In 1516, after a perilous, tiring journey from Italy over the Alps Leonardo arrived in Amboise.

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Did Leonardo die in the arms of his close friend the King of France?

Detractors say that the King was nowhere near Amboise when Leonardo died.

What is known is that on the day Leonardo died, François had just had a Royal Proclamation drawn up but left the room in a hurry without signing it.

It’s not too fanciful to think that the King DID hold Leonardo in his arms but that The Master had already died.

Controversy still rages over whether Leonardo was a vegetarian but a letter sent to his last patron, Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, indicates he was.

Francois I, King of France, decided to move his capital from Paris to Romorantin about forty miles away from Amboise.

He planned to raze the old town, replace it with a grand city and make Romorantin the capital of France in honour of his mother, Louise of Savoy.

Mother and son were devoted to each other. Whenever he was away from Chateau Amboise, she stayed in her favourite château in Romorantin.

There was only one man in France who could design his new city.

Leonardo embraced the project with gusto. It meant he could showcase his talents as an architect and engineer.

Leonardo’s inspiration for the design of, for want of a better word, a tank, was the shell of the great turtle.

Web sites state Leonardo was a sculptor. He wasn’t.

Use any search engine for images of his sculptures. You won’t find any because there are none.

Leonardo da Vinci invented pastels.

The why, how and when behind this fact is fascinating.

His invention came about because France invaded Italy in 1499.