Leo 11 | Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire |
Sex | M |
Floruit | L VIII/E IX |
Dates | 795 (taq) / 816 (ob.) |
PmbZ No. | 4239 |
Variant Names | pope Leo III |
Religion | Christian |
Ethnicity | Roman |
Locations | St Erasmus (Monastery of, Rome); Francia; Spoletium (Umbria); Rome (burialplace); Rome (officeplace); Rome (residence); Rome; Rome (birthplace) |
Occupation | Bishop; Priest; Sub-deacon |
Titles | Archbishop, Rome (office); Bishop, Rome (office); Patriarch, Rome (office); Pope, Rome (office); Vestiararius (office) |
Textual Sources | Annales Regni Francorum, ed. F. Kurze, MGH, Scr. Rer. Ger. 6 (1895; repr. 1950) (annals); Liber Pontificalis, ed. L. Duchesne, Le liber pontificalis. Texte, introduction et commentaire, 2 vols. (Paris, 1886-92); re-issued with 3rd vol. by C. Vogel, (Paris, 1955-57) (chronicle); Theodorus Studita, Epistulae, ed. G. Fatouros, CFHB 31.1-2 (Berlin/New York, 1992) (letters); Theophanes Confessor, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1883-85, repr. Hildesheim/NewYork, 1980); tr. and comm. C. Mango and R. Scott, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Oxford 1997 (chronicle); Vita Michaelis Syncelli (BHG 1296), ed. M. Cunningham, The Life of Michael Synkellos , Belfast Byzantine Texts and Translations 1 (Belfast, 1991) (hagiography); Zonaras = Ioannis Zonarae Epitome Historiarum, libri XIII-XVIII, ed. Th. Büttner-Wobst, (Bonn, 1897) (history) |
Leo 11 was pope Leo III, bishop of Rome from 26 December 795 to 12 June 816. A native of Rome, he was the son of Atzuppius 1; from childhood he was brought up and educated in the
Leo 11 was the unanimous choice of the clergy and the laity at Rome to become bishop of Rome: Lib. Pont. 98. 2. He became bishop of Rome after the death of pope Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1): Theoph. AM 6289 (ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ τελευτήσαντος τοῦ πάπα Ἀδριανοῦ, χειροτονεῖται Λέων). Leo 11 is described as a most honorable and very respectable man (ἀνὴρ τιμιώτατος καὶ κατὰ πάντα αἰδέσιμος): Theoph. AM 6289. On 25 April, 799, while on his way to celebrate the Great Litany at the Church of St Laurence in Lucina, he was ambushed and violently assaulted by a group of conspirators led by Paschalis 4 and Campulus 1; they tried twice to blind him and to cut out his tongue, and tried to keep him secure from rescue, first in a nearby monastery and then in the monastery of St Erasmus (see Anonymus 320), where he regained his powers of speech and sight; supporters led by Albinus 1 rescued him from the monastery of St Erasmus and took him to safety to St Peter's: Lib. Pont. 98. 11-14, cf. Annales Regni Francorum s.a. 799, Theoph. AM 6289 (in 797 the relatives of the late pope Hadrian (Hadrianos 1) rebelled against him; he was seized and an unsuccessful attempt was made to blind him). He was escorted from St Peter's by the Lombard
In 801/802 envoys (apokrisiarioi) from Leo 11 and Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) arrived in Constantinople with proposals for the marriage of the empress Eirene 1 with Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) and the unification of East and West: Theoph. AM 6294 (ζευχθῆναι αὐτὴν τῷ Καρούλῳ πρὸς γάμον).
In 811 Leo 11 finally received from the patriarch of Constantinople, Nikephoros 2, the patriarch's synodical letter announcing his appointment (πρὸς Λέοντα τὸν ἁγιώτατον πάπαν Ῥώμης); the patriarch had been prevented from sending the letter earlier by the former emperor Nicephorus I (Nikephoros 8): Theoph. AM 6304.
The description of Leo 11's character in Lib. Pont. 98. 1 and 2 closely resembles in terminology that of pope Gregory II (Gregorios 72) (Lib. Pont. 91. 1); described as chaste, eloquent and steadfast, a defender of the cause of the Church and a strong opponent of its enemies; he was also slow to anger and swift to show mercy, not rewarding evil with evil but devoted to the cause of justice. A long list of his gifts and donations to St Peter's and other churches, to the Lateran palace, and to cemeteries,
Leo 11 died after occupying the see for twenty years, five months and sixteen days and was buried in St Peter's on 12 June 816 ("
Leo 11 received messages from Theodoros 15 (Theodore the Stoudite) with information about the Moechian controversy and containing requests for help: Theod. Stud., Epp. 33, 35 (c. a. 809/811).
The bishop of Rome, Leo 11 wrote to the patriarch Thomas 60 of Jerusalem, asking for advice in dealing with Frankish heretics, who were adding a reference to the Son to the statement in the Creed about the procession of the Holy Spirit; Thomas 60 and a council decided to send Michael Syncellus (Michael 51) to see him: Vita Mich. Sync. 6.
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