Leo I (390–461)
Born 390 CE, died 461 CE.
Pope Leo I (Italian: Leone I) (c. 391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (Latin: Leo Magnus; Italian: Leone Magno), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November 461. Leo was a Roman aristocrat. During his reign, he contributed significantly to developing ideas of papal authority, which he founded upon the apostolic succession of the Bishop of Rome from St. Peter. He is perhaps best known for meeting Attila the Hun in 452 and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy, though how large a part his personal authority played is debated by scholars. He is also well-known for his role in the debates of the Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, during which he issued the famous Tome of Leo, which elucidated the hypostatic union of Christ's two natures, divine and human, united in one person. For his theological contributions, he was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV with the title Doctor unitatis Ecclesiae ("Doctor of the Church's Unity"). Additionally, he is the first of the three Popes listed in the Annuario Pontificio with the title "the Great," alongside Gregory I and Nicholas I.
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