Senatum Populusque Romanus: lucky7 Restores Rome, Chapter 2: Bellis Termino

Leon following his coronation, alongside his first wife and eldest daughter. He would alternate between a short beard and  a clean-shaven look for much of his early reign, finally settling on staying shaven in an attempt to distance himself from Konstantinos.

Saint Leon's coronation was a brief moment of respite for the Empire, as some of Basileios' aggressive foreign policy came back to haunt the empire. Former lands of the Khazar Khanate Basileios had annexed seceded upon hearing news of the Macedonian's death. Without this foothold in the Crimea, Byzantine expansion into Taurica and beyond would be stunted for the next several decades.

Leon famously raged for days upon hearing this news.

Whether to continue his father's legacy or out of sheer stubbornness, Leon vowed to see Italia under Roman rule. This began with his fending off the Pope in the war that had cost Basileios his mind, his health, and ultimately his life. On the 17th of February 892, Pope Adrian II surrendered his claim to the Eternal city.

Adrian II is famously remembered as the last Pope to reside in Rome.

However, as much as he would have liked to, Saint Leon could not simply march his legions onto Italian soil; the Kings in the West feared Byzantine power just as much as they derided it, and would all stand together against any assault. Thus he began his search for claimants to the Italian throne, a process which would take most of his life to complete.

With the immediate threat of the Pope removed and a relatively stable realm, Leon soon shifted his focus to matters of the faith. preparing immediately for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

A most holy man.

Before he departed, Leon ensured his personal troops and the Varangian Guard would remain busy by ordering the reconquest of Sicily., starting with the Duke of Benevento. Reduced by Basil's conquests to ruling solely the County of Foggia, Duke Aimone never stood a chance against the Byzantine's onslaught.

The Battle of  Melisende

During Leon's pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he found himself awash in the airs of the Holy City, and it was during this time he performed his first recorded miracle. Isaakios Kopsenos, a monk residing in Jerusalem, recorded his account of the incident (courtesy once again of the Ecumenical Archives):

It was noon, and the streets were bustling with pilgrims. The streets smelled as they always did, and I was on my way to the butcher when I saw a fellow Greek staring agape as he wandered through the city. For reasons I still do not fully understand, I greeted him, delighting in the use of my native tongue. He gestured to the sick in the alley ways and asked "Why are these people left hungry in the City of the Lord?"

"Because," I responded, "The Jizya tax has forced more than one family to either convert to Islam or face financial ruin." [Author's Note: There are no records, Arabian or otherwise, indicating this ever happened. Keep in mind that however easy it might be to extol Rome's virtues today and demonize the Abbasids, the world in 892 was a much harsher place, and the Empire's future much less certain.]


"This is not right," the Greek said, and with that he set about distributing alms to the poor out of his pack. I watched him for half an hour before joining in, and soon we were on our way through the Holy City giving food. Not once did I see him refill his pack, and yet not once did I see it run out.

"What is your name?" I asked of this most charitable man.

He replied simply "Leon."

Whether this story is true or not, what is known is that Leon came out of Jerusalem a changed man, bent on returning the Holy Land to Christian rule. But before he could embark on this expedition, Leon needed to solidify his prestige and economic power among the Doux. Thus he turned his eyes to Venice, declaring war on the city-state in 892. It was also during this time Leon divorced his first wife, Hypatia, citing a need for a male heir and consanguinity.

Leon routinely spent time meditating on matters of the faith.

A promise kept.

The Reconquest of Venice went smoothly and Leon installed his uncle Marinos as Doge of Venice. Marinos would soon pass away, leaving the title to Leon's half-brother Georgios. From there, Byzantine armies marched across Croatia, conquering first Veglia and then Senj. During the second war, Leon received crushing news; his brother, Georgios, had died in the fighting.

A portrait of Doge Georgios commissioned six months before his death.

His grief was short lived, however, as on the 17th of August 894, Basileios II was born. Leon was away on campaign against the Italians, continuing his reclamation of Sicily and search for a claimant to the throne. Overjoyed at the birth of his son, Leon soon marched south against the Aghlabids in a gamble to reclaim Tunis. His campaign met with resounding success, and at last Leon turned his gaze towards his ultimate target: Jerusalem.

Cataphractoi at the Battle of Ascalon.