Pope Leo III (Latin:Leo III; died 12 June 816) wasbishop of Rome and ruler of thePapal States from 26 December 795 to his death on 12 June 816. Protected byCharlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor,Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position by crowning himemperor. The coronation was not approved by most people inConstantinople, although the Byzantines, occupied with their own defenses, were in no position to offer much opposition to it.
According to theLiber Pontificalis, Leo was "of theRoman nation, the son of Atzuppius" (natione romanus ex patre Atzuppio). TheChronicon Anianense says, more specifically, that he was "born in Rome to Asupius and Elizabeth" (natus rome ex patre asupio matre helisabeth).[1] Usually considered to be ofGreek origin, his father's name may suggest anArab background.[2][3] An earlier person of the same name or nickname, Atzypios, was aniconoclast adversary ofJohn of Damascus.[4]
He waselected on 26 December 795, the day Adrian I was buried, andconsecrated on the following day. It is quite possible that this haste may have been due to a desire on the part of the Romans to prevent any interference by theFranks. With the letter informing the Frankish rulerCharlemagne that he had been unanimously electedpope, Leo sent him the keys of the confession of St. Peter, and the standard of the city, and requested an envoy. This he did to show that he regarded the Frankish king as the protector of the Holy See.[5] In return, Charlemagne sent letters of congratulation and a great part of the treasure which the king had captured from the Avars.[7]
Charlemagne's gift enabled Leo to be a great benefactor to the churches and charitable institutions of Rome. While Charlemagne's letter is respectful and even affectionate, it also exhibits his concept of the coordination of the spiritual and temporal powers, and he does not hesitate to remind the pope of his grave spiritual obligations.[7]
Prompted by jealousy, ambition, or the thought that only someone of the nobility should hold the office of pope, a number of relatives of Adrian I formed a plot to render Leo unfit to hold his office. On the occasion of the procession of theGreater Litanies, 25 April 799, when the pope was making his way towards theFlaminian Gate, he was suddenly attacked by armed men. He was dashed to the ground, and an effort was made to root out his tongue and tear out his eyes which left him injured and unconscious. He was rescued by two of Charlemagne'smissi dominici, who came with a considerable force.[5] DukeWiniges of Spoleto sheltered the fugitive pope, who went later toPaderborn, where Charlemagne's camp then was[7] and where he was received by the Frankish king with the greatest honour.[5] This meeting forms the basis of the epic poemKarolus Magnus et Leo Papa.
Leo was accused by his enemies ofadultery andperjury. Charlemagne ordered them to Paderborn, but no decision could be made. He then had Leo escorted back to Rome. In November 800, Charlemagne himself went to Rome, and on 1 December held a council there with representatives of both sides. Leo, on 23 December, took anoath of purgation concerning the charges brought against him, and his opponents were exiled.[5]
Charlemagne's father,Pepin the Short, defended the papacy against the Lombards and issued theDonation of Pepin, which granted the land around Rome to the pope as a fief. In 754Pope Stephen II had conferred on Charlemagne's father the dignity ofPatricius Romanus, which implied primarily the protection of the Roman Church in all its rights and privileges; above all in its temporal authority which it had gradually acquired (notably in the former ByzantineDuchy of Rome and theExarchate of Ravenna) by just titles in the course of the two preceding centuries.[7]
Two days after his oath, on Christmas Day 800, Leocrowned Charlemagne asemperor. According to Charlemagne's biographer,Einhard, Charlemagne had no suspicion of what was about to happen, and if informed would not have accepted the imperial crown.[8] There is, however, no reason to doubt that for some time previous the elevation of Charlemagne had been discussed, both at home and at Rome, especially since the imperial throne inConstantinople was controversially occupied by a woman,Irene of Athens, and since theCarolingian dynasty had firmly established its power and prestige.[7] The coronation offended Constantinople, which had seen itself still as the rightful defender of Rome, but Empress Irene, like many of her predecessors sinceJustinian I, was too weak to offer protection to the city or its much reduced citizenry.
In 808, Leo committedCorsica to Charlemagne for safe-keeping because of Muslim raids, originating fromAl-Andalus,[9] on the island.[10] Nonetheless, Corsica, along withSardinia, would still go on to be occupied by Muslim forces in 809 and 810.[11]
Leo helped restore KingEardwulf of Northumbria and settled various matters of dispute between thearchbishops of York andCanterbury.[5] He also reversedPope Adrian I's decision in the granting of thepallium to BishopHygeberht of Lichfield. He believed that the English episcopate had been misrepresented before Adrian and that therefore his act was invalid. In 803, Lichfield was a regular diocese again.[12]
Pope Leo III unambiguously supported the current theological position in the West in his time: thatHoly Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son; he stated on this position: "it is forbidden not to believe such a greatmystery of the faith". However, he refused to change thecreed which he said was the product of the "divine illumination" of thecouncil fathers, and considered not everything needed forsalvation was in the creed. Leo III "placed two silver shields in Rome with the uninterpolated creed in both Greek and Latin."[13] TheLiber Pontificalis states Leo III put those shields at the top ofSt. Peter's entrance "in his love for and as a safeguard for theorthodox and catholic apostolic faith".[14]
Anastasius Bibliothecarius, chief archivist at Rome under several later Popes, stated that the Latins understood the Filioque to be in reference to the temporal mission (missio), and not an eternal procession.
Leo III died in 816 after a reign of more than 20 years. He was originally buried in his own monument. However, some years after his death, his remains were put into a tomb that contained the first fourpopes named Leo. In the 18th century, the relics ofLeo the Great were separated from his namesakes, and he was given his own chapel.[15]
^abT. F. X. Noble (1985), The Declining Knowledge of Greek in Eighth- and Ninth-Century Papal Rome",Byzantinische Zeitschrift,78(1): 59.doi:10.1515/byzs.1985.78.1.56
^Hans-Georg Beck, "Die Herkunft des Papstes Leo III",Frühmittelalterliche Studien: Jahrbuch des Instituts fur Frühmittelalterforschung der Universität Münster,3 (1969): 131–137.
^abcde Shahan, Thomas; Macpherson, Ewan (1908). "Charlemagne". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^Raymond Davis (1995).The Lives of the Ninth-century Popes (Liber Pontificalis): The Ancient Biographies of Ten Popes from A.D. 817–891 (illustrated ed.). Liverpool University Press. p. 93.ISBN9780853234791.
^Noble, Thomas F. X. (2011).The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680–825. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 173.ISBN9780812200911.
^Pirenne, Henri (2013).Mohammed and Charlemagne. Routledge. p. 160.ISBN9781135030179.
^Siecienski, A. Edward (2010).The filioque : history of a doctrinal controversy. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 96–100.ISBN978-0-19-537204-5.OCLC344061951.
^"Leo III".The lives of the eighth-century popes (Liber pontificalis): the ancient biographies of nine popes from AD 715 to AD 817. Raymond Davis (2nd rev. ed.). Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. 2007. p. 216.ISBN978-1-84631-154-3.OCLC222145811.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
.jpg)
