-dead-mans-medicine-chest-weird-world-pirate-medicine#:~:text=First%20the%20wounded%20pirate%20would,axe%20would%20cauterise%20the%20wound.

https://attitudes2disability.wordpress.com/2007/02/03/pirates/

Hello! I’m Chase Wonnacott, a Professional Writing student at Algonquin College.

I am an aspiring author who is forever longing for Smurf the cat; she is a calico cat who is currently living with my partner in Guelph. In my spare time, you can find me alone in my room, watching the same things I always do for comfort.

I forever love fantasy, pirates, horror, and all things middle ages. I look forward to sharing some of my favourite interests with you all!