Pope Leo VI
Head of the Catholic Church from 928 to 929
Pope Leo VI | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Papacy began | June 928 |
| Papacy ended | February 929 |
| Predecessor | John X |
| Successor | Stephen VII |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rome, Papal States |
| Died | February 929 Rome, Papal States |
| Previous post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna (916-928) |
| Other popes named Leo | |
Pope Leo VI (880 – 12 February 929) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States for just over seven months, from June 928 to his death. His pontificate occurred during the period known as the Saeculum obscurum.
Family and early career
Leo VI was born into a Roman family,[1] and his father was Christophorus, who had been primicerius under Pope John VIII around the year 876. Tradition has it that he was a member of the Sanguini family.[2] Before his pontificate, Leo served as the cardinal-priest of Santa Susanna.[3]
Pontificate
Leo was elected pope around June 928, during a period of anarchy.[3] He was chosen by the senatrix Marozia, who had gained control of Rome via the domination of her husband Guy, Margrave of Tuscany, and who had ordered the imprisonment and death of Leo’s predecessor, John X.[4]
During his brief pontificate, Leo confirmed the decisions of the Synod of Spalato.[3] He completed his predecessor’s investigations into the ecclesiastical situation in Dalmatia, and proceeded to give the pallium to Archbishop John of Salona, and ordered all the bishops of Dalmatia to obey him. He also ordered the bishop of Nona and others to limit themselves to the extent of their dioceses.[5] Leo then banned castrati from marrying.[6] He also issued an appeal for help against the Arab raiders who were threatening Rome, stating that:
”Whoever died faithful in this struggle will not see himself refused entry into the heavenly kingdom.”[7]
The chronicler Flodoard said of him:
”Through the virtue of Peter, Leo the sixth was taken and received, he was preserved for seven months and five days, and like his predecessors, he joined the company of the prophets.”[3]
Leo died in February 929, and was succeeded by Stephen VII. He was buried at St. Peter’s Basilica.[3]
References
- Mann, Horace K., The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. IV: The Popes in the Days of Feudal Anarchy, 891-999 (1910)
- Entry on Leo VI in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ Platina, Bartolomeo (1479), The Lives of the Popes From The Time Of Our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII, vol. I, London: Griffith Farran & Co., p. 247, retrieved 2013-04-25
- ^ Georgina Masson, The Companion Guide to Rome (1980), page 177
- ^ a b c d e Mann, page 188
- ^ Mann, pgs. 163-164
- ^ Mann, page 168
- ^ Medical problems of performing artists, Volume 13 (1998), page 151
- ^ Pierre Riché, The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe (1993), page 311
External links
- Catholic Forum: Leo VI
- New Catholic Dictionary: Leo VI
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Pope 928–929 | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
Popes of the Catholic Church
- Peter
- Linus
- Anacletus
- Clement I
- Evaristus
- Alexander I
- Sixtus I
- Telesphorus
- Hyginus
- Pius I
- Anicetus
- Soter
- Eleutherius
- Victor I
- Zephyrinus
- Callixtus I
- Urban I
- Pontian
- Anterus
- Fabian
- Cornelius
- Lucius I
- Stephen I
- Sixtus II
- Dionysius
- Felix I
- Eutychian
- Caius
- Marcellinus
- Marcellus I
- Eusebius
- Miltiades
- Sylvester I
- Mark
- Julius I
- Liberius
- Damasus I
- Siricius
- Anastasius I
- Innocent I
- Zosimus
- Boniface I
- Celestine I
- Sixtus III
- Leo I
- Hilarius
- Simplicius
- Felix III
- Gelasius I
- Anastasius II
- Symmachus
- Hormisdas
- John I
- Felix IV
- Boniface II
- John II
- Agapetus I
- Silverius
- Vigilius
- Pelagius I
- John III
- Benedict I
- Pelagius II
- Gregory I
- Sabinian
- Boniface III
- Boniface IV
- Adeodatus I
- Boniface V
- Honorius I
- Severinus
- John IV
- Theodore I
- Martin I
- Eugene I
- Vitalian
- Adeodatus II
- Donus
- Agatho
- Leo II
- Benedict II
- John V
- Conon
- Sergius I
- John VI
- John VII
- Sisinnius
- Constantine
- Gregory II
- Gregory III
- Zachary
- Stephen II
- Paul I
- Stephen III
- Adrian I
- Leo III
- Stephen IV
- Paschal I
- Eugene II
- Valentine
- Gregory IV
- Sergius II
- Leo IV
- Benedict III
- Nicholas I
- Adrian II
- John VIII
- Marinus I
- Adrian III
- Stephen V
- Formosus
- Boniface VI
- Stephen VI
- Romanus
- Theodore II
- John IX
- Benedict IV
- Leo V
- Sergius III
- Anastasius III
- Lando
- John X
- Leo VI
- Stephen VII
- John XI
- Leo VII
- Stephen VIII
- Marinus II
- Agapetus II
- John XII
- Benedict V
- Leo VIII
- John XIII
- Benedict VI
- Benedict VII
- John XIV
- John XV
- Gregory V
- Sylvester II
- John XVII
- John XVIII
- Sergius IV
- Benedict VIII
- John XIX
- Benedict IX
- Sylvester III
- Gregory VI
- Clement II
- Damasus II
- Leo IX
- Victor II
- Stephen IX
- Nicholas II
- Alexander II
- Gregory VII
- Victor III
- Urban II
- Paschal II
- Gelasius II
- Callixtus II
- Honorius II
- Innocent II
- Celestine II
- Lucius II
- Eugene III
- Anastasius IV
- Adrian IV
- Alexander III
- Lucius III
- Urban III
- Gregory VIII
- Clement III
- Celestine III
- Innocent III
- Honorius III
- Gregory IX
- Celestine IV
- Innocent IV
- Alexander IV
- Urban IV
- Clement IV
- Gregory X
- Innocent V
- Adrian V
- John XXI
- Nicholas III
- Martin IV
- Honorius IV
- Nicholas IV
- Celestine V
- Boniface VIII
- Benedict XI
- Clement V
- John XXII
- Benedict XII
- Clement VI
- Innocent VI
- Urban V
- Gregory XI
- Urban VI
- Boniface IX
- Innocent VII
- Gregory XII
- Martin V
- Eugene IV
- Nicholas V
- Callixtus III
- Pius II
- Paul II
- Sixtus IV
- Innocent VIII
- Alexander VI
- Pius III
- Julius II
- Leo X
- Adrian VI
- Clement VII
- Paul III
- Julius III
- Marcellus II
- Paul IV
- Pius IV
- Pius V
- Gregory XIII
- Sixtus V
- Urban VII
- Gregory XIV
- Innocent IX
- Clement VIII
- Leo XI
- Paul V
- Gregory XV
- Urban VIII
- Innocent X
- Alexander VII
- Clement IX
- Clement X
- Innocent XI
- Alexander VIII
- Innocent XII
- Clement XI
- Innocent XIII
- Benedict XIII
- Clement XII
- Benedict XIV
- Clement XIII
- Clement XIV
- Pius VI
- Pius VII
- Leo XII
- Pius VIII
- Gregory XVI
- Pius IX
- Leo XIII
- Pius X
- Benedict XV
- Pius XI
- Pius XII
- John XXIII
- Paul VI
- John Paul I
- John Paul II
- Benedict XVI
- Francis
| Antiquity and Early Middle Ages |
|
|---|---|
| High and Late Middle Ages |
|
| Early Modern and Modern Era |
|
Category
Catholic Church Portal
History of the Catholic Church | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General |
| ||||||||
| Early Church (30–325/476) |
| ||||||||
| Early Middle Ages | |||||||||
| High Middle Ages |
| ||||||||
| Late Middle Ages | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| 19th century | |||||||||
| 20th century |
| ||||||||
| 21st century | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Authority control databases  | |
|---|---|
| International |
|
| National |
|
| People |
|
| Other |
|
