Pope Leo X: Did you mean...?

Many scholars, without concrete evidence, believe that Leo Africanus 1485-1554 was the inspiration behind William Shakespeare’s Othello, shown here with Desdemona in an 1849 painting by Théodore Chassériau, currently in the Louvre Museum...

A gold nomisma coin depicting Byzantine emperor Leo III (r. 717-741 CE). (British Museum, London)

An 18th century CE depiction of Byzantine emperor Leo VI (r. 886-912 CE) and his wife Saint Theophano.

A penitent Leo VI, Byzantine emperor 886-912 CE, from a mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.

A portrait bust of Byzantine emperor Leo I (r. 457-474 CE). (Louvre Museum, Paris)

A gold solidus (nomisma) coin of Byzantine emperor Leo V the Armenian (r. 813-820 CE). The reverse side shows his son Constantine. (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com)

A gold coin depicting Byzantine emperor Leo IV (r. 775-780 CE) on the right and his son and successor Constantine VI (r. 780-797 CE) on the left. (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com)

An illustration from a 12th century CE manuscript depicting the proclamation of Leo V the Armenian, emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 813 to 820 CE. (Madrid Skylitzes, National Library, Madrid)

A 13th century CE illustration showing Byzantine emperor Basil I (r. 867-886 CE) confronting Leo VI, his son, murderer and successor. (Madrid Sklitzes, National Library, Madrid)

A medieval manuscript illustration showing Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216 CE) and the crusaders of the Albigensian Crusade in southern France (1209-1229 CE). (Chronicles of Saint-Denis, British Library, London)