St. Leopold

Saint Leopold III
Saint Leopold III with two deceased sons, Babenberger Stammbaum, Klosterneuburg Monastery, 1489–1492
Margrave of Austria
Born	1073 Melk, Austria
Died	15 November 1136 Klosterneuburg abbey, Lower Austria, Austria
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Canonized	6 January 1485 by Pope Innocent VIII
Feast	15 November
Attributes	Model of church
Patronage	Austria Lower Austria Upper Austria Vienna Death of children Large families Step-parents

Saint Leopold III (German: Luitpold, 1073 – 15 November 1136), known as Leopold the Good, was the Margrave of Austria from 1095 to his death in 1136. He was a member of the House of Babenberg. He was canonized on 6 January 1485 and became the patron saint of Austria, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Vienna. His feast day is 15 November.

Leopold was born at Babenberg castle in Gars am Kamp, the son of Margrave Leopold II and Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg. The Babenbergs came to Austria from Bavaria where the family had risen to prominence in the 10th Century.

In 1096 Leopold succeeded his father as margrave of Austria at the age of 23. He married twice. His first wife may have been one of the von Perg family, who died in 1105. The following year he married Agnes, the widowed sister of Emperor Henry V whom he had supported against her father Henry IV. This connection to the Salians raised the importance of the House of Babenberg, to which important royal rights over the margravate of Austria were granted. Also, Agnes had influential connections through her previous marriage to Frederick of Hohenstaufen, one of her sons being Conrad III of Germany.

Leopold called himself "Princeps Terræ", a reflection of his sense of territorial independence. He was considered a candidate in the election of the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire in 1125, but declined this honour.