Pope St. Leo IX

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(1049-54), b. at Egisheim, near Colmar, on the borders of Alsace, 21 June, 1002; d. 19 April, 1054. He belonged to a noblefamily which had given or was to givesaints to theChurch and rulers to the Empire. He was named Bruno. His father Hugh was first cousin to Emperor Conrad, and both Hugh and his wife Heilewide were remarkable for theirpiety and learning. As a sign of the tenderconscience which soon began to manifest itself in the saintly child, we are told that, though he had given abundantproofs of a bright mind, on one occasion he could not study out of an exceptionally beautiful book which his mother had bought and given to him. At length it transpired that the book had beenstolen from the Abbey ofSt. Hubert in the Ardennes. When Heilewide had restored the volume to its rightful owners, the little Bruno's studies proceeded unchecked. When five years of age, he was committed to the care of the energetic Berthold,Bishop of Toul, who had aschool for the sons of the nobility. Intelligent, graceful in body, and gracious in disposition, Bruno was a favourite with his schoolfellows. Whilst still a youth and at home for his holidays, he was attacked when asleep by some animal, and so much injured that for some time he lay between life and death. In that condition he saw, as he used afterwards to tell his friends, a vision of St. Benedict, who cured him by touching his wounds with a cross. This we are told by Leo's principal biographer, Wibert, who was his intimate friend when thesaint wasBishop of Toul.

Bruno became a canon of St. Stephen's at Toul (1017), and though still quite young exerted a soothing influence on Herimann, the choleric successor of Bishop Berthold. When, in 1024, Conrad, Bruno's cousin, succeeded the Emperor Henry I, thesaint's relatives sent him to the new king's court "to serve in hischapel". His virtue soon made itself felt, and his companions, to distinguish him from others who bore the same name, always spoke of him as "the good Bruno". In 1026 Conrad set out forItaly to make his authority respected in that portion of his dominions, and as Herimann,Bishop of Toul, was too old to lead his contingent into the peninsula, he entrusted the command of it to Bruno, then adeacon. There is reason to believe that this novel occupation was not altogether uncongenial to him, for soldiers seem always to have had an attraction for him. While he was thus in the midst of arms, Bishop Herimann died and Bruno was at once elected to succeed him. Conrad, who destined him for higher things, was loath to allow him to accept that insignificant see. But Bruno, who was wholly disinclined for the higher things, and wished to live in as much obscurity as possible, induced his sovereign to permit him to take thesee. Consecrated in 1027, Bruno administered the Diocese of Toul for over twenty years, in a season of stress and trouble of all kinds. He had to contend not merely with famine, but also withwar, to which as a frontier town Toul was much exposed. Bruno, however, was equal to his position. Heknew how to make peace, and, ifnecessary, to wield the sword in self-defence. Sent by Conrad to Robert the Pious, he established so firm a peace betweenFrance and the empire that it was not again broken even during the reigns of the sons of both Conrad and Robert. On the other hand, he held his episcopal city against Eudes, Count ofBlois, a rebel against Conrad, and "by his wisdom and exertions" addedBurgundy to the empire. It was whilst he wasbishop that he was saddened by the death not merely of hisfather and mother, but also of two of his brothers. Amid his trials Bruno found some consolation in music, in which he proved himself very efficient.

The GermanPope Damasus II died in 1048, and the Romans sent to ask Henry III, Conrad's successor, to let them have as the newpope either Halinard,Archbishop ofLyons, or Bruno. Both of them were favourably known to the Romans by what they had seen of them when they came toRome onpilgrimage. Henry at once fixed upon Bruno, who did all he could to avoid thehonour which his sovereign wished to impose upon him. When at length he was overcome by the combined importunities of the emperor, theGermans, and the Romans, he agreed to go toRome, and to accept thepapacy if freely elected thereto by the Roman people. He wished, at least, to rescue the See of Peter from its servitude to the German emperors. When, in company withHildebrand he reachedRome, and presented himself to its people clad in pilgrim's guise and barefooted, but still tall, and fair to look upon, they cried out with one voice that him and no other would they have aspope. Assuming the name of Leo, he wassolemnlyenthroned 12 February, 1049. Before Leo could do anything in the matter of the reform of theChurch on which his heart was set, he had first to put down another attempt on the part of the ex-PopeBenedict IX to seize thepapal throne. He had then to attend to money matters, as thepapal finances were in a deplorable condition. To better them he put them in the hands ofHildebrand, a man capable of improving anything.

He then began the work of reform which was to give the next hundred years a character of their own, and which his great successorGregory VII was to carry so far forward. In April, 1049, he held a synod at which he condemned the twonotorious evils of the day,simony andclerical incontinence. Then he commenced those journeys throughoutEurope in the cause of a reformation of manners which gave him a pre- eminent right to be styledPeregrinus Apostolicus. LeavingRome in May, he held a council of reform atPavia, and pushed on throughGermany toCologne, where he joined theEmperor Henry III. In union with him he brought about peace in Lorraine byexcommunicating the rebel Godfrey the Bearded. Despite the jealous efforts of King Henry I to prevent him from coming toFrance, Leo next proceeded toReims, where he held an important synod, at which bothbishops andabbots fromEngland assisted. There also assembled in the city to see the famouspope an enormous number of enthusiastic people, "Spaniards, Bretons,Franks,Irish, and English". Besidesexcommunicating theArchbishop ofCompostela (because he had ventured to assume the title ofApostolicus, reserved to thepope alone), and forbidding marriage between William (afterwards called the Conqueror) and Matilda ofFlanders, the assembly issued many decrees of reform. On his way back toRome Leo held another synod atMainz, everywhere rousing public opinion against the great evils of the time as he went along, and everywhere being received with unbounded enthusiasm. It is apparently in connexion with this return journey that we have the first mention of theGolden Rose. TheAbbess of Woffenheim, in return for certain privileges bestowed by thepope, had to send toRome "a golden rose" before Lætare Sunday, on which day, says Leo, thepopes are wont to carry it. Also before he returned toRome, he discussed with Adalbert,Archbishop ofBremen, the formation of all the Scandinavian countries, including Iceland and Greenland, into apatriarchate, of which thesee was to be Bremen. The scheme was never accomplished, but meanwhile Leo authorized theconsecration by Adalbert of the first nativebishop for Iceland.

In January, 1050, Leo returned toRome, only to leave it again almost immediately for SouthernItaly, whither the sufferings of its people called him. They were being heavily oppressed by the Normans. To the expostulations of Leo the wily Normans replied with promises, and when thepope, after holding a council atSpoleto, returned toRome, they continued their oppressions as before. At the usual paschal synod which Leo was in the habit of holding atRome, theheresy ofBerengarius of Tours was condemned—a condemnation repeated by thepope a few months later atVercelli. Before the year 1050 had come to a close, Leo had begun his second transalpine journey. He went first to Toul, in order solemnly to translate therelics ofGerard,bishop of that city, whom he had justcanonized, and then toGermany to interview the Emperor Henry the Black. One of the results of this meeting was that Hunfrid,Archbishop ofRavenna, was compelled by the emperor to cease acting as though he were the independent ruler ofRavenna and its district, and to submit to thepope. Returning toRome, Leo held another of his paschalsynods in April, 1051, and in July went to take possession ofBenevento. Harassed by their enemies, the Beneventans concluded that their only hope of peace was to submit themselves to the authority of thepope. This they did, and received Leo into their city with the greatesthonour. While in this vicinity, Leo again made further efforts to lessen the excesses of the Normans, but they were crippled by the native Lombards, who with as much folly as wickedness massacred a number of the Normans in Apulia. Realizing that nothing could then be done with the irate Norman survivors, Leo retraced his steps toRome (1051).

The Norman question was henceforth ever present to thepope's mind. Constantly oppressed by the Normans, the people of SouthernItaly ceased not to implore thepope to come and help them. The Greeks, fearful of being expelled from the peninsula altogether, begged Leo to co-operate with them against the common foe. Thus urged, Leo sought assistance on all sides. Failing to obtain it, he again tried the effect of personal mediation (1052). But again failure attended his efforts. He began to be convinced that appeal would have to be made to the sword. At this juncture an embassy arrived from the Hungarians, entreating him to come and make peace between them and the emperor. Again Leo crossed the Alps, but, thinking he was sure of success, Henry would not accept the terms proposed by thepope, with the result that his expedition against the Hungariansproved a failure. And though he at first undertook to let Leo have a German force to act against the Normans, he afterwards withdrew his promise, and thepope had to return toItaly with only a few German troops raised by his relatives (1053). In March, 1053, Leo was back inRome. Finding the state of affairs in SouthernItaly worse than ever, he raised what forces he could among the Italian princes, and, declaringwar on the Normans, tried to effect a junction with the Greek general. But the Normans defeated first the Greeks and then thepope at Civitella (June, 1053). After the battle Leo gave himself up to his conquerors, who treated him with the utmost respect and consideration, and professed themselves his soldiers.

Though he gained more by defeat than he could have gained by victory, Leo betook himself toBenevento, a broken-hearted man. The slain at Civitella were ever before him, and he was profoundly troubled by the attitude ofMichael Cærularius,Patriarch of Constantinople. That ambitiousprelate was determined, if possible, to have no superior in either Church or State. As early as 1042, he had struck thepope's name off the sacreddiptychs, and soon proceeded, first in private and then in public, to attack theLatin Church because it used unfermented bread (azymes) in theSacrifice of the Mass. At length, and that, too, in a most barbarous manner, he closed the Latin churches in Constantinople. In reply to thisviolence, Leo addressed a strong letter to Michael (Sept., 1053), and began to study Greek in order the better to understand the matters in dispute. However, if Michael had taken advantage of thepope's difficulties with the Normans to push his plans, the Greek Emperor, seeing that his hold on SouthernItaly was endangered by the Norman success, put pressure on the patriarch to make him more respectful to thepope. To the conciliatory letters which Constantine andCærularius now dispatched toRome, Leo sent suitable replies (Jan., 1054), blaming the arrogance of the patriarch. His letters were conveyed by two distinguishedcardinals, Humbert and Frederick, but he had departed this life before the momentous issue of his embassy was known inRome. On 16 July, 1054, the twocardinalsexcommunicatedCærularius, and the East was finally cut off from the body of theChurch.

The annals ofEngland show that Leo had many relations with that country, and its saintly King Edward. He dispensed the king from avow which he had taken to make apilgrimage toRome, on condition that he givealms to thepoor, and endow amonastery inhonour of St. Peter. Leo also authorized the translation of the See of Crediton toExeter, and forbade theconsecration of the unworthyAbbot of Abingdon (Spearhafor) asBishop ofLondon. Throughout the troubles which Robert of Jumièges,Archbishop ofCanterbury, had with thefamily of Earl Godwin, he received the support of thepope, who sent him thepallium and condemned Stigand, the usurper of hissee (1053?). King Macbeth, the supposed murderer of Duncan, whomShakespeare has immortalized, is believed to have visitedRome during Leo's pontificate, and may be thought to have exposed the needs of hissoul to that tender father. After the battle of Civitella Leo never recovered his spirits. Seized at length with a mortal illness, he caused himself to be carried toRome (March, 1054), where he died a most edifying death. He wasburied in St. Peter's, was a worker ofmiracles both in life and in death, and found a place in the Roman Martyrology.

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