Amboise · May 2, 1519
When and what Is Leonardo dead?
Date, age, last months, paralysis and medical cause: what the sources really allow us to say.
The answer in a minute
Leonardo died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67
Leonardo da Vinci dies at the Cloux manor - present-day Clos Lucé - in Amboise, France. Born April 15, 1452, he has just turned 67. The date, place and age are firmly established.
The exact medical cause is not. Paralysis of the right arm was reported in October 1517, possibly linked to a stroke. This observation makes the hypothesis of a vascular disease plausible, but it does not demonstrate that Leonardo died of a stroke in May 1519.
Four sure answers
What we know without speculating
May 2, 1519
The death comes nine days after his will was drawn up.
Manoir du Cloux
His residence in Amboise, made available to him under François I.
67 years
An advanced age for its time, without being exceptional.
Melzi and the house
His student Francesco Melzi belongs to the circle close to his last years.
1516 - 1519
From the last works to the will
Arrival in France
Léonard moved to the Cloux manor, today Clos Lucé, with Francesco Melzi and his entourage.
A paralyzed arm
Antonio de Beatis, secretary to the Cardinal of Aragon, describes the elderly master and reports that his right arm is paralyzed. He does not give a medical diagnosis.
Work despite illness
Leonardo continued to draw, organize his papers and advise the court. Its flood sheets belong to this late period.
The will
Sick, he dictated his last wishes before a notary in Amboise and organized property, funerals and the transmission of manuscripts.
Death
Léonard died at the Cloux manor, in Amboise, at the age of 67.
The attested burial
An act mentions his burial in the Saint-Florentin collegiate church of the Château d'Amboise.
The testimony of 1517
Real paralysis, an impossible diagnosis
He continues drawing after the onset of disability
Secretary Antonio de Beatis visited Leonardo in October 1517. He reported that the master could no longer paint with the gentleness of yesteryear because one arm was paralyzed. As Leonardo is left-handed, paralysis of the right arm does not necessarily imply a complete cessation of drawing.
The late leaves devoted to the floods show a still active imagination. Whirlwinds, water, wind and ruin are concentrated there in very dense writing. They are not proof of a morbid psychological state: they are artistic and scientific research consistent with one's ancient interests.
The word "stroke" is a modern medical interpretation. It can explain sudden paralysis, but other neurological damage or trauma remains possible.
What did he die of?
Classify assumptions by level of certainty
Decline in health
Several testimonies and the will show that Leonardo was ill in his last months. The exact nature of this disease is not documented.
Previous stroke
The paralysis of the right arm observed in 1517 may suggest a stroke. But it proves neither the precise date of the accident nor that it was the direct cause of death in 1519.
Natural complication
At age 67 in the 16th century, infection, cardiovascular disease, or progressive complication were possible. There is no source to choose between them.
A certain diagnosis
There is no medical report, no autopsy, no clinical description sufficient to write with certainty: "Leonardo died of a stroke".
The most famous scene
Is Francis I taking his last breath?
A legend painted three centuries later
Vasari contributed very early to the story of a death honored by the king. In the 18th and 19th centuries, painters transformed this idea into a national image: Francis I held Leonardo dying, as if France were physically receiving the genius of Italy.
The BnF recalls that the king was then in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, held back by the festivities linked to the birth of his son. The scene is therefore symbolic, not documentary.
Done: Francis I protects Leonardo. Legend: he is present at the bedside upon death.
After May 2, 1519
Funeral, first grave and current burial
The tomb visible today is not in the original burial site.
Saint-hubert Chapel
The Gothic chapel of the royal castle today houses the tomb attributed to Leonardo.
The current tomb
The remains are considered presumed, due to the destruction and transfers that occurred after the disappearance of Saint-Florentin.
The Amboise Monument
The castle park maintains the memory of the master at the heart of the landscape of his last years.
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Biography, France and collection
Sources
Institutional references
FAQs
The death of Leonardo da Vinci
When did Leonardo da Vinci die?
Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 at the Cloux manor, today Clos Lucé, in Amboise.
How old was Leonardo da Vinci when he died?
Born April 15, 1452 and died May 2, 1519, he was 67 years and seventeen days old.
What did Leonardo da Vinci die of?
The precise cause is not known. A previous stroke is possible due to paralysis of the right arm reported in 1517, but there is no documentation to make it the certain cause of death.
Was Francis I present when he died?
No according to the current state of knowledge. The king was in Saint-Germain-en-Laye; the scene of the last breath in his arms is a legend popularized by artists.
Where did Leonardo da Vinci die?
At the Cloux manor, today Clos Lucé castle, near the royal castle of Amboise.
Where is his grave?
The tomb presented as that of Leonardo is located in the Saint-Hubert chapel of the royal castle of Amboise. His remains were first placed in the Saint-Florentin collegiate church, which has now disappeared.
Who inherits his manuscripts?
His student and collaborator Francesco Melzi receives most of the books, drawings, instruments and manuscripts.
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