The Reign of Basil II: A Reconstruction

Abstract This chapter offers a reconstruction of Basil's reign, beginning with the Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phokas revolts, and the fall of the Parakoimonenos Basil Lekapenos. Following a discussion of Basil's legislation of 996 against ‘The Powerful’, Byzantine relations with a variety of neighbouring powers are discussed. Whereas other modern historians have often seen the emperor's struggles with a separatist aristocracy as the key to understanding Basil's reign, the chapter argues that previous readings have relied too heavily on views of the late 11th-century Greek historiographical record, most notably John Skylitzes' Synopsis Historion. It suggests that once one looks beyond this later distorting historiographical mirror, one realizes that Basil's greatest struggle was to put himself in control of a vast empire, a complex polity, and an ambitious army. It concludes that Basil II was a brutal but great emperor who was not responsible for the failings of his imperial successors.