Leo Africanus
Leo Africanus was the Christianised name of
Al-Hasan bin Muhammed al-Wazzan al-Fasi (
1485-
1554). A former inhabitant of
Granada expelled by the Spanish in
1492, he was captured by Christian pirates while travelling in the
Mediterranean, and sold into the slavery of
Pope Leo X. The Pope freed him, and, recognising his abilities, asked him to put together a survey of his knowledge of the continent of
Africa.