Leo I (emperor)

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Leo I
Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
Bust of Leo I at the Louvre Museum
Reign	457 - 474
Coronation	February 7, 457
Full name	Flavius Valerius Leo
Born	401
Died	18 January 474
Predecessor	Marcian
Successor	Leo II
Issue	Ariadne (married to Tarasicodissa

Flavius Valerius Leo (401–18 January 474), known in English as Leo the Thracian or Leo I, was a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 457 to 474. He was the last of a series of emperors placed on the throne by Aspar, the Alan serving as commander-in-chief of the army.

Leo's coronation as emperor on February 7 457, was the first known to involve the Patriarch of Constantinople. Leo I made an alliance with the Isaurians and was thus able to eliminate Aspar. The price of the alliance was the marriage of Leo's daughter to Tarasicodissa, leader of the Isaurians who, as Zeno, became emperor in 474.

During Leo's reign, the Balkans were ravaged time and again by the West Goths and the Huns. However, these attackers were unable to take Constantinople thanks to the walls which had been rebuilt and reinforced in the reign of Theodosius II and against which they possessed no suitable siege engines.

Leo's reign was also noteworthy for his influence in the Western Roman Empire, marked by his appointment of Anthemius as Western Roman Emperor in 467. He attempted to build on this political achievement with an expedition against the Vandals in 468, which was defeated due to the treachery and incompetence of Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. This disaster drained the Empire of men and money.

Leo's greatest influence in the West was largely inadvertent and at second-hand: the great Goth king Theodoric the Great was raised at Leo's court in Constantinople, where he was steeped in Roman government and military tactics, which served him well when he returned after Leo's death to become the Goth ruler of a mixed but largely Romanized people.

Leo died of dysentery at the age of 73 on January 18, 474.

[edit] External links

• Media on Leo I (emperor) in the Wikicommons.

Preceded by Marcian	Byzantine Emperor 457-474	Succeeded by Leo II
Preceded by Flavius Constantinus, Flavius Rufus	Consul of the Roman Empire 458 with Imp. Caesar Iulius Maiorianus Augustus	Succeeded by Flavius Ricimerus, Flavius Iulius Patricius
Preceded by Flavius Severinus, Flavius Dagalaifus	Consul of the Roman Empire 462 with Imp. Caesar Libius Severus Augustus	Succeeded by Flavius Caecina Decius Basilius, Flavius Vivianus
Preceded by Flavius Hermenericus, Flavius Basiliscus	Consul of the Roman Empire 466 with Tatianus (Gallia)	Succeeded by Flavius Pusaeus, Flavius Iohannes
Preceded by Flavius Messius Phoebus Severus, Flavius Iordanes	Consul of the Roman Empire 471 with Caelius Aconius Probianus	Succeeded by Flavius Rufius Postumius Festus, Flavius Marcianus
Preceded by Flavius Rufius Postumius Festus, Flavius Marcianus	Consul of the Roman Empire 473 (alone)	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Leo Iunior Augustus (alone)