Who inherited Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts after his death?

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Self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci drawn in red chalk, showing an elderly man with long hair and a flowing beard, with a serious, contemplative expression. — Leonardo da Vinci Self-portrait, drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1517–18; in the Royal Library, Turin, Italy.

Upon his death, Leonardo da Vinci’s artistic and scientific estate was inherited by his loyal student and friend, Francesco Melzi.1

Melzi became the custodian of more than 10,000 pages of Leonardo’s closely written and illustrated notes, which represent the most voluminous literary legacy left by any painter. While many of these codices were preserved, they were later dispersed through various collections, including the Codex Atlanticus collected by Pompeo Leoni, as well as manuscripts held in the Royal Library and the British Museum.1