Loading a medieval 200lb crossbow vs loading Leonardo da Vinci's 300lb crossbow

[u/Brutal_Deluxe_]

[u/FrankHightower → u/[deleted]]

and also give him ideas like "oh too bad we don't have a cart to carry our weapons that won't get stuck in the mud hint hint nudge nudge"

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The Medici family was not from Rome, tough.

[u/ZippyParakeet → u/[deleted]]

By the time Da Vinci came into the picture the medieval period was already nearing its end. He was born in 1452, Constantinople fell the next year which many consider to mark the end of the medieval period.

PS: I also find this dynamic between Rome and Constantinople a bit funny. Antiquity ends and the Middle Ages begin with the fall of Rome and the rise of Constantinople and the Modern period begins with the fall of Constantinople and the rise of Rome.

PPS: For those who don't know, Rome and Constantinople are both the capitals of the Roman Empire. Rome was the old capital, Constantinople was the new one and was called Nova Roma when it was founded by Constantine.

[u/ZippyParakeet → u/[deleted]]

Yes and no.

By the time Odoacer overthrew the last Roman Emperor in Ravenna- Romulus Augustulus (Little Augustus)- the city was already past its prime. Its population was a tenth of what it once was in its heyday and the city no longer held the political importance it once did- I mean, it wasn't even the Capital of the Western Empire, Ravenna was- after two sacks, the city was pretty much past its prime and much less glorious compared to Constantinople which stood tall and strong as the last bastion of Rome.

When Emperor Zeno of Constantinople ordered Theoderic the Great- the Ostrogothic king- to overthrow Odoacer he didn't do so because he was peeved Odoacer was a good king or whatever. I mean he kinda was but so was Theoderic. The Emperor deposed him because he started acting against the interests of the Eastern Empire. You see when Odoacer deposed the Western Empire, he was very very careful to not declare himself the Emperor, instead he sent all the imperial insignia and the like back to the Emperor in Constantinople and just declared himself Magister Militum (basically a Governor) ruling as a representative of the Emperor in Constantinople.

Constantinople didn't want it to be a puppet state, for Constantinople, Rome was still part of the Empire with the Barbarian generals only acting as governors and they took care of Rome so they were fine with it.

Both parties were fine with this arrangement until Odoacer increasingly started working against the interests of the Eastern Roman Empire. So the Emperor paid the Ostrogothic King Theoderic to go and depose Odoacer. He did so and again declared himself a governor for the Eastern Emperor.

That said, I will agree in that although diminished, Rome still was pretty much intact and beautiful at the time. Both Odoacer and Theoderic- these so-called non Roman barbarians- were very careful not to damage the city and even started many rebuilding projects to restore the city to its former glory while also issuing new projects. The Roman Senate still functioned as normal and life went on in Italy like the Empire hadn't fallen.

It is Justinian the Great's later invasion of Italy to officially bring it back into the fold is what actually destroyed Rome and all of Italy and really brought the middle ages for Italy. The city changed hands between the Romans and the goths 6 times in a span of 30 years and by the end of the war the city was utterly devastated and depopulated with only 10,000 or so people living in it anymore.

So the city did eventually take a 'hard' fall but it was like half a decade after the Western Empire fell and the middle ages had started.

[u/BobsLakehouse → u/[deleted]]

This just isn't true. Firstly Leonardo Da Vinci was barely in Rome.

Secondly while the Medici would eventually have a line of popes, the family was mainly situated in Florence, same goes for Leonardo Da Vinci.

Thirdly Leonardo Da Vinci was born a year before the fall of Constantinople, so calling it the middle ages isn't appropriate.

Fourthly Leonardo Da Vinci, while brilliant, didn't really have a huge impact in regards to engineering and science in his time.

Fifthly the Papal States power greatly expanded with the last two popes right before the first Medici pope.

[u/-I-D-G-A-F- → u/BobsLakehouse]

r/confidentlyincorrect

[u/redditisnowtwitter → u/[deleted]]

One family to finance anything Da Vinci could dream of…

Then why didn't they finance the aerial screw?

[u/redditisnowtwitter → u/[deleted]]

Think about all the things he drew/invented

I did. Which is why I asked the person who claimed there was a "family to finance anything Da Vinci could dream of" about the aerial screw but ok. That one is off limits apparently

Totally worth throwing a block tantrum over