Tenth century Patriarch of Constantinople. Deposed and exiled by Emperor Leo VI, because he opposed his fourth marriage,
Saint of the Day Quote: Saint Nicholas the Mystic
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Leo VI’s first three wives must agree with Nicholas, the Mystic. No woman likes to be dumped. Who would marry as a fourth wife? Mind boggling.
As hard as it may be to believe, Leo VI’s wives all died of natural causes before producing an heir. There is no hint in the Byzantine historical sources to the contrary.
The problem was that the Christian East, unlike the West, does not recognize a fourth marriage for any reason. Leo VI appealed to the reigning Pope who said it was fine for the emperor to marry as far as he was concerned.
The Eastern church finally granted it in return for a very penitential marriage ceremony and a law forbidding any fourth marriages from that day forward.
I have a suspicion that the penitential ceremony had something to do with the fact Leo’s fourth wife had given birth to their son out of wedlock beforehand…
But Leo got his heir, the reasonably competent Constantine VII.
Thank you, Dale Price