Leo Africanus

Diplomat & Author

(1494 – Unknown) · North Africa

Andalusian-Moroccan diplomat and author born around 1494, originally named al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan. Captured by Spanish pirates and presented to Pope Leo X, he converted to Christianity and produced his Description of Africa in 1526, the most comprehensive European account of Africa for over a century. He later returned to the Islamic world.