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Basil II (Greek: Βασίλειος, translit. Basileios;[note 3] 957/958 - 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (Greek: ὁ Βουλγαροκτόνος, translit. ho Boulgaroktonos),[note 4] was a Byzantine Emperor from the Macedonian dynasty whose effective reign, the longest of any Byzantine monarch, was from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025. The son of Romanos II and Theophano, a woman of commoner origin,[note 5] he had been associated with the throne since 960 as a junior colleague to a succession of senior emperors-his father (960 to 963), his step-father Nikephoros II Phokas (963 to 969), and John I Tzimiskes (969 to 976). In addition to these emperors, Basil's influential great-uncle, Basil Lekapenos, held power for several decades before he was overthrown in 985.[note 6] From 962 Basil II's brother Constantine, who succeeded him as Constantine VIII (r. 1025-1028),[note 7] was nominal co-emperor. The early years of Basil's long reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy, first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death with Skleros' submission in 989. Basil then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire, and the final and complete subjugation of its foremost European foe, the First Bulgarian Empire, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate which ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate which gave the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea, and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. Despite near-constant warfare, Basil also distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, while filling its treasury. He left the Empire with its greatest expanse in four centuries. Even though his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. The marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor nations of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero, but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Byzantine Emperor 960-1025 (with Romanos II in 960-963, Nikephoros II Phokas in 963-969 and John I Tzimiskes in 969-976 as senior emperors, and Constantine VIII as junior co-emperor 962-1025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William B.
