21 Facts About Basil I

Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian", was Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886.

Basil I was the first ruler of the Macedonian dynasty.

Basil I initiated a complete overhaul of Byzantine law, an effort continued by his successor that ultimately became the Basilika.

Basil I pursued an active policy in the west, allying with Carolingian emperor Louis II against the Arabs, which led to a new period of Byzantine domination in Italy.

Basil I was born to peasant parents in late 811 at Chariopolis in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia.

The general scholarly consensus is that Basil I's father was "probably" of Armenian origin, and settled in Byzantine Thrace.

Basil I lived there until 836, when he and several others escaped to Byzantine-held territory in Thrace.

Basil I was ultimately lucky enough to enter the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of the Caesar Bardas, as a groom.

Basil I earned the notice of Michael III by his abilities as a horse tamer and in winning a victory over a Bulgarian champion in a wrestling match; he soon became the Byzantine Emperor's companion, confidant, and bodyguard.

On Emperor Michael's orders, Basil I divorced his wife Maria and married Eudokia Ingerina, Michael's favourite mistress, in around 865.

Basil I had an affair with her until 870, when he discovered that she was being unfaithful to him and, for this reason, he sent her back to the convent she had been immured in previously.

Basil I became an effective and respected monarch despite being a man with no formal education and little military or administrative experience.

Once in power Basil I soon showed that he intended to rule effectively and as early as his coronation he displayed an overt religiosity by formally dedicating his crown to Christ.

Basil I maintained a reputation for conventional piety and orthodoxy throughout his 19-year-long reign.

Basil I personally oversaw the construction of the Nea Ekklesia cathedral and his palatine hall the Kainourgion.

Emperor Basil I's reign was marked by the troublesome ongoing war with the heretical Paulicians, centered on Tephrike on the upper Euphrates, who rebelled, allied with the Arabs, and raided as far as Nicaea, sacking Ephesus.

Basil I's spirits declined in 879, when his eldest and favourite son, Constantine, died.

Basil I now raised his youngest son, Alexander, to the rank of co-emperor.

Basil I disliked the bookish Leo, on occasion physically beating him; he probably suspected Leo of being the son of Michael III.

Basil I was saved by an attendant who cut him loose with a knife, but he suspected the attendant of trying to assassinate him and had the man executed shortly before he himself died.

One question that has emerged in modern scholarship is whether or not Basil I was involved in same-sex relationships and if such relationships played a role in his unlikely rise to power.