Painting of Basil II, from an 11th century manuscript.

Basil II The Bulgar-Slayer (Greek: Βασίλειος Βουλγαροκτόνος [Basileios Bulgaroktonus]) (958 – December 15, 1025) was a Byzantine emperor from January 10, 976 to December 15, 1025 who led the Byzantine Empire to its greatest heights in nearly five centuries. However, he left no worthy heir and most of his achievements were undone by a long line of weak successors. Image File history File links Manuscript painting of Basil II File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Manuscript painting of Basil II File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Events Kshemgupta, King of Kashmir dies and is succeeded by his young son Abhimanyu. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events April 18 - Boleslaw I Chrobry is crowned as the first king of Poland. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 10 - Basil II becomes Eastern Roman Emperor, see Byzantine Emperors. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events April 18 - Boleslaw I Chrobry is crowned as the first king of Poland. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: ) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ...

Birth and childhood

Basil was the son of Emperor Romanus II, who died when Basil was only five years old. Because he and his brother, the future Emperor Constantine VIII of the Byzantine Empire (ruled 1025-1028), were too young to reign in their own right, Basil's mother Theophano married one of Romanus' leading generals, who took the throne as the Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas in 963. Nicephorus was murdered in 969, only to be succeeded by another general, who became Emperor John I Tzimisces and reigned for seven years. Finally, when John died on January 10, 976, Basil took the throne. Romanus II (939 - 963) succeeded his father Constantine VII as Byzantine emperor in 959 at the age of twenty-one, and died, poisoned, it was believed, by his wife, Theophanu in 963. ... Constantine VIII (in Greek Konstantinos VIII, written Κωνσταντίνος Η, lived 960 - November 15, 1028), Byzantine emperor (December 15, 1025 - November 15, 1028) was the son of the Emperor Romanus II and the younger brother of the eminent Basil II, who died childless and thus left the rule of the Byzantine... Events April 18 - Boleslaw I Chrobry is crowned as the first king of Poland. ... Events November 12 - Dying Emperor Constantine VIII of the Byzantine Empire marries his daughter Zoe of Byzantium to his chosen heir Romanus Argyrus. ... Theophano was a Byzantine empress. ... Emperor Nicephoros Phocas Nicephorus II Phocas was one of the most brilliant generals in the history of Byzantium who rose to become a mediocre emperor from 963 until his assassination in 969. ... Events Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland, compels him to pay tribute Luxembourg is founded, and the Belgium area becomes part of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. ... Events December 11 - John I becomes Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. ... Ioannes, protected by God and the Virgin Mary. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 10 - Basil II becomes Eastern Roman Emperor, see Byzantine Emperors. ...

Asian rebellions and Russian alliance

Basil was a brave soldier and a superb horseman; he was to prove himself a strong ruler and an able general. He did not at first display the full extent of his energy. In the early years of his reign, the administration remained in the hands of the eunuch Basileios (an illegitimate son of Romanus I), president of the senate, a wily and gifted man, who hoped that the young emperors would be his puppets. Basil waited and watched without interfering, and devoted himself to learning the details of administrative business and instructing himself in military science.

Although Nicephorus Phocas in particular had proven to be a brilliant military commander during his reign, both he and Tzimisces had proven to be lax administrators. As a result of this, Basil found himself with a serious problem as soon as his reign began. The great landowners of Asia Minor who provided many of the empire's soldiers and taxes - Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phocas - were in open revolt against the empire. Basil, showing the penchant for ruthlessness that would become his trademark, took the field himself and suppressed the rebellions of both Skleros (979) and Phocas (987). Nicephorus II Phocas, Byzantine emperor 963-969, belonged to a Cappadocian family which had produced several distinguished generals. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey. ... Bardas Skleros or Sklerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976-979. ... Bardas Phocas - Vardas Phokas was an eminent Byzantine general of Armenian origine who took a conspicuous part in three revolts pro and contra the ruling Macedonian dynasty. ...

To do so Basil formed an alliance with Vladimir the Great of Kiev, who had captured the main imperial base in the Crimea, Chersonesos, in 988. Vladimir offered to evacuate Chersonesos and to supply 6,000 men of his army as reinforcements to Basil. In exchange Vladimir demanded to be married to Basil's younger sister Anna (963 - 1011). At first, Basil hesitated. The Byzantines viewed all the nations of Northern Europe, be they Franks or Russians, as barbarians. Anna herself objected to marrying a barbarian ruler, as such a marriage would have no precedents in imperial annals. But when Vladimir promised to baptize himself and to convert his nation to Christianity, Basil finally had to agree. Vladimir and Anna were married in the Crimea in 989. The Rus recruitments were instrumental in ending the rebellion, and they were later organized into the Varangian Guard. Detail of the Millenium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. ... A monument to St. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields amd mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... Tauric Chersonesos (Greek Χερσονασος, also Chersones, Khersones, Korsun, Russian and Ukrainian: ) was a site of Greek settlements founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean (Taurian) Peninsula. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Until his baptism, Vladimir I of Kiev (c. ... Events Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland, compels him to pay tribute Luxembourg is founded, and the Belgium area becomes part of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. ... Events Emperor Sanjo ascends to the throne of Japan. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... // Greek origin of the term Barbarian comes the French barbarien or Medieval Latin barbarinus, from Latin barbaria, from Latin barbarus, from the ancient Greek word βάρβαρος (barbaros) which meant a non-Greek, someone whose (first) language was not Greek. ... For the video game developers, see 989 Studios. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ...

The fall of Basileios followed the rebellions. He was accused of plotting with the rebels and punished with exile and the confiscation of his enormous property. Seeking to protect the lower and middle classes, Basil made ruthless war upon the system of immense estates which had grown up, in Asia Minor and which his predecessor, Romanus I, had endeavoured to check.

Campaigns against the Arabs

Having put an end to the internal strife, Basil then turned his attention to the empire's other enemies. In the 990s, Basil launched a campaign against the Muslim Arabs to the south of the empire's heartland, and won several battles in Syria. Although he did not have the force to drive into Palestine and reclaim Jerusalem, his victories did restore much of Syria to the empire. No emperor since Heraclius had been able to hold these lands for any length of time, and they would remain Byzantine for the next 75 years. Centuries: 9th century - 10th century - 11th century Decades: 940s - 950s _ 960s - 970s - 980s - 990s - 1000s - 1010s _ 1020s - 1030s - 1040s 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 Events: Sei Shonagon writes The Pillow Book, a compilation of her daily observations, thoughts and feelings as an... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), submission (to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Map of the British Mandate of Palestine. ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ... Heraclius and his sons Heraclius Constantine and Heraclonas. ...

Bulgarian campaigns

Basil and his step-father, Emperor Nicephorus II.

However, Basil was far from done. He wanted to restore to the empire territories that had long slipped from its grasp. As the second millennium got under way, he took on his greatest adversary, Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria. Image File history File links Nicephorus II, Phocas, with Basil II. 963-969 AD. AV Solidus (now the Histamenon Nomisma) (4. ... Image File history File links Nicephorus II, Phocas, with Basil II. 963-969 AD. AV Solidus (now the Histamenon Nomisma) (4. ... Emperor Nicephoros Phocas Nicephorus II Phocas was one of the most brilliant generals in the history of Byzantium who rose to become a mediocre emperor from 963 until his assassination in 969. ... Alternate usage: Samuil of the Britons Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria (c. ...

When all-out war broke out in 1002, Samuil had extended the Bulgarian kingdom from the Danube River in the north all the way into Greece, stopping just north of Athens. His rule extended from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, and all of this territory had been conquered over the past 300 years at the expense of the Byzantines. Basil was determined to reverse the fortunes of the empire. Events November 13 - English king Ethelred gives order to kill all Danes in England, leading to the St. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... The Adriatic Sea Source: NASA The Adriatic Sea (Italian Mare Adriatico, German Adriatisches Meer or Adria, Slovenian Jadransko morje or Jadran, Croatian Jadransko more or Jadran, Serbian Јадранско море or Јадран, Albanian Deti Adriatik) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea separating the Apennine peninsula (Italy) from the Balkan peninsula, and the system... Map of the Black Sea. ...

The war ravaged the Balkans for the next dozen years, as Basil and Samuil each won impressive victories. Samuil's force was outnumbered numerically, but he was able to avoid fighting a general engagement while harassing Basil's forces as they advanced through Bulgarian territory. Samuil hoped to wear down the Byzantine forces and either defeat them, or force Basil to make peace. The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of south-eastern Europe. ...

Finally, on July 29, 1014, Basil II cornered the Bulgarian army and forced it to fight at the Battle of Kleidion, with Samuil several miles away from the battlefield. Having crushed the Bulgarians, Basil was said to have blinded 15,000 prisoners, leaving a one-eyed man to every hundred to lead them to their tsar, who fainted at the sight and died two days later suffering a heat attack. Although maybe an exaggeration, this gave Basil his nickname Bulgaroktonus, "the Bulgar-slayer." July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Events February 14 - Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany July 29 - Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock... The Battle of Kleidion (also Clidium, the key, or Belasitsa) took place on July 29, 1014 between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. ...

Bulgaria fought on for four more years, but finally submitted in 1018. The victory over the Bulgarians and the subsequent submission of the Serbs fulfilled one of Basil's goals, as the empire regained its ancient Danube River frontier for the first time in 400 years. Events Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Serbs (in the Serbian language Срби, Srbi) are a south Slavic people living chiefly in Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Length 2,888 km Elevation of the source 1,078 m Average discharge 30 km before Passau: 580 m³/s Vienna: 1,900 m³/s Budapest: 2,350 m³/s just before Delta: 6,500 m³/s Area watershed 817,000 km² Origin Black Forest (Schwarzwald-Baar, Baden- Württemberg, Germany...

Meanwhile, in 1016, Byzantine armies, in conjunction with Mstislav of Chernigov, attacked the Crimea, much of which had fallen under the sway of the Khazar successor kingdom of Georgius Tzul, based at Kerch. Kedrenos reports that Georgius Tzul was captured and the Khazar successor-state was destroyed. The Byzantine Army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine Navy. ... Mstislav of Chernigov, or Mstislav the Bold (Russian: Мстислав Владимирович Храбрый), was the earliest attested ruler of Chernigov (Chernihiv). ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields amd mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... The Khazars were a Turkic semi-nomadic people from Central Asia who adopted Judaism. ... Georgius Tzul (Georgeios or Georgios) was a Khazar warlord against whom the Byzantine Empire and the Kievan Rus states launched a joint expedition in 1016. ... Kerch (Russian: Керчь; Ukrainian: Керч; Old East Slavic: Корчев, Turkish and Crimean Tatar: Kerç) is a city (2001 pop 157,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transportation and tourist center of Ukraine. ... Georgios Kedrenos, also known as George Cedrenus, was a Byzantine historian of the mid eleventh century. ... The succession of states theory asserts that all possessions and territory held by a state are automatically transferred to the successor state, the state which succeeds it. ...

Later years

Basil returned in triumph to Constantinople, then promptly went east and attacked the Persians over control of Armenia, which had become a Byzantine tributary when its king died in 1000. More victories followed, and Armenia rejoined the Byzantine empire for the first time in two centuries. Basil created in those highlands a strongly fortified frontier, which, if his successors had been capable, should have proved an effective barrier against the invasions of the Seljuk Turks. Map of Constantinople. ... Motto: Persian: Esteqlāl, āzādÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslāmÄ« (English: Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic) Anthem: SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān Capital Tehran Largest city Tehran Official language(s) Persian Government Supreme Leader President Islamic republic Ali Khamenei Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Revolution Declared Overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi... // Events World Population 300 million. ... The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in modern Turkish Selçuklular; in Persian سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān; in Arabic سلجوق SaljÅ«q, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to...

In the meantime, other Byzantine forces restored much of southern Italy, lost to the Normans over the previous 150 years, to the empire's control. When Basil finally died on December 15, 1025, he was planning a military expedition to recover the island of Sicily. By his last request, he was buried not among the other emperors of his family, but instead next to the cavalry's training field. Contemporary sources state this was in order for him to forever hear his troops training to combat for his empire. The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous people of France and the Viking invaders under the leadership of Hrolf Ganger, who adopted the French name Rollo and swore allegiance to the king of France (Charles the Simple). ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events April 18 - Boleslaw I Chrobry is crowned as the first king of Poland. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ...

Assessment

Basil was a short, stocky man who cared little for the pomp and ceremony of the imperial court, and typically held court dressed in military regalia. Still, he was a capable administrator, who unique among the soldier-emperors, left a full treasury upon his death. He was worshipped by his army, as he spent most of his reign campaigning with them instead of sending orders from the distant palaces of Constantinople, as had most of his predecessors. He lived the life of a soldier to the point of eating the same daily rations as any other member of the army. He also took the children of deceased officers of his army under his protection, and offered them sheltering, nourishment and education. Many of those children would later grow to become his soldiers and his officers, and came to think of him as a father. Map of Constantinople. ...

Besides being called the "Father of the Army", he was also popular with country farmers. This class produced most of his army's supplies and offered him most of his soldiers. To assure that this flow of supplies and men continued, Basil's laws protected small agrarian property and lowered their taxes. His reign was considered an era of relative prosperity for the class, despite the almost constant wars. On the other hand Basil increased the taxes of the nobility and the church and looked to decrease their power and wealth. Though understandably unpopular with them, neither of them had the power to effectively oppose the army-supported Emperor. Basil never married or had children that we know of - a womanizer as a young man, Basil chose to devote himself fully to the duties of state upon becoming emperor. Unfortunately, this meant that he was succeeded by his brother and his family, who proved to be ineffective rulers. Nevertheless 50 years of prosperity and intellectual growth followed because the funds of state were full , borders were not in danger from exterior intruders and the empire remained the most powerful of midle ages.

Basil in literature

During the 20th century in Greece, interest for the prominent Emperor resulted in Basil becoming the subject of a number of biographies as well as historical novels. Arguably the most popular of them is Basil Bulgaroktonus (1964) by historical fiction writer Kostas Kyriazis (b.1920). Written as a sequel to his previous work Theophano (1963), focusing on Basil's mother, it examines Basil's life from his childhood till his death at an advanced age, through the eyes of three different narrators (all of them fictional). The first one is Areti Skylitzi, a girl from a noble family that John I brought to young Basil to be his friend and playmate. She becomes the confidant of his deepest thoughts and later the only woman that truly loves him. Basil can never marry her. Witnessing at an early age the murders of his father Romanus and step-father Nicephorus by Theophano, their wife, his mother, had traumatised him. He associates marriage, trust with death and murder. Areti stays by his side, as his unofficial consort, till his death. She alone hearing his private thoughts, filled often with self-doubt, sorrow, inner conflict while dealing with hard decisions. For Areti, Basil is her life-long consort, needing to be comforted. The second narrator is Nicolaus, one of Basil's generals. He has followed Basil's campaigns through his life, and witnessed his major battles and later his death. For him Basil was his leader, a lord to be respected and served, a "father" of his army. The third and last one is a Bulgarian, one of Samuil's generals. He spend most of his life serving his Tsar and fighting Basil. He tells their side of the long battle, that occupied almost forty years. For him Basil is the enemy, the slayer of his people, the man responsible for his own leader's death. Accurately describing the historical events and adding fictional to fill-in the blanks, it has been considered the best introduction to Basil and his age, a casual reader could have. It has been continuously reprinted since 1964. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Template:C20YearInnTopic 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Bibliography

• Michael Psellus, Chronographia.

John Julius Norwich, "History of Byzantium". Michael Psellus is the name of two writers of the Byzantine Empire: Michael Psellus the Elder, a theologian Michael Psellus the Younger, a historian. ...

P.C. Ntelta, "The Age of the Bulgar-slayer" (In Greek)1911 ESTIAS Publishing co.

External links

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Basil II

• A more detailed profile of the Emperor:http://www.roman-emperors.org/basilii.htm