LEO I 457-474AD Byzantine “Roman” Ancient Genuine Coin MONOGRAM i20588

Item: i20588

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Leo I – Roman Emperor: 457-474 A.D. –

Bronze AE4 10mm (0.62 grams) Constantinople mint: 457-474 A.D.

Reference: RIC 684

DNLEOPFAVG – Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.

Leo’s monogram
.

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Authenticity.

Valerius Leo (401–18 January 474), known in English as Leo the Thracian or Leo

I, was a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 457 to 474. He was known as Magnus Thrax (the “Great Thracian”) by his supporters, and Leo the Butcher by his

enemies.

Ruling the Eastern Empire for nearly 20 years from 457 to 474, Leo proved to be

a capable ruler, overseeing many ambitious political and military plans, aimed

mostly for the aid of the faltering Western Roman Empire and recovering its

former territories. Born as Leo Marcellus in the year 401 to a Thraco-Roman

family (of the Daci or Bessi tribe), he served in the Roman army,

rising to the rank of count (comes). He was the last of a series of emperors

placed on the throne by Aspar, the Alan serving as commander-in-chief of the

army, who thought Leo would be an easy puppet ruler.

Leo’s coronation as emperor on February 7 457, was the first known to

involve the Patriarch of Constantinople. Leo I made an alliance with the Isaurians and was thus able to eliminate Aspar. The price of the alliance was

the marriage of Leo’s daughter to Tarasicodissa, leader of the Isaurians who, as

Zeno, became emperor in 474. In 469 Aspar attempted to assassinate Zeno, and

very nearly succeeded. Finally in 471 Aspar’s son Ardabur was implicated in a

plot against Leo and both were killed by palace eunuchs acting on Leo’s orders.

During Leo’s reign, the Balkans were ravaged time and again by the East Goths

and the Huns. However, these attackers were unable to take Constantinople thanks

to the walls which had been rebuilt and reinforced in the reign of Theodosius II

and against which they possessed no suitable siege engines.Leo’s reign was also

noteworthy for his influence in the Western Roman Empire, marked by his

appointment of Anthemius as Western Roman Emperor in 467. He attempted to build

on this political achievement with an expedition against the Vandals in 468,

which was defeated due to arrogance of Leo’s brother-in-law Basiliscus. This

disaster drained the Empire of men and money. The expedition, which cost 130,000

pounds of gold and 700 pounds of silver, consisted of 1,113 ships carrying

100,000 men, but in the end lost 600 ships.

Leo’s greatest influence in the West was largely inadvertent and at second-hand:

the great Goth king Theodoric the Great was raised at Leo’s court in

Constantinople, where he was steeped in Roman government and military tactics,

which served him well when he returned after Leo’s death to become the Goth

ruler of a mixed but largely Romanized people.

Leo died of dysentery at the age of 73 on January 18, 474.Leo and Verina had

three children. Their eldest daughter Ariadne was born prior to the death of

Marcian (reigned 450 – 457). Ariadne had a younger sister, Leontia. Leontia

was first married to Patricius, a son of Aspar. Their marriage was probably

annulled when Aspar and another of his sons, Ardabur, were assassinated in 471.

Leontia then married Marcian, a son of Anthemius and Marcia Euphemia. The couple

led a failed revolt against Zeno in 478-479. They were exiled to Isauria
following their defeat.

An unnamed son was born in 463. He died five months following his birth. The

only sources about him are a horoscope by Rhetorius and a hagiography of Daniel

the Stylite.

The Georgian Chronicle, a 13th century compilation drawing from earlier sources,

reports a marriage of Vakhtang I of Iberia to Princess Helena of Byzantium,

identifying her as a daughter of the predecessor of Zeno. This predecessor

was probably Leo I, the tale attributing a third daughter to Leo. Cyril Toumanoff identified two children of this marriage. Mithridates of Iberia and

Leo of Iberia. This younger Leo was father of Guaram I of Iberia. The accuracy

of the descent is unknown.