3. Leonardo at War

Military historian David Willey examines Leonardo Da Vinci's ambition to realise a career as a military engineer in the court of the Duke of Milan.

David is curator of Dorset’s Tank Museum. He examines how Leonardo attempted to address the age-old needs of a soldier for protection, mobility and fire-power through an early design of a tank-like machine, which is housed at the British Library in London.

That’s where Renaissance prints and drawings curator Sarah Vowles takes up the story.

Sarah shows the small but detailed drawing leading both art historians and engineers to conclude it’s one of the first designs for an armoured vehicle.

At the Tank Museum, there is a chance to experience the inside of today's fighting machine, while at the National Science and Technology Museum in Milan there is a spectacular exhibition of attempts to build models of Leonardo's military designs.

Producer: Sara Parker

Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.