What wheeled battlefield vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design with blades on its sides?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot, a wheeled battlefield vehicle fitted with rotating blades intended to cut through enemy formations.

The concept placed long blades or scythes around the vehicle’s wheels. As the chariot moved, the blades would sweep through the surrounding area, making it dangerous for opposing infantry and cavalry to approach. Leonardo’s drawing belongs to his studies of military machines and reflects his interest in adapting ancient battlefield ideas.

Scythed chariots were not uniquely Leonardo’s invention. Ancient armies, especially in the Persian world, used or were said to use chariots equipped with blades. Leonardo’s design was a Renaissance reinterpretation rather than the first historical example.

The machine also illustrates the limits of many military sketches from the period: a drawing can show a mechanism clearly without proving that it was built, tested, or effective in combat.