From his first wife he had Fermo (Caravaggio's father), and Pietro. From his second marriage came Ludorcio, Drancesco, Giaconco, and Caterina and in 1563 he married for a third time, resulting in two more daughters; Caterina and Margarita. .
Michelangelo was the first-born child of his father, Fermo Merisi, and his mother, Lucia Aratari. His father worked for a noble family living in Milan, where he made a sufficient amount of money to support his family. Even though Caravaggio was well off he was exposed to the suffering of people around him, such as poverty and famine. The bubonic plague was the source of much of this suffering, spreading throughout the western world when Caravaggio was just six years old and killing almost everyone in his family, including his father in 1577. Thirteen years later his mother would also pass away, making him an orphan at the young age of 17 years old. The tragedy Caravaggio suffered during his early years of life is reflected in his artwork, which captured the dark times in which he lived and his deep sense of abandonment. .
On April 6, 1584, age 11, Caravaggio started working for Petersano, a painter in Milan, as an apprentice, living with him and his wife, Angelica. Living with Petersano and working in his studio introduced Caravaggio to Renaissance art. He received training during this time, learning how to prepare colors, to draw, to paint in fresco, and in fields like anatomy and perspective. In 1588, at the end of his apprenticeship, Caravaggio returned to his hometown but shortly after his return his mother passed away. Caravaggio sold his share of land and left to Rome in pursuit of his art career, never to return. He ran through his inheritance very fast and got involved in many crimes during his time in Rome. He changed lodgings constantly, often not happy with his surroundings and work place. His instability caused him to constantly switch from one job to the next.
