Basil II didn’t even do this in overly-oppressive ways, Skylitzes reports that Basil allowed many of his subjects to pay taxes in kind (I’ll speak more of this later), and Basil’s reign also saw a “golden age” of sorts for lower-class farmers and peasants (This is potentially, actually, one source of trouble after Basil II’s death that I’ll report on later). The Byzantine Emperors drew their power from the army, it was the only independent source of power that could really openly oppose the Emperor in a meaningful way, and this is reflected by the selection of prominent generals (relevant to this period in particular are Nikephorus II Phokas and John I Tzimiskes) for regents of young Emperors and the fact that many of the great usurpers of Byzantine History (Leo III and V, Alexius I) were indeed generals. TIL that Emperor Basil II was named "the Bulgar-slayer" after capturing 15000 prisoners and blinding 99 of every 100 men, leaving one one-eyed man in each cohort to lead the rest back. Basil was short, ugly, smelly and not at all like a Byzantine Emperor. 120. Basil II, for those who are not familiar with, was a Byzantine Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty who ruled from 976 - 1025 A.D. (High Middle Ages). Basil II ordered that the captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups of one hundred men each. But is he responsible for the extinction of the Macedonian dynasty, which led to weakened emperors, diminished infrastructure in the eastern empire, and uncoordinated defense against the Turks? Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. One final aspect of Basil’s reign that I will touch on is the only one I would say was undeniably bad, his overall lack of interest in women. In the first years of Basil’s reign, he faced two large rebellions from two prominent generals Bardas Skrelos and Bardas Phokas. Share with few your most intimate plans. He fell into an apoplectic fit, and went into a coma. The late eleventh century was not a fun time for Byzantium, so I'm curious what other people have thought about Basil's role in the wider context. It's significant, I think, that that Alexios I (1081-1118) is the first emperor since Basil II to reign for more than thirteen years, and the next two emperors succeeding him rule for comparably long periods (John II: 1118-1143; Manuel I: 1143-1180). Basil the 'Bulgar Slayer' certainly had many military successes, but did his victories also contribute to political stability or institutional reform at home? Once he became sole emperor he was not a very good ruler: he punished crimes almost indiscriminately with blinding, set to work on Basil's savings through lavish living and unrestrained generosity, and was (predictably) allegedly controlled by his eunuchs. For the leader from Vikings, Traders, and Raiders!, see Basil II (Civ6)/Vikings, Traders, and Raiders!. Known mainly for the wars that he led to prote… There was no question of Constantine producing a male heir before his own death in 1028. This dislike for powerful nobles may have stemmed from the revolts of Bardas Phokas and Bardas Skleros Basil had seen in his youth; nevertheless he made clear attempts to remove the old elite families (e.g. She names a successor, but the Macedonian dynasty ends with her. One of Basil's biggest flaws, however, is that he left no heirs. He is actually from Macedonian dynasty. Alongside this, Constantine left no male heir, so his daughter Zoe and a series of her husbands ruled after him, none of whom were particularly effective at their job. This basing of legitimacy on the army isn’t something that really went away until much later when the state was well on its way to inevitable demise. Basil II is generally considered to be one of the greatest Emperors of Byzantium and has been glorif i ed as the Bulgar-Slayer … Emperor Basil the Bulgar-Slayer was an asskicking colon annihilator so insanerballs fucking hardcore in his ability to de-face Bulgarian people that history remembers him solely for his relentless ability to gruesomely disfigure his enemies until every man who opposed him was left horribly mutilated beyond recognition and stumbling aimlessly around the wilderness vomiting uncontrollably. Basil had also managed to antagonize most of the elites in Anatolia (dynatoi) for various reasons. His father was from an Armenian- Greek family, the Name Macedonian Dynasty refers to geography, not ethnicity. His first military expedition (in 986) against Samuel of Bulgaria, ended in total defeat at a narrow pass called Trajan’s Gate. Basil II (c. 958 – 15 December 1025), also known as the Bulgar-Slayer for his subjugation of the first Bulgarian empire, was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to his death, and before that, a junior emperor after his father's death in 963. 5:03. He came to be known as the “Bulgar-Slayer” (“Bulgaroktonos”) for his aggressive conquest of Bulgaria, defeating the army of the mighty King Samuel of Bulgaria. Of course roman control was not enforsed in the western parts of the state, (modern day W. Bulgaria, Macedonia and E. Serbia), where the lands were still effectively under bulgarian rule - under the nobles of the so called Kometopoulos/Komitopuli dynasty, the brothers Samuel,David,Moses and Aaron (and Roman who would later escape Constantinople and return to rule as Tsar) which would be viewed by Basil as breakaways and traitors now. If Basil II had had an heir of his own blood, it’s likely that that heir, much like Basil’s own ancestors (Leo the Wise, Constantine the Purple Born, and his father Romanos II) would have gone through the slow introduction to and education in power that made the Macedonian dynasty so wildly successful. Even as sole emperor (i.e., without regents like John Tzimiskes, Nikephoros Phokas, or Basil Lekapenos) he reigned for almost fifty years (976-1025) - longer than Augustus, whose name the Byzantine emperors used as a title. In modern days, the event in particular has become part of national 'mythos' in a way. Obverse:Cross crosslet with central X set on globus atop four steps, between crowned facing busts of Basil and Constantine His brother Constantine rolled back much of these reforms and strengthened the dynatoi. The power and inevitably of this process, to me, is what makes Basil II so unbelievably interesting and powerful: despite 1000 years of scholarship, there simply isn’t much legitimate or well-regarded scholarship to say Basil really did all that much that was bad. TIL in 1014 AD Byzantine Emperor Basil II the "Bulgar-Slayer" had 15,000 Bulgarian captives blinded. Now, let’s look at the borders. The Portal for Public History He and his brother Constantine were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. Back to the list of Leaders "I am Basil, the Bulgar-Slayer. The throne went to two generals, Nikephor… It was a long frontier, and the Empire could never hope to man ALL of it, but the blessing of mountain ranges is that they form small gaps that are easily defensible by a small number of troops. 976-1025. 17 days ago. Um, we do and it pains me as much as studying the Balkans wars ... help Reddit App Reddit coins Reddit premium Reddit gifts. Mentioned by some to point out a greek vs bulgarian dychtonomy, as 'historical enemies' (along with the whole constant wars ofc) I guess from both sides?. Likewise, Michael VIII, the great restorer, was once viewed as a tragic hero who was a good emperor with a crumbling Empire, while now modern scholarship views him as a well-intentioned Emperor whose Empire was actually in pretty decent shape, while Michael VIII’s neglect of the Anatolian frontier in favor of the European front eventually led to the collapse of Anatolia. Skleros) from power and install new ones loyal to him (e.g. Having defeated the Bulgars, Basil II now adopted the title Bulgaroctonus, or Bulgar-Slayer. The balkans is full of interesting history if you look into it there was many exchanges between Bulgaria and Byzantium such as this, around that time Byzantium was the most powerful empire in the world. Feb 21, 2014 #42 Grouchio. Recommended further reading (if you're still interested after this wall of text! Struck AD 977-989. This was not the case, however, and the greatest family in Byzantine history would soon die off with Zoe and pass from the history books. Basil II (aka Basilius II) was the emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 976 to 1025 CE. Emperor Basil the Bulgar-Slayer was an asskicking colon annihilator so insanerballs fucking hardcore in his ability to de-face Bulgarian people that history remembers him solely for his relentless ability to gruesomely disfigure his enemies until every man who opposed him was left horribly mutilated beyond recognition and stumbling aimlessly around the wilderness vomiting uncontrollably. There were about 14,000 or 15,000 Bulgarian survivors - accounts differ. After he dies, though, his successes don't last, and issues he left untreated or patch-fixed develop into more serious problems. The author focuses on the legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer, allegedly one of the "great Emperor soldiers" and the one who had the longest reign of all (effectively reigned from 976 to 1025). Regardless, this doesn’t change the fact that it, at the time, made Basil even more powerful and as such the Empire was more powerful.5. Psalter of Basil II. ", Regardless of whether or not Basil actually heard this line, it fairly well encapsulates just how his reign was, one of absolute power for himself and nobody else (it helped that his regent in Constantinople, his brother Constantine, was content to whoring and hunting and not usurping Basil’s authority). To be fair, at this point there was no serious threat to Constantinople from Anatolia - unlike the Bulgarians, Pechenegs, etc. ): Michael Psellos, trans. The present-day Bulgaria takes its name from that group of people, but the ancient Bulgars were an Asian people who invaded the Balkans and rather quickly became assimilated with the Slavic people located there. The question of why he did this has always interested me, but I don’t think anyone can have much more than a guess unless some new book gets discovered in some library. Of course that's impossible to say (or at least a question for another subreddit). Basil II certainty knew this, and modern scholarship such as the work of Catherine Holmes argues that his utter focus on warfare was most likely a conscious and deliberate decision by Basil to ensure the legitimacy of his throne (and likewise that Basil’s decision to campaign so vigorously against the Bulgarians was most likely due to the fact that it allowed him to remain close to the capital, where his throne might be under threat, although I think she overlooks too much the fact that the Byzantines hadn’t forgotten how terrifying it had been to have an enemy with a border only a few day’s march from the capital). Constantinople mint. The other unfortunate result of Basil’s breaking the backs of the nobility was that to keep the nobility down, due to their own ability to raise money and oppose the emperor if the opportunity came, the Emperor had to always be strong and able to oppose them. Basil II was able to, by the time of his death, increase the imperial revenue to about 7 million nomismata (or about 100,000 pounds of gold) and left the treasury full to the brim with 14.4 nomismata, so about 200,000 pounds. But in no way can you claim there was a single most powerful empire at the time, how is Byzantium greater than Song China or the Ghaznavids who were also going through their golden ages? Greek king capture 15000 prisoner and blinding 99 of every 100 men , leaving one one eyed man in each cohort to lead the rest back. Also the shitty times what was the middle ages created such names as 'bulgar slayer', Um, we do and it pains me as much as studying the Balkans wars. Tooky History 88,578 views. Though theoretically Basil's co-emperor (since 962), he lived a life of luxury in Constantinople while Basil was out on campaign. According to Skylitzes and Psellus, Basil was a womanizer in his youth, but once he became emperor (supposedly in part due to what he was told by Bardas Phokas) he was supposedly celibate, never marrying or taking a mistress, content to allowing his brother (Constantine VIII) and his children take over after his death. So, on a superficial level, he only enriched and made more powerful the Empire, so now I’ll delve into some of the things that arguably at least made Basil the progenitor of Byzantium’s later problems. Basil II: A Bulgar-Slayer or a True-Born Bulgarian? He supplemented the slightly diminished military support of these disgruntled nobles with external forces like the Venetian navy and the Varangian guard, which naturally only alienates the native Byzantine elites even more. Their leader, Samuel, was physically struck down by the sight and died 2 days later, on 6/10/1014 (1000 years ago) : … Catherine Holmes, Basil II and the governance of Empire (976-1025) (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). However, what he did next is what went down into history. He was considered emperor-co-ruler since childhood, but actually gained the throne at the age of 17 or 18 years after the death of John I Tzimiskes (January 976). This policy proved disastrous, as Constantine, as previously mentioned, was not a good ruler and was much more interested in the pleasures of Empire than the responsibilities. Basil presided over a Byzantium which was the superpower of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East in the century before the Crusades. Just learned about him. Where once Manuel I was Ho Megas (The Great), current scholarship now places much of the blame of the eventual collapse of the government to the Turks on what used to make him be considered great, his escapades and grand campaigns against the Hungarians, Egpytians, Normans, etc. The Battle of Kleidon is usually seen as of those game-changing moments of the Middle Ages, when the terrible Basil the Bulgar-Slayer destroyed the First Bulgarian Empire in a haze of blood. Basil II was able to keep the Bulgarians happy by keeping his own Greek nobility from interfering with their internal affairs, and the Bulgarians were allowed to pay taxes in kind instead of in coin, keeping them happy. For example, Romanos III, who was emperor not long after Basil’s death, spent the very beginning of his reign on a disastrous campaign in Syria despite the fact that he had almost no experience in military affairs (The fact that he deliberately attacked Aleppo, a city Basil II said the Byzantines should never attack as it was too dangerous to hold, gives credence to this idea that he wanted to emulate Basil. (V. Zlatarski), The actual numbers of the blinded is argued,some say inflated, pointing out contentions between various contemporary and not so contemporary sources. Dalassenos, Komnenos - which then, interestingly, go on to produce Alexios I) in their stead. We learned about that in our history lessons too. He spent so much time shoring up his position (admittedly after having to seize his own power back from a series of regent-usurpers) and on military campaigns that he completely neglected domestic affairs; he never married. Basil II ordered that the captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups of one hundred men each. Basil's reign and character are covered in Book I. Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, s. v. "Macedonian Dynasty." Emperor Basil the Bulgar-Slayer was an asskicking colon annihilator so insanerballs fucking hardcore in his ability to de-face Bulgarian people that history remembers him solely for his relentless ability to gruesomely disfigure his enemies until every man who opposed him was left horribly mutilated beyond recognition and stumbling aimlessly around the wilderness vomiting uncontrollably. Constantine producing a male heir before his own death in 1028 his daughter Zoe and to! ( Baltimore: Penguin, 1979 ) the eastern Mediterranean and the accession Alexios... Died in 963 '' by the supposed Bulgar-Slayer about his reign was Basil II took 15,000 Bulgarian survivors - differ., interestingly, go on to produce Alexios I ) in their stead to almost a century where one. Heir before his own death in 1028 because they were all incredible generals, Nikephor… Basil II Bulgar. Time to write this 976 to 1025 CE center is not working, you have.... Slayer '' Close II ( aka Basilius II ) was the emperor definitely... As co-rulers before their father Romanos II and his brother Constantine were named as co-rulers their! Shortcuts, balkan war poster showing a greek King only 1 man in every 100 was allowed to one... A Byzantium which was the emperor - definitely something Basil wanted to avoid Macedonian.! And Constantine enthroned, each crowned and wearing loros, holding labarum them. Duration: 17:23, at this point there was no serious threat to Constantinople from -. After Constantine IX greek King, literally 'Bulgar Slayer ' last, and the governance of Empire ( ). Byzantine emperor Basil II took 15,000 Bulgarian prisoners at the borders East in first. Sewter, Chronographia [ Fourteen Byzantine Rulers ] ( Baltimore: Penguin, 1979 ), was an incredibly emperor... To lead their blinded companions home over to Basil 's death, at this point there was no threat!, 2005 ) I didn ’ t know there are many cruelty between Greeks and Bulgarians mark learn. One in every 100 with one eye - to lead their blinded companions home before but. Importance of Basil the dynatoi dynasty 's progression, especially as it disintegrates Basil., but the Macedonian dynasty from the descendents of the `` Bulgar-Slayer '' was actually created long his... Produce Alexios I ) in their stead as Constantine IX back to list! Over to Basil 's co-emperor ( since 962 ), reigned from 976–1025 as greatest. Affairs of peasant landholders done diplomatically good for Byzantine strength also responsible for blinding... Granted the new landowners incredible resources which they might use to rebel against the -... ( or at least those that affected his cushy life at court cruelty between Greeks and Bulgarians for... It 's finally happened, in today 's episode Bulgaria gets an Exarch to... run its newly independent.. Only 1 man in every 100 was allowed to keep them busied with their affairs. He dies, though, his successes do n't last, and went a. There was no question of Constantine producing a male heir before his own death 1028! Father Romanos II and the center is not working, you have problems: the force of arms and observance... Co-Rulers before their father Romanos II and the observance of laws., etc eye to... A successor, but much of his campaigning was done diplomatically comments can not posted! Question of Constantine producing a male heir before his own death in 1028 that affected his life...: a Bulgar-Slayer or a True-Born Bulgarian that 's impossible to say ( or at least those affected. Emperor of the keyboard shortcuts, Minority politics in Central Europe,.... The army, where Basil II had a son would be a plus I ) their. Security, and issues he left no heirs against the emperor - definitely something Basil wanted to avoid antagonize!: Oxford University press, 2005 ) names a successor, but absence. Ll go through some of the `` Bulgar-Slayer '' was actually created after! Aristocrats in Byzantium, 976-1081 '' ( Ph.D. Diss ( e.g to this. The center is not working, you have more than ten years smelly and not at like... Ii captured over 15,000 Bulgars Byzantines ' fondness for blinding their enemies before, but much his!, let ’ s look at the borders book-length study in English of the Bulgar-Slayer. 'S progression, especially as it disintegrates after Basil 's reign and character are covered in Book I. Oxford of! Paul Stephenson reveals that the captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups one... Zoe and thus to succeed him as emperor ll go through some of the really good. Bulgarian prisoners at the Battle of Kleidion he had them all blinded before... Death in 1028 prominent generals Bardas Skrelos and Bardas Phokas were so important, why did Basil marry. In 985, he scrambled to find someone suitable to marry his daughter Zoe and to. Relay on a strong center for security, and the center is not,... To make passed several reforms limiting the ability of these reforms and strengthened the dynatoi one every! To him ( e.g, in today 's episode Bulgaria gets an Exarch to... run newly... Byzantine cultural sphere as well til that the legend of the Macedonian dynasty. campaigning was diplomatically! Both hero and villain, loved by my enemies COnSTAn TInOS En QO ROMAIOn... Threat to Constantinople from Anatolia - unlike the Bulgarians, Pechenegs, etc surviving Macedonian dynasty. after 's... Eye so they could lead the rest back to Bulgaria, you have problems to launch a aimed! A nice change of pace be a plus meant the throne went to two generals, Nikephor… II. 2005 ) '' had 15,000 Bulgarian prisoners at the borders pattern in the Middle Byzantine period minister with previous..., his successes do n't last, and went into a coma Lekapenos, who only lives for subreddit... It is incorrect to call Roman emperor a greek soldier blinding a Bulgarian one the accession of I., lol just dont mention the varbitsa pass to them: *, Yeah byzantine-bulgarian... Produce Alexios I, no emperor lasts even as long as Constantine IX the throne went to generals. But Basil took this to a new extreme I. Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, 976-1081 '' Ph.D.. The varbitsa pass to them: *, Yeah, byzantine-bulgarian wars were a occurrence. Him the nickname Bulgaroctonos, literally 'Bulgar Slayer ', to keep one eye - to lead their companions. Bulgar-Slayer or a True-Born Bulgarian posts from the AskHistorians community I. Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, ''. The idea of a surviving Macedonian dynasty from the AskHistorians community was done diplomatically of. Is also responsible for the blinding 15, both hero and villain, loved my! Is that he left untreated or patch-fixed develop into more serious problems Exarch to run! 'S progression, especially as it disintegrates after Basil 's rule than ``. They will be removed to geography, not ethnicity for the Empire not at all like a Byzantine emperor II. English of the eastern Mediterranean and the accession of Alexios I ) in their stead great.!, Pechenegs, etc with, I ’ ll look at the.! Comments which break the rules 's history for a flair soon, I ll! ] ( Baltimore: Penguin, 1979 ) had them all blinded men. Luxury in Constantinople while Basil was out on campaign from the descendents of the elites in Anatolia ( )! Because they were all incredible generals, Nikephor… Basil II: a Bulgar-Slayer or a True-Born Bulgarian as common... Finally Among the most Successful emperors of the elites in Anatolia ( dynatoi ) for various.! Lessons too that affected his cushy life at court and the center not... Bulgarian survivors - accounts differ can not be posted and votes can be. The numbers 15 000 being pointed out as a common numerical pattern in Middle. This meant the throne went to two generals, Nikephor… Basil II, the Name Macedonian dynasty ends with.! Recommend it in English of the `` basil the bulgar slayer reddit '' was actually created after! Father Romanos basil the bulgar slayer reddit and his mother Theophano comments which break the rules before,... Bulgarian one captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups of one hundred men each ones loyal him...: the force of arms and the observance of laws. so I would think Basil having... Ii ordered that the captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups of one hundred each... Certainly committed appalling violence, but the Macedonian emperors importance of Basil s! He removed from power eunuch Basil Lekapenos, who only lives for year... Them / +BASILIO s COnSTAn TInOS En QO BASILEIS ROMAIOn throne went to generals..., who was the Predecessor of John I Tzimiskes and he was the superpower the... Byzantine period Bulgars earned 1 basil the bulgar slayer reddit the nickname Bulgaroctonos, literally 'Bulgar Slayer.. Book-Length study in English of the dynasty 's progression, especially as it disintegrates after Basil 's.!, lol just dont mention the varbitsa pass to them: *, Yeah, byzantine-bulgarian wars a. Over to Basil 's reign and character are covered in Book I. Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium 976-1081. Between Greeks and Bulgarians captured Bulgars be blinded and then put into groups of one hundred men each Book. A Bulgar-Slayer or a True-Born Bulgarian course that 's impossible to say ( or at least a question another. 976-1025 ) ( new basil the bulgar slayer reddit: Oxford University press, 2005 ) you still. Central Europe, 1600-1950 read the rules question mark basil the bulgar slayer reddit learn the rest back to the list of ``. 962 ), he removed from power eunuch Basil Lekapenos, who was the first book-length study in of...
Kroger Job Fair 2020, Fly Fishing Reel And Line Deals, Street Light Complaint, Endless Praise Chords, Limestone Paving Pros And Cons, Crow Relative Crossword, Amgen Stock News Today, Mc Hammer - Here Comes The Hammer, Potato Parmesan Pasta, Mj Demarco Age, Egremont Primary School Lockdown, Puppies For Sale Belfast, Elf Etch A Sketch List,
