LEO V, POPE

Pontificate: July to September 903; the successor of benedict iv; from Arden. A simple priest from Priapi, in the district of Ardea, Leo was not a member of the Roman clergy when elected pope. After three months in office he was imprisoned and killed by Christopher, cardinal priest of S. Damaso, who succeeded him as pope (antipope?) from September 903 to January 904. Christopher, in turn, was deposed and executed by sergius iii. Leo's only recorded act is found in a bull issued in the interest of the canons of the church of Bologna. A legend of Breton origin identifies him with a Benedictine, St. Tugdual, who as a pilgrim to Rome was reputedly elected pope.

Bibliography: p. jaffÉ, Regesta pontificum romanorum ab condita ecclesia ad annum post Christian natum 1198, ed. s. lÖwenfeld (2d ed. Leipzig 1881–88; repr. Graz 1956) 1:444; 2:746. Liber pontificalis, ed. l. duchesne, v. 1-2 (Paris 1886–92),v. 3 (Paris 1958) 2:234. h. k. mann, The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages from 590 to 1304, 18 v. (London 1902–32) 4:111. j. haller, Das Papsttum, 5 v. (2d, rev. ed. Stuttgart 1950–53) 2:193, 545–546. f. x. seppelt, Geschichte der Päpste von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 20. Jh. (Munich 1955) 2:346,434. a. favÉ, "S. Tugdual pape," Bull. de la Societé archéol. du Finistère (Quimper 1897–98) 91–95. É. amann, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al., 15 v. (Paris 1903–5) 9.1:316. k. herbers, Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, 4 (Herzberg 1992). s. scholz, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 3d ed. 6 (Freiburg 1997). j. n. d. kelly, Oxford Dictionary of Popes (New York 1986) 118–119.

[o. j. blum]