Contents
Leo Africanus
Writing the influential Description of Africa.
Description of Africa · Language scholarship
- Born
- c. 1494
- Birthplace
- Granada, Spain
- Died
- Unknown
More people
Leo Africanus
Leo Africanus, born al-Hasan al-Wazzan, was a diplomat and author educated in Fez. His account of African geography circulated widely in Europe after his capture and subsequent years in Italy.
Early life
Migration
His family moved from Granada to Fez when he was young.
Education and travel
Studied in Fez and accompanied diplomatic missions across North Africa and toward Timbuktu.
Career
- Early 1500s
Diplomatic journeys
Travelled on missions connected with the court of Fez.
- 1518
Capture
Was seized by corsairs and taken to Rome.
- 1526
Geographical manuscript
Completed his account of Africa in Italy.
Selected work
Description of Africa
Drew on travel and learned sources to describe regions, cities and societies.
Language scholarship
Worked on an Arabic-Hebrew-Latin medical vocabulary and an Arabic grammar.
Beyond work
Changing names
Was baptised in Rome in 1520 and adopted the name Johannes Leo.
Uncertain later life
Accounts of a return to North Africa remain uncertain; his exact death date is unknown.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Northwestern exhibition ↗Photo: Portrait sometimes identified as Leo Africanus; identification uncertain; Sebastiano del Piombo. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
