St. Leo III
Leo · 795 – 816
Crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800, reshaping the relationship between the papacy and European politics.
Leo III was a Roman of modest origins who became pope in 795. His early years were rocky: Roman nobles attacked him in 799, beating him badly and attempting to gouge out his eyes. He fled to Charlemagne's court in Paderborn and was escorted back to Rome under Frankish protection. On Christmas Day 800, during Mass at St. Peter's, Leo placed a crown on Charlemagne's head and declared him Emperor of the Romans. Whether Charlemagne expected this is debated; the act nonetheless established a new political framework for Europe. Leo also supported Charlemagne's insistence on adding the Filioque clause to the Creed in Frankish territories, though he refused to alter the Roman version. He died in 816.
A Crown and Its Consequences
When Leo placed the crown on Charlemagne, he wasn't just honoring a powerful king. He was asserting that the pope had the authority to make an emperor. That claim would drive European politics for the next seven centuries, sometimes to the benefit of the Church, sometimes to its grief.
The Filioque Compromise
Leo agreed with the theology of the Filioque but had the political sense not to unilaterally alter the Creed. He had silver shields inscribed with the original text and hung them in St. Peter's. It was a way of saying: the truth is right here, but we're not going to start a fight over words right now.