Leonardo da Vinci was a brilliant artist, scientist and inventor - one of the most brilliant thinkers of his generation. He lived in Europe at a time when people were challenging many accepted ideas. Science and art worked together to create a new picture of the universe and man's place in it. Around the world this was also a time of war and discovery. Empires were expanded and new sea routes explored. Great civilizations were brought closer together by merchants and explorers. Some traded ideas and goods, equally, while others plundered and conquered. Using paintings, manuscripts and pictures of contemporary objects, this book tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci and gives an account of the world in his time. To help the reader find their way about the book, each chapter has been divided into seven sections. Each section describes a different part of the world, and is headed by a colour bar which indicates which areas are relevant in the text below. There is a time line giving an outline of world events in Leonardo da Vinci's time, and a map which shows some of the most significant places in the book.