Leo VII, Pope, a Roman, sometimes called Leo VI, succeeded Jolm XI, the son of Marozia, January 8, 930. He mediated peace between Alberic, duke of Rome, and Hugo, king of Italy, who had offered to marry Marozia, in order to obtain by her means the possession of Rome, but was driven away by Alberic, also JNIarozia's son. Leo is said to have been a man of irreproachable con- duct, but little is known of him. He died in 939, and was succeeded by Stephen VIII. We have of hiin an epistola to Hugo, abbot of St. Martin of Tours, pubhshed in D'Acher}''s Spicileyium ; two others to Gerard, arch- bishop of Lorch, and to the bishops of France and Ger- many. See jNIabillon, A nnales Ordinis S. Benedicii, vols, ii and iv; '^hvca.iori, Rerum Italicarum Scriptores, voL iii; Fleury, Hist. Ecclesiast.; Haxonms, Aftnal. cent, x; Bower, Hist, of the Popes, v, 97 sq. ; Reichel, Roman See in the Middle Ayes, p. 121 ; Baxmann, Politik der Pdpste, ii, 93 ; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. viii, 310 ; Enylish Cyclo- pcedia; Hoefer, Nouv. Bioy. Generale, xxx, 712.
Leo VIII, Pope, a Roman, succeeded John XII, who was deposed for his misconduct by a council assem- bled at Rome, in presence of the emperor Otho I, in 903. But soon after Otho had left Rome, John XII came in again at the head of his partisans, obliged Leo to run away, and resumed the papal office. John, however, shortly after died or was murdered while committing adultery, and the Romans elected Benedict V. Otho, re- turning with an army, took the city of Rome, exiled Ben- edict, and reinstated Leo, who died about 905, and was succeeded by John XIII. See Baronius, A nnal. xvi, 129 ; Platina, Historia, p. 14 ; Bower, Hist, of the Popes, v, 112 sq. ; Riddle, Hist, of the Papacy, ii, 42; Reichel, Roman See in the Middle Ayes, p. 126 sq., 210; Baxmann, Pol- itik der Pdpste, ii, 1 14 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Bioy. Gen. xxx, 713.
Leo IX (Bruno), Pofie, bishop of Toul, was bom in Alsace in 1002, and was cousin-german of the emperor Conrad the Salic. He was noted for great scholarly at- tainments, and was elected in 1049 to succeed Damasus II, at the joint recommendation of the emperor Henry III and of the famous Hildebrand (afterwards ( iregory VII), who became one of Leo IX's most trusted advisers and guides. Indeed, it has often been a matter of com- ment that the reign of Leo IX was rather Gregorian in tendency. Leo was continually in motion between (ier- many and Italy, holding councils and endeavoring to reform the discipline and morals of the clergy, and also to check the progress of the Normans in Southern Italy, against whom he led an army, but was defeated in Apu- lia and taken prisoner by the Normans, who treated liim witli great respect, but kept him for more than a year in Benevento. Having made peace with them by grant- ing to them as a fief of tlie Roman see their conquests in Apulia and Calabria, he was allowed to return to Rome, where he died in 1054. and was succeeded by Victor II. Ainong the councils lield by Leo IX, one was convened at Rome (1050) against Berengar (ip v.), and in favor of Lanfranc (q. v.). Another important council held during his pontificate was that of Rheims in 1049, where many laws were enacted against simony, clerical matrimonv, and the conditions and relations of
LEO X
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monks and priests. Labbe and C<is.sart's Cone, contain nineteen letters of this iiopc (ix, 949-1001). Sec Baro- nius, Annul, xvii, l'J-107 ; Muratori, lucrum Ilulicarum IScrijUares, iii, 277, 278 ; Gfrijrer, Kirchenyeschichte, iv, 1 ; Hotter, Die ikutschen Pdbste, ii, 3-214; Baxmann, Po^j- tik der I'dpste, i, 359 sq. ; ii, 191 sq. ; Bower, Hist, of the Popes, V, 1(54 sq. ; Kiddle, Hist, of the Papacji, ii, 105 sq. ; Ilunkler, Leo JX u. s, Zeit (Mayence, 1851); Milman, Jlist. of Latin Christianity, iii, 240 S(j. ; Kanke, Ilist. of the Papacy ; Keichel, Roman See in the Middle Ayes, p. 189 sq., 191 sq., 217, 244, 292 ; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. viii, 317 sq. ; Enylish Cydop. s. v.; Hoefer, Kouv.Bioy. Geiiirale, xxx, 714.
Leo X {Giorunni de' Medici), pope from 1513 to 1521, was born at Florence Dec. 11, 1475. He was the second son of the celebrated Lorenzo de' Medici (born Jan. 31, 1448 ; died April 8, 1492), surnamcd " the Mag- niticent," and grandson of Cosmo de' Medici (born in 1389, (lied in 14G4). From infancy Giovanni had been destined by his father to an ecclesiastical career, for to the lot of Pietro, the elder child, fell the succession in the Florentine government, and, as Giovanni early showed signs of ability, the great aim of Lorenzo was to secure for Ids house, by his second child, the intiuence of the Church. At the tender age of seven Giovanni was sub- jected to the tonsure, and at once presented by Louis XII of France with the rich living of the abbey of Font- douce, and by pope Sixtus IV himself with that of the wealthy convent of Passignano. Various other rich livings were added to these successively, and in 1488, finally, the youthful ecclesiastic, of but thirteen j^ears of age, was by pojie Innocent VIII (father-in-law of Gio- vanni's sister Maddalena) presented with the cardinal's rank, limited by the condition only that the insignia of this distinction should not be assumed until his studies had been completed at Pisa. Hitherto Ids education had been intrusted to tutors mainly, and among them were the famous Greek historian Chalcondylas, and the learned Angelo Poliziano; he noAv set out at once for I'isa, and having there completed his theological stud- ies in 1492, was on March the 9th of this same year in- stalled at Florence into the cardinal's position, and three days after set out for and took up his residence in the Eternal City. Scarce had a month passed his induction to the cardinal's dignitj^ when intelligence reached Rome that Lorenzo the iNIagniticent was no more, and hastily Giovanni retraced his steps to Florence, to afford succor and sujiport to his weak but elder brother Pietro, upon whom now depended the continuance of the power of the Medici over Florence. In July of this year (1492) Innocent VIII died, and as Giovanni had opposed the election of his successor, Alexander VI, the Medici could no longer hope for support from the papacy. Blind- ly and madly, amid all these disadvantages, Pietro, un- satisfied with absolute power mdess he could display the ijomp and exercise the cruelties of despotism, con- trived, in the short space of two years, to secure, in- stead of the love and good will, the hatred of the Flor- entines. Their enthusiastic devotion to the house of the Medici hitherto alone prevented any attempt to subvert his authority. They remained quiet even in 1494, when Charles VIII of France came into Italy to enforce his claim to the throne of Naples, and when Pi- etro joined the house of Aragon, instead of becoming a confederate of the French, as his ancestors had always been. But when Pietro, equally presumptuous in secu- rity and timid in danger, terrified by tlie unexpected success of the French, tied to the camp of Charles, and, kneeling at his feet, abandoned himself and his country to his mercy, the indignation of the Florentines coukl no longer be stayed, and, entering into a treatv with the French, they stipidated especially the exile of the :Medi- ci (Nov. 1494). After his capitulation to king Charles, I'ietro had returned to Florence, but the enraged popu- lace made his stay impossible, and he quickly tied the city, (iiovanni, bokler and more courageous than his elder brother, assisted by a few faithful friends, well-