Born: circa 391
Predecessor: Sixtus III
Reign: 440 – 461
Brief: A Tuscan by birth, Leo served as a deacon of the church from around 431 and was highly praised by his contemporaries. When Pope Sixtus III died in 440, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed him, a rather rare occurrence. Almost at once, Leo reasserted the authority of the Papacy over the various bishops in Italy, obtaining a decree from Emperor Valentinian III that recognized the primacy of the Pope. He then worked to assert his authority over the other patriarchates including pressuring Alexandria to recognize his supremacy, and working to suppress the growing power of the patriarchate of Contantinople. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Leo decisively confirmed his power over his peers through his Tome, which had originally been written for the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 but was not read at that time. Anticipating the breakup of the Western Empire, Leo worked diligently to assert the power of the pope in the West in the hope that it may succeed the Empire when it fell. In 452, Leo accompanied two royal dignitaries to confront Attila the Hun who was invading Italy. While the specifics are unknown, Attilla turned his armies away. Four years later, the Vandals successfully sacked Rome, though Leo helped reduce the total damage. Leo died in 461 leaving a legacy of Papal power-building for future popes to work from and enhance.
Brief: A Tuscan by birth, Leo served as a deacon of the church from around 431 and was highly praised by his contemporaries. When Pope Sixtus III died in 440, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed him, a rather rare occurrence. Almost at once, Leo reasserted the authority of the Papacy over the various bishops in Italy, obtaining a decree from Emperor Valentinian III that recognized the primacy of the Pope. He then worked to assert his authority over the other patriarchates including pressuring Alexandria to recognize his supremacy, and working to suppress the growing power of the patriarchate of Contantinople. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Leo decisively confirmed his power over his peers through his Tome, which had originally been written for the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 but was not read at that time. Anticipating the breakup of the Western Empire, Leo worked diligently to assert the power of the pope in the West in the hope that it may succeed the Empire when it fell. In 452, Leo accompanied two royal dignitaries to confront Attila the Hun who was invading Italy. While the specifics are unknown, Attilla turned his armies away. Four years later, the Vandals successfully sacked Rome, though Leo helped reduce the total damage. Leo died in 461 leaving a legacy of Papal power-building for future popes to work from and enhance.
Date of Death: 10 November 461
Successor: Hilarius
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Successor: Hilarius
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Celestine IV, pope of Rome (1241)
- Wladyslaw III, king of Poland (1444)
- Paul III, pope of Rome (1549)
- Michael, king of Poland (1673)
No comments:
Post a Comment