On This Day

Leo VIII elected Pope

Pope Leo VIII (915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death.

Pope Leo VIII (915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death. Today, he is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope during the first period and the legitimate pope during the second. An appointee of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, Leo VIII's pontificate occurred after the period known as the saeculum obscurum.

Historical Significance

Pope Leo VIII (915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death.

Events Before

  1. Erachus becomes Bishop of Liège

    Erachus becomes Bishop of Liège

  2. Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song initiates three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern

    Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song initiates three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern China

  3. German King Otto II crowned

    Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great (German: Otto der Große; Italian: Ottone il Grande) or Otto of Saxony (German: Otto von Sachsen; Italian: Ottone di Sassonia), was East...

  4. Under future Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo and recover the tattered tunic of J

    Under future Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo and recover the tattered tunic of John the Baptist during the Arab–Byzantine wars

  5. Pope John XII crowns German King Otto I the Great Emperor

    Pope John XII (Latin: Ioannes XII; c. 930/937 – 14 May 964), born Octavian, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 16 December 955 to his death in 964.

Events After

  1. John XIII Crescentii is elected to succeed Pope Leo VIII

    Pope John XIII (Latin: Ioannes XIII; ca. 930 – 6 September 972) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 October 965 to his death.

  2. Christianisation of Poland - Polish ruler Mieszko I and his court baptized

    Christianisation of Poland - Polish ruler Mieszko I and his court baptized

  3. John XIII crowned Otto II the Red German compassionate emperor

    John XIII crowned Otto II the Red German compassionate emperor

  4. Byzantine troops occupy Antioch (in modern Syria)

    Antioch on the Orontes (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, romanized: Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou, pronounced [anti.ó.kʰeː.a]) was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC.

  5. Johannes I Tzimisces crowned Emperor of Byzantium

    Johannes I Tzimisces crowned Emperor of Byzantium

More from the 960s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 6, 963?
Pope Leo VIII (915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death. Today, he is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope during the first period and the legitimate pope during the second. An appointee of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, Leo VIII's pontificate occurred after the period known as the saeculum obscurum.
Why is Leo VIII elected Pope significant?
Pope Leo VIII (915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death.

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