Leo V
903 AD
📖 Life Timeline
903 AD
Became Pope
903 AD
End of reign
✝ Biography
Pope Leo V (died 903/904) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States in 903. He was pope immediately before the period known as the Saeculum obscurum, when popes wielded little temporal authority. His papacy occurred in the second half of 903, with exact months being difficult to discern.
Leo V was born at a place called Priapi, near Ardea. Although he was a priest when he was elected pope following the death of Pope Benedict IV (900–903), he was not a cardinal priest of Rome.
During his brief pontificate, Leo granted the canons of Bologna a special bull (epistola tuitionis) where he exempted them from the payment of taxes. However, after a reign of a little over two months, Leo was captured by Christopher, the cardinal-priest of San Lorenzo in Damaso, and thrown into prison. Christopher then had himself elected pope (903–904); until the 19th century he was often considered to have been a legitimate pope.
Roman from Rome. Reigned only three months. Deposed and strangled. Died under Berengar I.
📜 Key Facts
Browse Other Popes
St. Peter
33-67 AD
St. Linus
67-76 AD
St. Anacletus
79-92 AD
St. Evaristus
99-107 AD
Clement I
88-99 AD
St. Alexander I
107-115 AD
St. Sixtus I
115-124 AD
St. Telesphorus
126-136 AD
St. Hyginus
136-140 AD
St. Pius I
140-157 AD
St. Anicetus
157-168 AD
St. Soter
167-174 AD
St. Eleutherius
174-189 AD
St. Victor I
189-199 AD
St. Zephyrinus
199-217 AD
St. Calixtus I
217-222 AD
St. Urban I
222-230 AD
Pope Pontian
230-235 AD
Antipope Hippolytus
235 AD (antipope)
St. Anterus
235-236 AD
St. Fabian
236-250 AD
St. Cornelius
251-253 AD
St. Lucius I
253-254 AD
St. Stephen I
254-257 AD
St. Sixtus II
257-258 AD
St. Dionysius
259-268 AD
St. Felix I
269-274 AD
St. Eutychian
275-283 AD
St. Caius
283-296 AD
St. Marcellinus
296-304 AD
St. Marcus
306 AD
St. Marcellus I
308-309 AD
St. Eusebius
309-310 AD
St. Miltiades
311-314 AD
St. Sylvester I
314-335 AD
St. Marcus (II)
336 AD
St. Julius I
337-352 AD
St. Liberius
352-366 AD
St. Damasus I
366-384 AD
St. Siricius
384-399 AD
Pope Anastasius I
399-401 AD
St. Innocent I
401-417 AD
St. Zosimus
417-418 AD
St. Boniface I
418-422 AD
St. Celestine I
422-432 AD
St. Sixtus III
432-440 AD
St. Leo I (the Great)
440-461 AD
St. Hilary
461-468 AD
St. Simplicius
468-483 AD
St. Felix III
483-492 AD
St. Gelasius I
492-496 AD
Anastasius II
496-498 AD
Anacletus II (Antipope)
498 AD (antipope)
Laurentius (Antipope)
498-514 AD
St. Hormisdas
514-523 AD
St. John I
523-526 AD
St. Felix IV
526-530 AD
Boniface II
530-532 AD
St. John II
533-535 AD
Agapetus I
535-536 AD
St. Silverius
536-537 AD
Vigilius
537-555 AD
St. Pelagius I
555-561 AD
St. John III
561-574 AD
Benedict I
575-579 AD
Pelagius II
579-590 AD
St. Gregory I (the Great)
590-604 AD
Sabinian
604-606 AD
St. Boniface IV
608-615 AD
St. Adeodatus I
615-618 AD
St. Boniface V
619-625 AD
Honorius I
625-638 AD
Severinus
640 AD
St. John IV
640-642 AD
Theodore I
642-649 AD
St. Martin I
649-655 AD
St. Eugene I
654-657 AD
St. Vitalian
657-672 AD
St. Adeodatus II
672-676 AD
Donus
676-687 AD
St. Agatho
678-681 AD
St. Leo II
682-683 AD
Benedict II
684-685 AD
St. John V
685-686 AD
Conon
686-687 AD
St. Sergius I
687-701 AD
St. John VI
701-705 AD
St. John VII
705-707 AD
Sisinnius
708 AD
St. Constantine
708-715 AD
St. Gregory II
715-731 AD
St. Gregory III
731-741 AD
St. Zachary
741-752 AD
St. Stephen II
752 AD
St. Paul I
757-767 AD
Constance
767-768 AD
St. Stephen III
768-772 AD
Adrian I
772-795 AD
St. Leo III
795-816 AD
St. Stephen IV
816-817 AD
Paschal I
817-824 AD
Eugene II
824-827 AD
Valentine
827 AD
Gregory IV
827-844 AD
Sergius II
844-847 AD
Leo IV
847-855 AD
Benedict III
855-858 AD
Nicolas I (the Great)
858-867 AD
Adrian II
867-872 AD
John VIII
872-882 AD
Marinus I
882-884 AD
Adrian III
884-885 AD
Stephen V
885-891 AD
Formosus
891-896 AD
Boniface VI
896 AD
Stephen VI
896-897 AD
Romanus
897 AD
Theodore II
897 AD
John IX
898-900 AD
Benedict IV
900-903 AD
Christopher
903-904 AD
Sergius III
904-911 AD
Anastasius III
911-913 AD
Lando
913-914 AD
John X
914-928 AD
Leo VI
928 AD
Stephen VII
928-931 AD
John XI
931-935 AD
Leo VII
936-939 AD
Stephen VIII
939-942 AD
Marinus II
942-946 AD
Agapetus II
946-955 AD
John XII
955-963 AD
Leo VIII
963-965 AD
Benedict V
964 AD
John XIII
965-972 AD
Benedict VI
973-974 AD
Benedict VII
974-983 AD
John XIV
983-984 AD
John XV
985-996 AD
Gregory V
996-999 AD
John XVI (Antipope)
997-998 AD
Sylvester II
999-1003 AD
John XVII
1003 AD
John XVIII
1003-1009 AD
Serius (Antipope)
1009-1012 AD
Sergius IV
1009-1012 AD
Benedict VIII
1012-1024 AD
John XIX
1024-1032 AD
Benedict IX
1032-1044 AD
Silvester III (Antipope)
1045 AD
Gregory VI
1045-1046 AD
Sylvester III
1045 AD
Benedict IX (2nd term)
1045 AD
Clement II
1046-1047 AD
Benedict IX (3rd term)
1047-1048 AD
Damasus II
1048 AD
St. Leo IX
1049-1054 AD
Victor II
1055-1057 AD
St. Stephen IX
1057-1058 AD
Nicholas II
1059-1061 AD
Alexander II
1061-1073 AD
Honorius II (Antipope)
1061-1064 AD
St. Gregory VII
1073-1085 AD
Clement III (Antipope)
1080-1100 AD
Victor III
1086-1087 AD
Urban II
1088-1099 AD
Paschal II
1099-1118 AD
Gelasius II
1118-1119 AD
Calixtus II
1119-1124 AD
Honorius II
1124-1130 AD
Innocent II
1130-1143 AD
Celestine II
1143 AD
Lucius II
1144-1145 AD
Eugene III
1145-1153 AD
Anastasius IV
1153-1154 AD
Adrian IV
1154-1159 AD
Victor IV (Antipope)
1159-1164 AD
Alexander III
1159-1181 AD
Anacletus III (Antipope)
1164-1168 AD
Paschal III (Antipope)
1164-1168 AD
Calixtus III (Antipope)
1168-1178 AD
Lucius III
1181-1185 AD
Urban III
1185-1187 AD
Gregory VIII
1187 AD
Innocent III
1198-1216 AD
Innocent IV
1243-1254 AD
Alexander IV
1254-1261 AD
Clement IV
1265-1268 AD
Innocent V
1276 AD
St. Celestine V
1294 AD
Clement V
1305-1314 AD
Clement VI
1342-1352 AD
Innocent VI
1352-1362 AD
Clement VII (Antipope)
1378-1394 AD
Benedict XIII (Antipope)
1394-1423 AD
Innocent VII
1404-1406 AD
Alexander V (Antipope)
1409-1410 AD
John XXIII (Antipope)
1410-1415 AD
Pius II
1458-1464 AD
Innocent VIII
1484-1492 AD
Alexander VI
1492-1503 AD
Pius III
1503 AD
Leo X
1513-1521 AD
Pius IV
1559-1565 AD
Pius V
1566-1572 AD
Innocent IX
1591 AD
Clement VIII
1592-1605 AD
Leo XI
1605 AD
Innocent X
1644-1655 AD
Innocent XI
1676-1689 AD
Innocent XII
1691-1700 AD
Innocent XIII
1721-1724 AD
Pius VI
1775-1799 AD
Innocent XIV
1799-1800 AD
Pius VII
1800-1823 AD
Leo XII
1823-1829 AD
Pius VIII
1829-1830 AD
Pius IX
1846-1878 AD
Leo XIII
1878-1903 AD
Pius X
1903-1914 AD
Benedict XV
1914-1922 AD
Pius XI
1922-1939 AD
Pius XII
1939-1958 AD
John XXIII
1958-1963 AD
Paul VI
1963-1978 AD
John Paul I
1978 AD
John Paul II
1978-2005 AD
Benedict XVI
2005-2013 AD
Francis
2013-Present