From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leo I
(
Latin
:
Leo Primus
; c. 400 ? 10 November 461), also known as
Leo the Great
, was an
Italian
priest of the
Roman Catholic Church
and the
45th
Pope
from 29 September 440 to his death on 10 November 461.
[1]
Nothing is known about his early life. Little is known about his early work in the church. The first unmistakable reference to Pope Leo is in 429 when he was only a deacon.
[2]
Leo was made
Bishop of Rome
on 29 September 440.
[3]
In other words, he became pope.
[4]
Leo is one of only two popes who are called "the Great". The other "great" is the
first pope named Gregory
.
[5]
In 452, Leo I peacefully convinced
Attila
the Hun
not
to destroy and plunder Rome. This made him a legendary figure in Italy.
Leo also wrote many scholarly books. One of them, a "Tome" on the Nature of Christ, was read out to both the Roman Emperor and to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Afterwards, they followed Leo's recommendations, and officially accepted certain religious matters, and rejected others. These decisions had many political implications, in many areas of the Eastern Roman Empire, for centuries to come.
Media related to
Leo I Magnus
at Wikimedia Commons