Leontius (; died 488) was a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and claimant to the throne who led a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

against

Emperor Zeno Zeno (; ; – 9 April 491) was Eastern Roman emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. His reign was plagued by domestic revolts and religious dissension, but was more successful on the foreign front. He is credited with further stabil ...

in 484–488.

Biography

Leontius was of Syrian or Isaurian origin, coming from Dalisandus. Under

Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...

he became '' magister militum per Thracias'' (Commander-in-chief of the Imperial army in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

). In 484, the Roman general

Illus Flavius Illus (; died 488) was a Roman general who played an important role in the reigns of the Eastern Emperors Zeno (emperor), Zeno and Basiliscus. Illus supported the revolt of Basiliscus against Zeno and switched sides to support the return ...

broke off his relationship with Emperor Zeno. The emperor sent Leontius with an army against Illus, but Illus managed to persuade Leontius to go over to his side. Zeno was not popular with the people of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, a crucial part of Eastern Roman politics, because he was an

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

n (although he might just as well have been Syrian as Theophanes points out directly) and as such he was considered a barbarian (which is why he had suffered an usurpation in 475/476 by

Basiliscus Basiliscus (; died 476/477) was Eastern Roman emperor from 9 January 475 to August 476. He became in 464, under his brother-in-law, Emperor Leo I (457–474). Basiliscus commanded the army for an invasion of the Vandal Kingdom in 468, which ...

); Illus, who also was an Isaurian, decided not to take it for himself but to raise Leontius to the throne. Leontius's coronation took place in Tarsus on July 19, 484 – the day was chosen, following the advice of some astrologers, as a favourable day – at the hands of Empress Dowager

Verina Aelia Verina (Greek: Βερίνα; died 484) was the Eastern Roman empress as the wife of Leo I. She was a sister of Emperor Basiliscus. Her daughter Ariadne also became empress. Verina was the maternal grandmother of Leo II. Family The origi ...

, who then sent a letter to the governors of the

Diocese of the East The Diocese of the East, also called the Diocese of Oriens, (; ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia. During late Antiquity, it was one of t ...

and of the

Diocese of Egypt The Diocese of Egypt (; ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire (from 395 the Eastern Roman Empire), incorporating the provinces of Egypt and Cyrenaica. Its capital was at Alexandria, and its governor had the unique title of '' praefectus au ...

suggesting they accept the usurper as emperor. Leontius was recognized in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

, where he entered July 27, and in some other places; he even had time to nominate officersAmong these Justinian, an ex-honorary consul, who had followed Illus and Leontius in Antioch and soon after had been proclaimed ''

comes sacrarum largitionum The ''comes sacrarum largitionum'' ("Count of the Sacred Largesses"; in , ''kómes tōn theíon thesaurōn'') was one of the senior fiscal officials of the late Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire. Although it is first attested in 342/3 ...

'' of the usurper Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, "Iustinianus 5", ''

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

'', volume 1, Cambridge University Press, 1992, , p. 645. and to mint coins, before facing the reaction of Zeno. Zeno's army, composed of Roman and

Ostrogothic The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

troops under the command of Theodoric the Amal and

John the Scythian John the Scythian (, ; ''floruit'' 482–498) was a general and a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire who fought against the usurper Leontius (usurper), Leontius (484–488) and in the Isaurian War (492–497). Biography John was an officer o ...

, defeated the rebel army near Antioch (August 8). Illus and Leontius were forced to take refuge inside the fortress of

Papurius Papurius or Papyrius was a fortress in Cilicia Campestris, near Tarsus. It was in this fortress that the usurper Marcian was held prisoner after his failed revolt in 479, and where Leontius and his general and king-maker Illus were besieged betw ...

, where the insurgents held out for four years. In 488 the fortress fell through treachery; Leontius was put to death, beheaded at

Seleucia on the Calycadnus Silifke is a municipality and district of Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,692 km2, and its population is 132,665 (2022). It is west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of the Çukurova plain. Silifke lies on the Göksu River, the ...

, and his head was sent to Zeno. Since Illus and Leontius were both

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branches of Christianity that accept and uphold theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, held in AD 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christological Definitio ...

s, they gained the support of

Callandion Calendion of Antioch (also, ''Calandion'' or ''Callandion'') was the Patriarch of Antioch between 479 and 485. Biography Calendion supported the results of the Council of Chalcedon but refused to accept the Henotikon of 482, through which th ...

patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

, but otherwise had little support. Also some pagans supported the revolt, among whom was the poet, philosopher, and soothsayer

Pamprepius Pamprepius (, ''Pamprépios''; Latin: ''Pamprepius''; 29 September 440 – November 484) was a philosopher and a pagan poet who rebelled against the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno (emperor), Zeno. Damascius described him as a brilliant poet, Malchu ...

Notes

References

* Hugh, Elton
"Leontius (AD 484–488)"
, ''De Imperatoribur Romanis'' * Smith, William, "Illus", ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

''. * * Trombley, Frank R., and John W. Watt, ''The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite'', Liverpool University Press, 2000, , p. 14. * Williams, Stephen, ''The Rome That Did Not Fall: the survival of the East in the fifth century'', Routledge, 1999, , p. 195. {{DEFAULTSORT:Leontius 5th-century births 488 deaths Byzantine generals Byzantine usurpers Executed Byzantine people 5th-century executions by the Byzantine Empire 5th-century Byzantine people 5th-century Christians 5th-century rebels People executed by decapitation 5th-century Syrian people