| Leo I | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Byzantine Empire | |
Imperial portrait of Leo I at the Louvre Museum |
|
| Reign | 457–474 |
| Coronation | February 7, 457 |
| Full name | Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus |
| Born | 401 |
| Died | 18 January 474 (aged 73) |
| Predecessor | Marcian |
| Successor | Leo II |
| Wife | Verina |
| Offspring | Ariadne, Leontia, unnamed son |
Leo I (Latin: Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus) (401 – 18 January 474) was Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace,[1] he was known as Leo the Thracian (Greek: Λέων ο Θράξ).
Ruling the Eastern Empire for nearly 20 years from 457 to 474, Leo proved to be a capable ruler, overseeing many ambitious political and military plans, aimed mostly for the aid of the faltering Western Roman Empire and recovering its former territories. He is notable for being the first Eastern Emperor to legislate in Greek rather than Latin.[2]
Contents |
Born as Leo Marcellus in the year 401 to a Thraco-Roman family (of the Daci[3][4] or Bessi[5] tribe), he served in the Roman army, rising to the rank of comes. 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, who thought Leo would be an easy puppet ruler.
Leo's coronation as emperor on 7 February 457,[6] was the first known to involve the Patriarch of Constantinople.[7] 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. In 469, Aspar attempted to assassinate Zeno[8] and very nearly succeeded. Finally, in 471, Aspar's son Ardabur was implicated in a plot against Leo and both were killed by palace eunuchs acting on Leo's orders.
During Leo's reign, the Balkans were ravaged time and again by the Ostrogoths 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 arrogance of Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. This disaster drained the Empire of men and money. The expedition, which cost 130,000 pounds of gold and 700 pounds of silver, consisted of 1,113 ships carrying 100,000 men, but in the end lost 600 ships.
Leo's greatest influence in the West was largely inadvertent and at least second-hand: the Ostrogoth 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 18 January 474.
Leo and Verina had three children. Their eldest daughter Ariadne was born prior to the death of Marcian (reigned 450 – 457).[9] Ariadne had a younger sister, Leontia. Leontia was first betrothed to Julius Patricius, a son of Aspar, but their engagement was probably annulled when Aspar and another of his sons, Ardabur, were assassinated in 471. Leontia then married Marcian, a son of Emperor Anthemius and Marcia Euphemia. The couple led a failed revolt against Zeno in 478–479. They were exiled to Isauria following their defeat.[10]
An unknown son was born in 463. He died five months following his birth. The only sources about him are a horoscope by Rhetorius and a hagiography of Daniel the Stylite.[10]
The Georgian Chronicle, a 13th century compilation drawing from earlier sources, reports a marriage of Vakhtang I of Iberia to Princess Helena of Byzantium, identifying her as a daughter of the predecessor of Zeno.[11] This predecessor was probably Leo I, the tale attributing a third daughter to Leo. Cyril Toumanoff identified two children of this marriage. Mithridates of Iberia and Leo of Iberia. This younger Leo was father of Guaram I of Iberia. The accuracy of the descent is unknown.
Media related to Leo I (emperor) at Wikimedia Commons
|
Leo I the Thracian
Born: 401 Died: 18 January 474 |
||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marcian |
Byzantine Emperor 457–474 |
Succeeded by Leo II |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Flavius Constantinus, Flavius Rufus |
Consul of the Roman Empire 458 with Imp. Caesar Iulius Maiorianus Augustus |
Succeeded by Flavius Ricimerus, Julius Patricius |
| Preceded by Flavius Severinus, Flavius Dagalaiphus |
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 Illustrius Pusaeus, Iohannes |
| Preceded by 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) |