Leo II (emperor)
Leo II (Latin: Flavius Leo Augustus; Greek: Λέων Β', Leōn II; c. 467 – 10 November 474) was briefly the Byzantine (East Roman) emperor in 474 AD when he was a child aged 7. He was the son of Zeno, the Isaurian general and future emperor, and Ariadne, the daughter of Emperor Leo I. Leo II was made co-emperor with his grandfather Leo I on 18 November 473, and became sole emperor on 18 January 474 after Leo I died of dysentery. His father Zeno was made co-emperor by the Byzantine Senate on 9 February and they co-ruled for a short time before Leo II died on 10 November 474.
| Leo II | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire | |||||||||
_(14560060739).jpg) An illustration of Leo II (right) with his grandfather Leo I (left), based on coins bearing their image. | |||||||||
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | |||||||||
| Reign | 18 November 473 – 18 January 474 (Caesar under Leo I) 18 January 474 – 10 November 474 (Augustus) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Leo I | ||||||||
| Successor | Zeno | ||||||||
| Co-emperors | Zeno (9 February 474 – 10 November 474) Glycerius (Western Emperor, 473-474) Julius Nepos (Western Emperor, 474) | ||||||||
| Consul of the Roman Empire | |||||||||
| Reign | 1 January 474 – 10 November 474 | ||||||||
| Born | 467 AD | ||||||||
| Died | 10 November 474 (aged 7) Constantinople | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Dynasty | Leonid | ||||||||
| Father | Zeno | ||||||||
| Mother | Ariadne | ||||||||
History
Leo II was born in 467, the son of Zeno, an Isaurian general under Leo I, and Ariadne, the daughter of then emperor Leo I.[1] He was the maternal grandson of Emperor Leo I and Empress Verina.[2] Leo II was made caesar on 18 November 473, making him co-emperor alongside his grandfather Leo I.[1][2][3][4] He was crowned at the Hippodrome, and the ceremony was presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch.[5] He was also appointed as the sole consul for 474 around this time.[4] When Leo I died of dysentery on 18 January 474, Leo II ascended the throne.[1][2][3][6] On 9 February 474, the Byzantine Senate made his father Zeno co-emperor under Leo II, as Leo II was too young to sign official documents.[4][7] Leo II died soon after, on 10 November 474, at the age of 7, leaving Zeno as the sole emperor.[1][2][3]
His death having occurred so soon after he became emperor has led to speculation among some modern scholars that he was poisoned by his mother Ariadne so that Zeno could ascend to the throne. However no contemporary sources raised this suggestion, even though Zeno was unpopular, thus it is considered likely that Leo II's death was natural, especially when the high child mortality rate of the time is considered.[1][2][3] Victor of Tonona, a 6th-century chronicler, says that Leo II did not actually die, but was rather taken by Ariadne and hidden at a monastery. This is very likely a confusion with Basiliscus, the son of the Byzantine commander Armatus. Basiliscus was crowned caesar in 476 and was almost executed in 477 after his father was murdered by Zeno, but was saved by Ariadne. The confusion likely stems from the fact that Basiliscus was renamed Leo in order to avoid association with the usurper who rose against Zeno.[8]
Zeno was vastly unpopular, due to a lack of dynastic prestige, with his only familial ties to the imperial throne being his marriage to Ariadne, the daughter of Leo I, and through his now-dead son Leo II. Additionally, because he was an Isaurian, he was seen as a foreigner by the Byzantine elite, and the treasury was empty on his ascension.[9] Zeno's sole rule was opposed by the House of Leo, with Verina, the widow of Leo I, proclaiming her brother Basiliscus as emperor in January 475. Zeno fled, and for 20 months Basiliscus ruled before Zeno returned and retook the throne.[2][10] Zeno's rule was marked by constant unrest, and it was only through cunning and bribery that he managed to rule for 17 years, until his death on 9 April 491.[2][9][10]
References
Primary sources
- Anonymus Valesianus II (Anonymous, 6th century).[11]
- Chronicon Paschale (Anonymous, 7th century).[11]
- Makhtbhanuth Zabhne (Bar Hebraeus, 13th century).[12]
- Chronicle of Domninos (6th century).[13]
- Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus (6th century).[11]
- Book XIV of the Chronographia of John Malalas (6th century).[14]
- Romana (Jordanes, 6th century).[11]
- Chronicle of Michael the Syrian (12th century).[12]
- Chronicle of Nestorianos (6th century).[15]
- Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor (8th century).[12]
- Chronicle of Victor of Tonona (6th century).[11]
- Extracts of History (Joannes Zonaras, 12th century).[11]
Citations
- Carr 2015, p. 55.
- Lee 2013, p. 100.
- Adkins & Adkins 2004, p. 38.
- James 2013, p. 110.
- Dagron 2003, pp. 81–82.
- Meijer 2004, p. 159.
- Kosinski 2016, p. 148.
- Shalev-Hurvitz 2015, p. 231.
- Jones 2014, p. 91.
- Freely 2010, p. 108.
- Jones & Martindale 1980, p. 141.
- McClanan 2016, p. 67.
- Jeffreys, Croke & Scott 2017, p. 33.
- Jeffreys, Croke & Scott 2017, p. 2.
- Jeffreys, Croke & Scott 2017, p. 142.
Bibliography
- Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy A. (2004). Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 9780816074822.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Carr, John (2015). Fighting Emperors of Byzantium. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473856400.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Dagron, Gilbert (2003). Emperor and Priest: the Imperial Office in Byzantium. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521801232.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Freely, John (2010). Children of Achilles: the Greeks in Asia Minor Since the Days of Troy. London: I. B. Tauris. ISBN 9781845119416.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- James, Liz (2013). Wonderful things: Byzantium Through Its Art: Papers From the 42nd Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, London, 20-22 March 2009. Farnham: Ashgate Variorum. ISBN 9781409455141.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jeffreys, Elizabeth; Croke, Brian; Scott, Roger (2017). Studies in John Malalas. BRILL. ISBN 9789004344624.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jones, A.H.M. (2014). The Decline of the Ancient World. Routledge. ISBN 9781317873051.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Martindale, J. R. (1980). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume 2, AD 395-527. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521201599.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Lee, A. D. (2013). From Rome to Byzantium AD 363 to 565: the Transformation of Ancient Rome. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748668359.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- McClanan, A. (2016). Representations of Early Byzantine Empresses: Image and Empire. Springer. ISBN 9781137044693.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- McEvoy, M. A. (2019). 'Leo II, Zeno, and the transfer of power from a son to his father in AD 474', in J.-W. Drijvers and N. Lenski (eds). The Fifth Century: Age of Transformation. Edipuglia.
- Meijer, Fik (2004). Emperors Don't Die in Bed. Routledge. ISBN 9781134384051.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Shalev-Hurvitz, Vered (2015). Holy Sites Encircled: The Early Byzantine Concentric Churches of Jerusalem. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199653775.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Leo II (emperor) Leonid Dynasty Born: 468 Died: 10 November 474 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leo I |
Eastern Roman Emperor 474 |
Succeeded by Zeno |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Leo I (alone) |
Consul of the Roman Empire 474 |
Succeeded by Zeno (east only) |