Leon III
Holy Emperor and Autocrat of the Aromans and Equal-to-the-Apostles Leon III | |
|---|---|
 Leon III in 1952, when serving as Quartermaster General of the Tagmatine Army in Vanarambaion | |
| Holy Emperor of Arome | |
| In office 1956–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Konstantinos VIII Epifanios |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leon Evangelos Theonikos 1898 |
| Died | 1969 |
| Nationality | Tagmatine |
Leon III, born Leon Evangelos Theonikos, was the Holy Emperor of the Greater Holy Empire of Tagmatium from 1956 to 1963. He ascended the Leopard Throne after a coup at the end of the Long War and withdrew Tagmatium from that conflict. He masterminded the coup from afar and was proclaimed Holy Emperor by the Tagmatine armed forces in Vanarambaion after it had been carried out. Although his ascension to the throne almost caused an outbreak of civil war, Leon contacted the Volsci and negotiated a ceasefire, bringing Tagmatium's involvement in the generation-long conflict to an end. However, he is best known for an almost complete overhaul of the political system of Tagmatium, which saw a process introduced for the democratic election of the Holy Emperor in a vote by all eligible adults, not just a select few of the Senates. After seven years on the throne, which saw the Tagmatium begin to rise from the ashes of the first half of the 20th Century, Leon abdicated and triggered a general election for the next Holy Emperor.
Leon held himself aloof during the reign of Konstantios V, especially during the troubles that marked the end of his successor's reign. He felt that intevening, even to support Konstantios when his rule was faltering, would undermine the nascent democratic structures that he had put into place. The later part of his life was marked by ill-health. The former monarch died several months after the coup that brought the Rule of the Admirals. He had refused to meet any of the Admirals or their representatives as he regarded that as legitimising those who tore apart his hopes for a democratic Tagmatium.
