Leo I the Thracian

Born around 401 in Dacia Aureliana near Thrace, Leo became Eastern Roman emperor in 457. Over seventeen years he launched ambitious campaigns aimed at propping up the collapsing Western Empire and reclaiming lost territory. He broke with centuries of precedent by issuing laws in Koine Greek instead of Latin, the first Eastern emperor to do so. He died on 18 January 474, sometimes called "the Great" to set him apart from his grandson and co-augustus Leo II. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as a saint on 20 January.