Leo I the Thracian
| Leo I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Byzantine Empire | |||||
Imperial portrait of Leo I
at the Louvre Museum |
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| Reign | 457–474 | ||||
| Coronation | 7 February 457 | ||||
| Predecessor | Marcian | ||||
| Successor | Leo II | ||||
| Born | 401 | ||||
| Died | 18 January 474 (aged 73) | ||||
| Wife | |||||
| Issue | Ariadne, Leontia, unnamed son | ||||
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| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Leo Marcellus (from birth to accession) Flavius Valerius Leo (as emperor) |
Leo I (Latin: Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus; 401 – 18 January 474) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace, he was known as Leo the Thracian (Greek: Λέων Α' ὁ Θρᾷξ Leōn ha ho Thrax).
Ruling the Eastern Empire for nearly 20 years, Leo proved to be a capable ruler. He oversaw 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.
He is commemorated as a Saint in the Orthodox Church, with his feast day on January 20.
He was born Leo Marcellus in Thracia or in Dacia Aureliana province in the year 401 to a Thraco-Roman family. His Dacian origin is mentioned by Candidus Isaurus, while John Malalas believes that he was of Bessian stock. He served in the Roman army, rising to the rank of comes. Leo 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. Instead, Leo became more and more independent from Aspar, causing tension that would culminate in the assassination of the latter.
Leo's coronation as emperor on 7 February 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. In 469, Aspar attempted to assassinate Zeno and very nearly succeeded. Finally, in 471, Aspar's son Ardabur was implicated in a plot against Leo and Ardabur was killed by palace eunuchs acting on Leo's orders.
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