In his 500th anniversary. How did Davinci design the war machines?

Imran Abdullah

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) can not be described as just a genius. He was a multi-talented sculptor, a painter, an engineer, an anatomist, a sculptor, a geographer, geologist, musician, sculptor, architect and so on.

As preparations are underway to celebrate his 500th anniversary in May, experts at the Institute of Restoration at the Uffizi exhibition in Florence, Italy, have found a sketch of a landscape, believed to be one of the first da Vinci paintings, to prove that he used both hands with the same efficiency. The comparison of the method of writing words with other texts written by the painter proved that he worked with both hands.

Da Vinci left a limited number of paintings and lost some or did not end, but his effects exceeded his paintings and became an artist of the Renaissance and its symbol and the owner of imagination and creativity, which far exceeded his time.

But this is not all. Apart from artistic creativity, Da Vinci worked with some of the top military and political leaders in the major Italian wars, which began as a dispute between the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of Naples and then most of the Italian and European cities, including France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, England and even the Ottoman Empire.

Like many artists, Da Vinci sought to strengthen his professional and financial position by providing services during the war. He was able to attract the leaders of his time with his much earlier designs and inventions with military applications. His 1482 letter to Ludovico El Moro Sforza, the Duke of Milan and one of Italy's most powerful commanders , In essence a request for work.

"I have ways to make bridges that are light, very strong, easy to carry, and useful in pursuing or evading the enemy. They are very solid and can not be destroyed by fire or battle," said Davinci, who promised to design a wide range of new mechanisms in the war, boasting of his ability to design machines for attack or defense. And I will make covered cars and safe penetrating the enemy and stand in front of the artillery and pedestrians will be able to follow and protect themselves without injury or obstacles.

Apart from bridges and military vehicles, Davinci said in the letter that he could help break into a boxed place, cut water from trenches and design tools for the blockade, and suggested the design of easy-to-transport missiles "from a very beautiful, practical and out of the ordinary design."

Davinci also said he had ways to destroy any fortress even if it was founded on the rocks. If the engagement was at sea, Da Vinci said in his letter to design effective engines of attack, defense and ships that could resist guns and smoke.

The design of a warcraft was found in another notebook for Davinci, and it is clear that the mechanics have not fully developed, and may have left DaVinci an intentional design flaw to prevent its execution from unauthorized persons.

Davinci also designed a giant bow and arch to increase the range of arrows and uses design to fire rocks and bombs.

Weapons of the senses and psychological warfare
Earlier, Davinci discovered the power of the senses in influencing people in ceremonies and directing emotional reactions. Many of his proposals for weapons and war machines were inspired by shock and horror, with the aim of making men and horses afraid and confused, causing severe damage.

"I have certain types of guns, very easy to carry, they fire small stones, as if they were a storm of cold, and the resulting smoke causes great terror to the enemy, and it will bring a lot of casualties and confusion," Davinci said.

"The sight of his anger and the sound of his roar will seem like a miracle," he wrote.

Not only were the Da Vinci weapons designed to inflict physical harm on fighters, animals and buildings, but they exploited the emotional fragility of the soldiers and provided the potential to destroy the stability and morale of the men they faced, emphasizing the psychological element of the war, according to Australian history professors Susan Bromhall and Joy Damosi.

Hesitant about the war
But DaVinci was also frustrated. "In order to preserve the main gift of nature, freedom, I will find a way to attack and defend when I am surrounded by a tyrannical aspiration." First, I will talk about laying walls, then how people can keep their good and fair princes "He said.

This book project seems to have seemed less enthusiastic about the war and more critical of the man he found himself working for. On the other hand, it seems to suggest his ambition to contribute, or at least to comment on the current events and good and bad government ideas that he has witnessed as close to some of Europe's most Influential.

While the Da Vinci script record testifies to his ambitions, he also documents the grievances surrounding his experiences as a participant in the war. Above a picture of a scatter gun, says half of a phrase he did not complete "If the Milan men do something out of the ordinary ..." This may have been a comment that points to some of his frustrations.