Did Charlemagne and other German kings embrace Maurice as their favorite saint for mercenary, religious, or military motives? Was racism the reason for the portrayal of Maurice as a white man for eleven centuries, before painters correctly presented him as a dark-skinned saint? Why would some of Nuremberg’s leading families adorn their coats of arms with the head of an African saint?

Did Charlemagne and other German kings embrace Maurice as their favorite saint for mercenary, religious, or military motives? Was racism the reason for the portrayal of Maurice as a white man for eleven centuries, before painters correctly presented him as a dark-skinned saint? Why would some of Nuremberg’s leading families adorn their coats of arms with the head of an African saint?