Leo managed to secure his position by appointing 31 new cardinals. Some of them were quite notable, including Campeggio, Cajetan and Pallavicini.

In an effort to prevent Habsburg hegemony in Italy, Leo pushed for the election of either Francis I of France or Frederick the Wise III of Saxony as Emperor, but in the end the unanimous choice went to Charles V of the Habsburgs.

Leo’s personal appearance has been perpetuated for us in Raphael’s famous painting, which shows his round, effeminate countenance and weak but bulging eyes looking off from under his close-fitting cap. His movements were sluggish at times, and his body weight would have him constantly perspiring. But when he spoke, every unpleasant image faded with his agreeable voice and gracious public manner.