Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci engraving by J. Pofselwhite, published in The Gallery of Portraits with Memoirs encyclopedia, U.K., 1833, photo by Candyman/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci
Date of Birth: 14/15 April, 1452
Place of Birth: Vinci, Republic of Florence, now Italy
Date of Death: 2 May, 1519
Place of Death: Amboise, Kingdom of France
Ethnicity: Italian
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath. He is renowned worldwide for his paintings the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Leonardo was the son of Caterina and Ser Piero da Vinci (Piero Fruosino di Antonio Vinci), a notary.
Leonardo’s mother’s ancestry is not completely clear. Some scholars have speculated that she may have been a slave, Circassian, possibly from the Caucasus or the Middle East.
Leonardo’s paternal grandfather was named Antonio Vinci/da Vinci (the son of Ser Guido di Ser Michele da Vinci).
Leonardo’s paternal grandmother was named Lucia Zosi Bacchereto (the daughter of Ser Piero di Zoso da Bacchereto).
Italian researchers have discovered that Leonardo was related to Oscar-nominated film director Franco Zeffirelli, through the marriage of Michelangelo di Tommaso Corsi, an ancestor of Zeffirelli, and Teresa Alessandra Giovanna di Ser Antonio Giuseppe Da Vinci, a descendant of Leonardo’s father.
Sources: Genealogy of Leonardo da Vinci – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Leonardo da Vinci (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
Information about Leonardo da Vinci’s relation to Franco Zeffirelli- http://www.ilgiornale.it
https://www.theguardian.com
A new book claims Leo’s mother was a Circassian slave.
The theory is disproven by Martin Kemp (art historian) who previously identified his mother in a local woman:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/leonardo-da-vinci-mother-slave-caucasus-italy-new-research-book-rcna74670
Also the proof (a fingerprint) on whom The Telegraph article in the link is based, was disproven by Prof. Simon Cole of UCI Irvine.
Recently they discovered that people who carry the surname Vinci and live in the town of the same name are genetically related to Leonardo (family legends already knew that).
The study has been reported by major world media outlets.
ANSA in English: https://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2021/07/06/hunt-on-for-leonardos-dna-14-living-descendants-found_e323aca2-d089-4c01-9945-ddb79c36d4b6.html
Neat question I’ve never thought to ask. I know Columbus has a profile and is a year older than DaVinci. But the profile of a person with the birth date furthest back in time? You’ve got me.
Not sure where else to ask this, but:
Who’s the earliest born person who has a profile on this website?
Michelangelo?