Was leonardo DaVinci ever punished for being homosexual?

Question

I know that it was illegal in his day.

You guys are wrong he was gay.

http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/davincigay.html

Answer 1

He was arrested and brought to trial for it when he was 24 (the model was 17), but the witnesses did not appear in court (probably intimidated or bribed by da Vinci's wealthy patron) so the charges were dropped. He was more discreet thereafter.

Though illegal, it was very rare for a prominent person to suffer for it, especially a prominent person who was as much use to the church as Leonardo was.

Updated to add: As to whether Leonardo was gay, there is no conclusive proof one way or the other. Certainly if he was he would not have been openly so as it was a capital crime. Even so, Occam's Razor would indicate that he probably was, for in addition to the anonymous sodomy charge there is a complete and total lack of women in his life (and there were times when he could have benefited mightily from a wealthy wife), no evidence of a love affair or love letters to a woman, and yet the beauty of the male models and apprentices who lived with him was remarked upon in surviving letters between the French king and Leo's Italian patrons with a clear "nudge nudge wink wink". Freud makes much of the fact that Leonardo discussed a recurring dream in which a vulture stuck its tail in his mouth, but this is largely discounted (sometimes a vulture's tail is a vulture's tail), but the lack of women in his life and the presence of beautiful men along with gossip from his own time would give some circumstantial evidence at least.

Michelangelo, otoh, wrote love letters to at least two of his male models. His family changed the pronouns from male to female and sold the letters and sonnets as hetero love-letters.

Answer 2

Whether or not he was gay, that's for others to speculate. I do know a few things though, and that's all I'll share.

1. In those days they had a way for people to accuse others of illegal acts while remaining completely anonymous. Pretty much like leaving a note in the Police's mail-slot. They had to show up in court if the person was arraigned though, in order to make their case.
2. They never did.
3. Most people speculated that this was unfounded and just an attempt for him to be smeared. Others claim that it was legit, but the accuser had a change of heart, forced or not.
4. It was illegal.

Answer 3

Good question. Actually he was arrested and charged with this but released for lack of proof against him. Some say the arrest was the result of accusations from a jealous rival. From the accounts I have read, there was no punishment.
I bring this up in my classes just to make the point - Who cares?
The man was a genius. His sex life was his business, not ours.

Answer 4

I had never even heard that he was homosexual, so he was probably never punished for it. It seems like the punishment in those days would be pretty harsh, so I doubt it.

Answer 5

No. He was accused of sodomy in his early life but that was dropped for a total lack of evidence and credibility. The man was not a homosexual and neither was his contemporary Michelangelo Buonarotti. However the propaganda machines of the homosexual communities would like us to think so.

Answer 6

you gotta be kidding. some silly wedding planner tart makes a web page claiming that leonardo was a queer, and you just believe it? well i guess george washington was a *****. i read it on the web

Answer 7

yeah - guys kept poking him in the butt

Answer 8

It was not illegal.
He was not prosecuted or punished.

Answer 9

he was straight