Leo I AD 457-474. Constantinople
Solidus AV

20 mm, 4,34 g

D N LEO PERPET AVG, pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly to right, holding spear and shield decorated with horseman motif / VICTORIA AVGGG A, Victory standing to left, holding long jewelled cross; star in right field, CONOB in exergue.

very fine

RIC X 605; Depeyrot 93/1.

Leo I, Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474, rose from humble origins, commanding military forces before ascending to the throne at the prompting of the influential Aspar. His rule departed from the Theodosian-Valentinian dynasty, emphasizing a proactive approach to the challenges facing both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. To stabilize the West, Leo dispatched Anthemius in 467, providing substantial military and financial support, but the planned reconquest of Africa in 468 ended in failure, straining finances. Leo strategically countered Aspar's dominance by establishing the excubitores, a guard loyal to him, and fostering the rise of Zeno through marriage to his daughter. The power struggle culminated in 471, as Leo, supported by the excubitores, eliminated Aspar and Ardaburius, earning him the epithet "the Butcher." Leo adeptly navigated foreign relations, rejecting Hunnic overtures, resolving Gothic conflicts, and appointing Western emperors Olybrius and Julius Nepos, though stability remained elusive. His policies contributed to peace with the Sassanids, alleviating Eastern military pressures. Leo's death in 474 led to his grandson Leo II briefly succeeding him, followed by Zeno. His legacy included a vanished forum in Constantinople, built in 471, and indications of Eastern Roman efforts to forge closer ties with China during his reign.