Leo Marsicanus (meaning "of the

Marsi The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained in the time of Claudius). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. They originally spoke a l ...

") or Ostiensis (meaning "of Ostia"), also known as Leone dei Conti di Marsi (1046,

Marsica Marsica is a geographical and historical region in Abruzzo, central Italy, including 37 ''comuni'' in the province of L'Aquila. It is located between the plain of the former Fucine Lake, the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, National Par ...

– 1115/7, Ostia), was a nobleman and monk of

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

around 1061 and Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

from the 12th century. In Monte Cassino, he became a friend of Desiderius of Benevento, later

Pope Victor III Pope Victor III ( 1026 – 16 September 1087), born Dauferio Epifani Del Zotto, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 May 1086 to his death. He was the successor of Pope Gregory VII, yet his pontificate is far ...

, and it was to him that Leo dedicated his most famous work as an historian and chronicler, being a librarian: the ''Chronica Monasterii Casinensis''. The chronicler depends largely on Amatus' earlier work, but also on oral traditions and other archives. Leo finished it at 1075; it is continued by other monastic librarian

Peter the Deacon Peter the Deacon (fl. 1115–1159) was the librarian of the abbey of Montecassino and continuator of the ''Chronicon monasterii Casinensis'', usually called the Monte Cassino Chronicle in English. The chronicle was originally written by Leo o ...

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

created him

cardinal deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...

in 1088 with the deaconry of ''Ss. Vito e Modesto''. In 1101,

Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was creat ...

promoted him

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Ostia. In 1105, he was appointed cardinal - bishop of

Velletri Velletri (; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring communes are Rocca di Papa, Lar ...

until his death.

Sources

* Norwich, John Julius. ''The Normans in the South 1016-1130''. Longmans:

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 1967. * *

External links

*''Chronicon Monasterii Casinensis''
Leo Marsicanus, Cardinalis: ''Chronica Monasterii Casinensis''
Italian chroniclers 1046 births 12th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Ostia 12th-century Italian historians 1110s deaths 12th-century writers in Latin 11th-century Italian cardinals {{Cardinal-stub