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Leo I – Roman Emperor: 457-474 A.D. –
Bronze AE4 10mm (1.19 grams) Struck circa 457-474 A.D.
Reference: RIC 676/a
DNLEO – Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
RRev: No legend Exe: CON – Lion seated left.
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Authenticity.
 Flavius
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[1][2] or Bessi[3] 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 [4], was the first known to
involve the Patriarch of Constantinople[5]. 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[6], 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). [7]. 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. [8]
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. [9]
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. [10]. 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.
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