Florence was the perfect city to satisfy the young Leonardo’s mind

Florence was the perfect city to satisfy the young Leonardo’s mind. He went on to establish himself as a master painter, scientist, mathematician, and inventor in this city. Later, historical events also coincided to make Florence one of the most intellectually vibrant cities of the Renaissance period. When the Ottoman Turks attacked and conquered the city of Constantinople in 1453, many of the scholars in the city fled to the cities of Italy for protection and asylum. They also sought to begin a new life away from the constant threats of war wrought by the Ottoman Turks (Romei 40). These scholars brought with them much of the academic material that they could salvage, or the ones, in which they had an interest. This way, Greek manuscripts on Leonardo’s favorite mathematical subject, and the one in which he bequeathed the most ideas to succeeding generations – Geometry – found their way to Florence. In a related historical endeavor, Johannes Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press ensured that academic manuscripts, which only privileged few in society owned, were now easily available for public consumption.