Byzantine emperor, who came to the throne as sole ruler in 976. A palace revolution was crushed by his alliance with Vladimir I the Great, Prince of Kiev. Vladimir's troops became the core of the future Varangian Guard, the elite unit of the Byzantine army. Basil's 15-year war against the Bulgarians culminated in the victory in the Belasica Mountains which earned him his surname. Bulgaria was annexed to the empire by 1018, while the E frontier was extended to L Van in Armenia.
Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer (Greek: Βασίλειος Β΄ Βουλγαροκτόνος, Basileios II Boulgaroktonos) (958 – December 15, 1025) was Byzantine emperor from January 10, 976 to December 15, 1025. Under his reign, the Byzantine Empire reached its greatest height in nearly five centuries
Birth and childhood
Basil was the son of Emperor Romanos II by Theophano. In 960, he was associated on the throne by his father, but the latter died in 963, when Basil was only five years old. Because he and his brother, the future Emperor Constantine VIII (ruled 1025–1028), were too young to reign in their own right, Basil's mother Theophano married one of Romanos' leading generals, who took the throne as the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas several months later in 963. Finally, when John died on January 10, 976, Basil II took the throne as senior emperor.
Asian rebellions and alliance with Rus'
Basil was a brave soldier and a superb horseman; In the early years of his reign, the administration remained in the hands of the eunuch Basil Lekapenos (an illegitimate son of Emperor Romanos 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. As a result of this, Basil found himself with a serious problem as soon as his reign began. Basil, showing the penchant for ruthlessness that would become his trademark, took the field himself and suppressed the rebellions of both Skleros (979) and Phokas (989).
To do so Basil formed an alliance with Prince Vladimir I 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. But when Vladimir promised to baptize himself and to convert his people to Christianity, Basil finally agreed.
The fall of Basil Lekapenos followed the rebellions. Seeking to protect the lower and middle classes, Basil II made ruthless war upon the system of immense estates which had grown up, in Asia Minor and which his predecessor, Romanos I, had endeavoured to check.
Campaigns against the Arabs
Having put an end to the internal strife, Basil II then turned his attention to the empire's other enemies. In the 995, Basil II launched a campaign against the Muslim Arabs and won several battles in Syria, relieving Aleppo, taking over the Orontes valley, and raiding further south.
Bulgarian campaigns
However, Basil was far from done. This having failed, Basil II used a respite from his conflict with the nobility to lead an expedition into Bulgaria and besiege Sredets (Sofia) in 986. Taking losses and worried about the loyalty of some of his governors, Basil lifted the siege and back headed for Thrace but fell into an ambush and suffered a serious defeat at Trajan's Gate on August 17, 986.
Basil escaped with the help of his Varangian Guard and attempted to make up his losses by turning Samuel's brother Aron against him. Aron was tempted with Basil's offer of his own sister Anna in marriage, but the negotiations failed when Aron discovered that the bride he was sent was a fake. By 987 Aron had been eliminated by Samuel, and Basil was busy fighting both Skleros and Phokas in Asia Minor. Although the titular Bulgarian emperor Roman was captured in 991, Basil lost Moesia to the Bulgarians.
From 1000, Basil II was able to focus on his war with Bulgaria again. Samuel had extended his rule from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and raided into central Greece, and Basil was determined to reverse the fortunes of the empire.
Finally, on July 29, 1014, Basil II outmaneuvered the Bulgarian army in the Battle of Kleidion, with Samuel separated from his force. Having crushed the Bulgarians, Basil was said to have captured 15,000 prisoners and blinded 99 of every 100 men, leaving 150 one-eyed men to lead them back to their ruler, who fainted at the sight and died two days later suffering a stroke. Although this may be an exaggeration, this gave Basil his nickname Boulgaroktonos, "the Bulgar-slayer" in later tradition. 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. Before returning to Constantinople, Basil II celebrated his triumph in Athens.
Khazar Campaign
Although the power of the Khazar Khaganate had been broken by the Kievan Rus' in the 960s, the Byzantines had not been able to fully exploit the power vacuum and restore their dominion over the Crimea and other areas around the Black Sea.
Later years
Basil II 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. 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.
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.
Basil was to be buried in the last sarcophagus available in the rotunda of Constantine I in the Church of the Holy Apostles. The epitaph on the tomb celebrated Basil campaigns and victories. During the pillage of 1204, Basil's grave was ravaged by the invading Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade.
Assessment
Basil was a short, stocky man with ascetic tastes, who cared little for the pomp and ceremony of the imperial court, and typically held court dressed in military regalia. To assure that this flow of supplies and men continued, Basil's laws protected small agrarian property and lowered their taxes. On the other hand, Basil increased the taxes of the nobility and the church and looked to decrease their power and wealth. 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.
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. 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. Basil can never marry her. For Areti, Basil is her life-long consort, needing to be comforted. The second narrator is Nikolaos, 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. He spend most of his life serving his Tsar and fighting Basil. 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 which a casual reader could have. Paul Stephenson, "The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer", Cambridge (2003) Catherine Holmes, "Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976-1025)", Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-927968-3
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