View source for Basil I

{{short description|Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886}}
{{Not to be confused with|Basil I of Constantinople}}
{{other people||Basil I (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Basil I
| image        = Roman Emperor Basil I.png
| caption      = Underdrawing of Basil I in the [[Paris Gregory]], {{circa}} 879–883{{sfn|Brubaker|1999|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=LAUMM3cU_UoC&pg=RA1-PA6 6], [https://books.google.com/books?id=LAUMM3cU_UoC&pg=PA152 152–162]}}
| succession   = [[Byzantine emperor]]
| reign        = 24 September 867 –<br/>29 August 886
| predecessor  = [[Michael III]]
| successor    = [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]]
| queen        = [[Eudokia Ingerina]]
| spouse 1     = Maria
| spouse 2     = [[Eudokia Ingerina]]
| issue        = [[Constantine (son of Basil I)|Constantine]]<br/>[[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Emperor Alexander]]<br/>[[Leo VI the Wise|Emperor Leo VI]]{{efn|May have actually been [[Michael III]]'s son.|name = pat}}<br/>[[Stephen I of Constantinople|Patriarch Stephen I]]{{efn|name = pat}}
| issue-link   = #Family
| issue-pipe   = Among others
| dynasty      = [[Macedonian dynasty|Macedonian]]
| regnal name  = {{langx|grc|Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ Βασίλειος Αὐγουστος|[[Autokrator|Autokrátōr]] [[Caesar (title)|Kaîsar]] Basíleios [[Augustus (title)|Aúgoustos]]}}{{efn|Full title attested to in the [[Prochiron]]: Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ Βασίλειος εὐτυχής εὐσεβής εὐτυχής ἔνδοξος νικητής τροπαιοῦχος, ἀεισέβαστος πιστός αὐγουστος ("Autokrator Caesar Basil fortunate, pious, renowned, victorious, triumphant, ever-venerable, faithful Augustus").<ref>P. Zepos 1931 ''Leges Imperatorum Isaurorum et Macedonum'' p. 114.</ref>}}
| coronation   = 26 May 866 (as co-emperor)
| cor-type     = [[Coronation of the Byzantine emperor|Coronation]]
| reg-type     = Co-emperor
| regent       = [[Constantine (son of Basil I)|Constantine]] (868–879)<br/>[[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]] (870–886)<br/>[[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Alexander]] (879–886)
| father       = Bardas/Constantine
| mother       = Pankalo
| birth_date   = Late 811
| birth_place  = [[Chariopolis]], [[Macedonia (theme)|Macedonia]], [[Byzantine Empire]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|29 August 886|811|df=y}}
| religion     = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]] 
| death_place  = 
| date of burial = 
| place of burial = 
| title        = [[List of Byzantine emperors|Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans]]
}}
'''Basil I''', nicknamed "'''the Macedonian'''" ({{langx|el|Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών|Basíleios ō Makedṓn}}; 811 – 29 August 886), was [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine emperor]] from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in [[Macedonia (theme)|Macedonia]], he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gaining the favour of Emperor [[Michael III]], whose [[Eudokia Ingerina|mistress]] he married on his emperor's orders. In 866, Michael proclaimed him co-emperor. Fearing a loss of influence, Basil orchestrated Michael's assassination the next year and installed himself as sole ruler of the empire. He was the first ruler of the [[Macedonian dynasty]].

Despite his humble origins, Basil was an effective and respected monarch. He initiated a complete overhaul of Byzantine law, an effort continued by his successor that ultimately became the ''[[Basilika]]''. On the foreign front, he achieved military success against the heretical [[Paulicianism|Paulicians]], whom he subjugated in 872. He also pursued an active policy in the west, allying with Carolingian emperor [[Louis II of Italy|Louis II]] against the Arabs, which led to a new period of Byzantine domination in Italy. Upon his death in a hunting accident in 886, he was succeeded by his son [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]], also rumoured to have been the son of Michael III.

==From peasant to emperor==
Basil was born to peasant parents in late 811 (or sometime in the 830s in the estimation of some scholars) at [[Chariopolis]] in the [[Byzantine themes|Byzantine theme]] of [[Macedonia (theme)|Macedonia]] (an administrative division corresponding to the area of [[Edirne|Adrianople]] in [[Thrace]]).<ref name="Treadgold, p. 455">{{harvnb|Treadgold|1997|p=455}}.</ref><ref name="Vasiliev, p. 301">{{harvnb|Vasiliev|1928–1935|p=301}}.</ref> The theory that Basil may have been born in the 830's might better explain that the young Emperor Michael III later chose him as his favorite. His father was named Bardas/Constantine, his mother Pankalo, and his paternal grandfather Maiktes/Leo. His paternal grandmother's father was named Leo/Maiktes.<ref name=":1" /> His ethnic origin is unknown and has been a subject of debate.
[[File:KoutragonBasileiosBGhistory.jpg|thumb|A young Basil at the court of [[Omurtag of Bulgaria]].]]
During Basil's reign, an elaborate genealogy was produced that purported that his ancestors were not mere peasants, as everyone believed, but descendants of the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia|Arsacid]] (Arshakuni) kings of [[Kingdom of Armenia (Antiquity)|Armenia]], [[Alexander the Great]] and also of [[Constantine the Great]]. The Armenian historians [[Samuel of Ani]] and [[Stephen of Taron]] record that he hailed from the village of Thil in [[Taron (historic Armenia)|Taron]].<ref name=":1">{{harvnb|PmbZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/database/PMBZ/entry/PMBZ11920/html Basileios I.] (#832/add. corr.)}}</ref> In contrast, Persian writers such as [[Hamza al-Isfahani]],{{sfn|Tobias|2007|p=20}} or [[al-Tabari]], call both Basil and his mother ''[[Saqlabi]]'', an ethnogeographic term that usually denoted the [[Slavs]], but can also be interpreted as a generic term encompassing the inhabitants of the region between [[Constantinople]] and [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]].{{sfn|PmbZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/database/PMBZ/entry/PMBZ16866/html Pankalo] (#5679)}} Claims have therefore been made for an Armenian,{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=455}} Slavic,{{sfn|Tobias|2007|p=20}}{{sfn|Finlay|1853|p=213}} or indeed "Armeno-Slavonic"<ref name="Vasiliev, p. 301" /> origin for Basil's father. The name of his mother points to a Greek origin on the maternal side.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Kargakos|first=Sarantos I.|title=Historia tou Hellēnikou kosmou kai tou meizonos chōrou : Eurōpē, Asia, Aphrikē, Amerikē|date=1999|publisher=Gutenberg|isbn=960-01-0822-6|edition=1. ekd|location=Athēna|pages=580–581|oclc=44045861}}</ref> The general scholarly consensus is that Basil's father was "probably" of Armenian origin, and settled in Byzantine Thrace.<ref name=":1" /> His close associates and friends were mostly Armenians and, besides [[Greek language|Greek]], he might have spoken [[Armenian language|Armenian]] as well.{{sfn|Tobias|2007|p=24}} Norman Tobias, the author of the only dedicated [[biography]] of Basil I in [[English language|English]], concluded that it is impossible to be certain what the ethnic origins of the emperor were, though Basil was definitely reliant on the support of Armenians in prominent positions within the Byzantine Empire.{{sfn|Tobias|2007|p=264}}

[[File:BasileiosWrestlingMatch.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Basil victorious in a wrestling match against a Bulgarian champion (far left), from the ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]'' manuscript.]]
One story asserts that he had spent a part of his childhood in captivity in [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]], where his family had, allegedly, been carried off as captives of the Khan [[Krum of Bulgaria|Krum]] (r. 803–814) in 813. Basil lived there until 836, when he and several others escaped to Byzantine-held territory in [[Thrace]].<ref name="Treadgold, p. 455"/> Basil was ultimately lucky enough to enter the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of the [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]] [[Bardas]] (the uncle of Emperor [[Michael III]]), as a groom. While serving Theophilitzes, he visited the city of [[Patras]], where he gained the favour of [[Danielis]], a wealthy woman who took him into her household and endowed him with a fortune.{{sfn|Bury|1911}} He also earned the notice of Michael III by his abilities as a horse tamer and in winning a victory over a Bulgarian champion in a [[amateur wrestling|wrestling]] match; he soon became the Byzantine Emperor's companion, confidant, and bodyguard (''[[parakoimomenos]]'').<ref>{{harvnb|Gregory|2010|p=242}}.</ref> Symeon Magister describes Basil as "... most outstanding in bodily form and heavy set; his eyebrows grew together, he had large eyes and a broad chest, and a rather downcast expression".{{sfn|Head|1980|pp=231–232}}

[[File:Coronation of Basil the Macedonian as co-emperor.png|thumb|right|250px|The coronation of Basil I as co-emperor, from the ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]'' manuscript]]

On Emperor Michael's orders, Basil divorced his wife Maria and married [[Eudokia Ingerina]], Michael's favourite mistress, in around 865.{{sfn|Bury|1911}} Around the same time, Michael III offered him his sister [[Thekla (daughter of Theophilos)|Thekla]] as a mistress. Basil 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greenwalt |first=William S. |url=http://archive.org/details/isbn_0787640743_15 |title=Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia |date=1999 |publisher=Waterford, CT : Yorkin Publications |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7876-3736-1 |pages=344–345}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Herrin |first=Judith |url=http://archive.org/details/womeninpurplerul0000herr |title=Women in purple : rulers of medieval Byzantium |date=2002 |publisher=London : Phoenix |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-84212-529-8 |pages=228–229}}</ref> During an expedition against the [[Arabs]], Basil convinced Michael III that his uncle Bardas coveted the Byzantine throne, and subsequently murdered Bardas with Michael's approval on 21 April 866.<ref name=":0">''[[Theophanes Continuatus]]'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=AmgvoxVBjAAC&pg=PA207 IV.43.]</ref> Basil then became the leading personality at court and was invested in the now vacant dignity of ''kaisar'' (Caesar), before being [[coronation of the Byzantine emperor|crowned co-emperor]] on 26 May 866.<ref name=":0" /> This promotion may have included Basil's adoption by Michael III, himself a much younger man. It was commonly believed that [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]], Basil's successor and reputed son, was really the son of Michael.{{sfn|Bury|1911}} Although Basil seems to have shared this belief (and hated Leo), the subsequent promotion of Basil to caesar and then co-emperor provided the child with a legitimate and Imperial parent and secured his succession to the Byzantine throne. When Leo was born, Michael III celebrated the event with public [[chariot races]], whilst he pointedly instructed Basil not to presume on his new position as junior emperor.<ref>{{harvnb|Treadgold|1997|p=453}}.</ref>
[[File:Assassination of Michael III.png|thumb|The murder of Michael III and the proclamation of Basil I as the new emperor]]
When Michael III started to favour another courtier, [[Basiliskianos]], Basil felt that his position was being undermined. Michael threatened to invest Basiliskianos with the Imperial title and this induced Basil to pre-empt events by organizing the assassination of Michael on the night of 24 September 867.<ref>''[[Theophanes Continuatus]]'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=YREbAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA210 IV.44.]</ref>{{refn|group="note"|Some modern authorities give 23 September,<ref>[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] (2021), [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-III-Byzantine-emperor Michael III].</ref> but this is a mistake. The origin of the confusion can be traced to [[J. B. Bury]]'s ''[[History of the Eastern Roman Empire]]'' (1912). Bury, citing the ''[[Theophanes Continuatus]]'', first gives Michael's death as 24 September,{{sfn|Bury|1912|p=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924074296264/page/n198/mode/1up 177]}} but then inexplicably changes it to 23 September later in the book.{{sfn|Bury|1912|p=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924074296264/page/n490/mode/1up 469]}}}} Michael and Basiliskianos were insensibly drunk following a banquet at the palace of Anthimos when Basil, with a small group of companions (including his father Bardas, brother Marinos, and cousin Ayleon),{{NoteTag|The name of the father of Basil is unrecorded; however, Byzantine naming conventions are sometimes used to predict that of a relative. The names of Basil's male siblings and other relatives are recorded from later in his reign.{{sfn|Tougher|1997|p=26}}<ref>Herlong, M. (1987) ''Kinship and social mobility in Byzantium, 717–959'', Catholic University of America, pp.&nbsp;76–77.</ref>}} gained entry. The locks to the chamber doors had been tampered with and the chamberlain had not posted guards; both victims were then put to the [[sword]].{{NoteTag|A man named John of Chaldia killed Michael III, cutting off both the Emperor's hands before returning to stab him in the heart.<ref>{{harvnb|Finlay|1853|pp=180–181}}</ref>}} On Michael III's death, Basil, as an already acclaimed co-emperor, automatically became the ruling ''[[basileus]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Treadgold|1997|pp=453–455}}.</ref>

==Reign==
{{Infobox saint
|name          = Basil I the Macedonian, Emperor of the Romans

|death_date    =
|feast_day     = 29 August
|venerated_in  = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
|image         = Solidus-Basil I.jpg
|imagesize     =
|caption       = Gold solidus of Basil I
|birth_place   =
|death_place   =
|titles        = Emperor
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=
|attributes    = Imperial Vestment
|patronage     =
|major_shrine  = [[Church of the Holy Apostles]], Constantinople modern day [[Istanbul, Turkey]]
|issues=
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}}
Basil I became an effective and respected monarch despite being a man with no formal education and little military or administrative experience. Moreover, he had been the boon companion of a debauched monarch and had achieved power through a series of calculated murders. That there was little political reaction to the murder of Michael III is probably due to his unpopularity with the bureaucrats of [[Constantinople]] because of his disinterest in the administrative duties of the Imperial office. Also, Michael's public displays of [[impiety]] had alienated the Byzantine populace in general. Once in power Basil 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 [[Jesus Christ|Christ]]. He maintained a reputation for conventional piety and orthodoxy throughout his 19-year-long reign.<ref>{{harvnb|Finlay|1853|pp=214–215}}.</ref>

===Domestic policies===
Because of the great legislative work which Basil I undertook, he is often called the "second [[Justinian I|Justinian]]". Basil's laws were collected in the ''[[Basilika]]'', consisting of sixty books, and smaller legal manuals known as the ''[[Epanagoge|Eisagoge]]''. Leo VI was responsible for completing these legal works. The ''Basilika'' remained the law of the Byzantine Empire down to its conquest by the [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]]. Ironically, this codification of laws seems to have begun under the direction of the ''caesar'' Bardas who was murdered by Basil.<ref>{{harvnb|Finlay|1853|pp=221–226}}.</ref> Basil personally oversaw the construction of the ''[[Nea Ekklesia]]'' cathedral{{sfn|Mango|1986|p=194}}{{sfn|Magdalino|1987|p=51}} and his palatine hall the [[Kainourgion]].{{sfn|Alexander|1962|p=349}} His ecclesiastical policy was marked by good relations with [[Rome]]. One of his first acts was to exile the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]], [[Patriarch Photius I of Constantinople|Photios]], and restore his rival [[Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople|Ignatios]], whose claims were supported by [[Pope Adrian II]].<ref name="Treadgold, p. 455"/>

===Foreign affairs===
[[File:MadridSkylitzesFol100vDetail.jpg|thumb|The Sicilian stronghold of Syracuse [[Siege of Syracuse (877–878)|falls]] to the Arabs in 878.]]
Emperor Basil's reign was marked by the troublesome ongoing war with the heretical [[Paulicians]], centered on [[Divriği|Tephrike]] on the upper [[Euphrates]], who rebelled, allied with the Arabs, and raided as far as [[Nicaea]], sacking [[Ephesus]]. Basil's general, [[Christopher (Domestic of the Schools)|Christopher]], [[Battle of Bathys Ryax|defeated]] the Paulicians in 872, and the death of their leader, [[Chrysocheir]], led to the definite subjection of their state.<ref>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1987|p=191}}.</ref> Basil was the first Byzantine emperor since [[Constans II]] (r. 641–668) to pursue an active policy to restore the Empire's power in the West. Basil allied with [[Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Louis II]] (r. 850–875) against the Arabs and sent a fleet of 139 ships to clear the [[Adriatic Sea]] of their raids. With Byzantine help, Louis II [[Louis II's campaign against Bari (866–871)|captured Bari]] from the Arabs in 871. The city eventually became Byzantine territory in 876. However, the Byzantine position in [[Sicily (theme)|Sicily]] deteriorated, and [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]] fell to the [[Emirate of Sicily]] in 878. This was ultimately Basil's fault as he had diverted a relief fleet from Sicily to haul [[marble]] for a church instead. Although most of Sicily was lost, the general [[Nikephoros Phokas the Elder|Nikephoros Phokas (the Elder)]] succeeded in taking [[Taranto]] and much of [[Calabria]] in 880. The successes in the [[Italian peninsula]] opened a new period of Byzantine domination there. Above all, the Byzantines were beginning to establish a strong presence in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], and especially the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]].<ref>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1987|pp=185–187}}.</ref>
[[File:Byzantines_under_Nikephoros_Phokas_capture_Amantia.jpg|thumb|The army under Nikephoros Phokas the Elder captures the city of Amantia in Italy.]]

===Last years and succession===
[[File:Santabarenos the monk advises prince Leo to carry a knife.jpg|thumb|Santabarenos the Monk advises Prince Leo to carry a knife.]]
[[File:Prince Leo offers a knife to his father, Emperor Basil I.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Basil I and his son Leo. Leo is discovered carrying a knife in the emperor's presence.]]
Basil's spirits declined in 879, when his eldest and favourite son, Constantine, died. Basil now raised his youngest son, [[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Alexander]], to the rank of co-emperor. Basil disliked the bookish [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo]], on occasion physically beating him; he probably suspected Leo of being the son of Michael III. In his later years, Basil's relationship with Leo was clouded by the suspicion that the latter might wish to avenge the murder of Michael III. Leo was eventually imprisoned by Basil after Theodore Santabarenos informed him of a plot against him, but the imprisonment resulted in public rioting; Basil threatened to blind Leo but was dissuaded by Patriarch Photios. Leo was eventually released after the passage of three years.<ref>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1987|pp=196–197}}.</ref> Basil died on 29 August 886,<ref>[[Constantine VII]] (960). ''[[De Ceremoniis]]'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=9VQ6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA780 '''II''', 52.]</ref> from a [[fever]] contracted after a serious hunting accident when his [[belt (clothing)|belt]] was caught in the antlers of a [[deer]], and he was allegedly dragged {{convert|25|km|mi}} through the woods. He 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Treadgold|1997|p=461}}.</ref> One of the first acts of Leo VI as ruling emperor was to rebury, with great ceremony, the remains of Michael III in the Imperial [[Mausoleum]] within the [[Church of the Holy Apostles]] in Constantinople. This did much to confirm in public opinion the view that Leo considered himself to have been Michael's son.<ref>{{harvnb|Finlay|1853|p=241}}.</ref>

==Family==
[[File:INC-3051-r Солид. Василий I. Ок. 867—886 гг. (реверс).png|thumb|185px|Basil I and his son Constantine.]]
Some modern controversy and historical ambiguity surrounds Basil I's personal life, especially given a lack of contemporaneous sources. One question that has emerged in modern scholarship is whether or not Basil was involved in same-sex relationships and if such relationships played a role in his unlikely rise to power. Historian Shaun Fitzroy Tougher cites a history written by George the Monk<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harmatolos |first=George |title=Operum Omnium Conspectus |url=http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_20_0800-0900-_Georgius_Monachus.html |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu}}</ref> that uses the Greek word ''pothos'' to describe Basil's relationship with Michael, a word which had historically been used in some Greek Christian sources to describe the desire between a wife and a husband.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tougher |first=Shaun Fitzroy |title=Desire and Denial in Byzantium: Papers from the 31st Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Brighton, March 1997 |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |isbn=978-0860787884 |editor-last=James |editor-first=Liz |pages=149–158 |language=en |chapter=Michael III and Basil the Macedonian: just good friends? |chapter-url=https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/24531/}}</ref> However, within the law code, the ''Basilika'', inaugurated by Basil I, the illegal nature of male [[homosexuality]] and its, largely theoretical, capital punishment were retained in full.<ref>Morris, S. (2011) "The Gay Male as Byzantine Monster: Civil Legislation and Punishment for Same-Sex Behaviour" in, ''The Horrid Looking Glass: Reflections on Monstrosity'', Yoder, P.L. and Kreuter, P.M. (eds.), Brill, Leiden, ISBN 9781904710158, p. 125</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Homosexuality|date=2016|editor-last= Dynes|editor-first= W.R. |volume= I|publisher= Taylor & Francis|location= Abingdon|isbn= 9781317368151|page= 182}}</ref>

Aspects of the family relationships of Basil I are likewise uncertain and open to a variety of interpretations.
Therefore, the information given below should not be treated as comprehensive or definite:{{sfn|Tougher|1997|pp=7–8, 30–31, 42–50}}

*By his first wife Maria, Basil I had several children, including:
**Bardas.
**Anastasia, who married the general [[Christopher (Domestic of the Schools)|Christopher]].
**[[Constantine (son of Basil I)|Constantine]] (c. 860 – 3 September 879), crowned emperor in January 868. According to [[George Alexandrovič Ostrogorsky]], Constantine was betrothed to [[Ermengard of Provence]], daughter of [[Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor]], and [[Engelberga]] in 869. The marital contract was broken in 871 when relations between Basil and Louis broke down.
*By Eudokia Ingerina, Basil I had the following children:
**[[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]], who succeeded as Byzantine emperor and may actually have been a son of Michael III.
**[[Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople|Stephen I]], Patriarch of Constantinople, who may also actually have been a son of Michael III.
**[[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Alexander]], who succeeded as Byzantine emperor in 912.
**Anna [[Porphyrogenita]], a nun at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.
**Helena Porphyrogenita, a nun at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.
**Maria Porphyrogenita, a mother of nuns at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.

Leo VI's son [[Constantine VII]] wrote a biography of his grandfather, the ''[[Vita Basilii]]'', around 950.{{sfn|Kazhdan|Cutler|1991}}

==In popular culture==
*[[Harry Turtledove]], a historian noted for his speculative fiction based on alternative history, has written several series set in a place called [[Videssos]], which is a thinly disguised Byzantine Empire. The ''Tale of Krispos'' trilogy – ''Krispos Rising'' (1991), ''Krispos of Videssos'' (1991), and ''Krispos the Emperor'' (1994) – are fictionalized retellings of the rise of Basil.<ref name="MartinDick2006">{{cite book |editor1-last=Martin |editor1-first=George R. R.|editor1-link=George R. R. Martin |editor2-last=Dick |editor2-first=Philip K.| editor2-link=Philip K. Dick |editor3-last=McCaffrey |editor3-first=Anne |editor3-link=Anne McCaffrey |first=Harry |last=Turtledove |chapter=Introduction |title=The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century: Stories|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtmqkgGf_2kC&pg=PR12|access-date=27 August 2018|date=25 July 2006|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=9780345494290|page=xii }}</ref>
*[[Stephen Lawhead]]'s book, ''Byzantium'' (1996), uses the succession of Basil I as seed for the conspiracy which occupies most of the novel.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephen-r-lawhead/byzantium-2/ |title=BYZANTIUM by Stephen R. Lawhead |magazine=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 July 1996 |access-date=27 August 2018 }}</ref>
*[[Robert Greene (American author)|Robert Greene's]] book ''[[The 48 Laws of Power]]'' (1998), features Basil I's rise to power, by way of his interactions and later his manipulations of Michael III, as an example of a "transgression of the law" for Law #2, "Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Greene, Robert.|title=The 48 laws of power|date=1998|publisher=Viking|others=Elffers, Joost.|isbn=0-670-88146-5|edition=1st|location=New York|page=9|oclc=39733201}}</ref>
*Basil is a playable character in the [[Crusader Kings III|Crusader Kings]] franchise, developed by [[Paradox Development Studio]] and published by [[Paradox Interactive]]

==See also==
{{portal|Byzantine Empire}}
*[[List of Byzantine emperors]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

==Primary sources==
Recent years have seen the first translations into English of a number of primary sources about Basil I and his times.
* Featherstone, Jeffrey Michael and Signes-Codoñer, Juan (translators). ''Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Libri I-IV'' (Chronicle of [[Theophanes Continuatus]] Books I-IV, comprising the reigns of [[Leo V the Armenian]] to [[Michael III]]), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2015.
* Kaldellis, A. (trans.). ''On the reigns of the emperors'' (the history of [[Joseph Genesius|Joseph Genesios]]), Canberra: Australian Association for Byzantine Studies; Byzantina Australiensia 11, 1998.
* Ševčenko, Ihor (trans.). ''Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Liber quo Vita Basilii Imperatoris amplectitur'' (Chronicle of [[Theophanes Continuatus]] comprising the Life of Basil I), Berlin: De Gruyter, 2011.
* Wahlgren, Staffan (translator, writer of introduction and commentary). ''The Chronicle of the Logothete'', Liverpool University Press; Translated Texts for Byzantinists, vol. 7, 2019.
* Wortley, John (trans.). ''A synopsis of Byzantine history, 811-1057'' (the history of [[John Scylitzes]], active 1081), Cambridge University Press, 2010.

==Secondary sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |title=The Strength of Empire and Capital as Seen through Byzantine Eyes |first=Paul J. |last=Alexander |journal=Speculum |volume=37, No. 3 July |year=1962 |issue=3 |pages=339–357 |doi=10.2307/2852356 |jstor=2852356 |s2cid=155080903 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2852356|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Basil I. |last= Bury |first= John Bagnell |author-link= J.B. Bury|page= 467 |volume= 03 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Brubaker|first=Leslie|title=Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium: Image as Exegesis in the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus|author-link=Leslie Brubaker|date=1999|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=9780521621533|url=https://www.academia.edu/49490426}}
* {{cite book |last=Finlay|first=George|author-link=George Finlay|title=History of the Byzantine Empire from DCCXVI to MLVII |year=1853|location=Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4D8OAAAAYAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Gregory|first=Timothy E. |title = A History of Byzantium |location=Malden, Massachusetts; West Sussex, England |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2010 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gXCl9P0vKS4C |isbn=978-1-4051-8471-7 }}
* {{cite journal|first=Constance|last=Head|title=Physical Descriptions of the Emperors in Byzantine Historical Writing |journal=Byzantion|volume=50|number=1|year=1980|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44170616|publisher=[[Peeters Publishers]]|pages=226–240|jstor=44170616 }}
* {{cite book |last=Jenkins|first=Romilly |title=Byzantium: The Imperial Centuries, AD 610–1071 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=O5JqH_NXQBsC |location=Toronto, Ontario |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1987|isbn=0-8020-6667-4}}
* {{cite book|title=[[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]]|page=260|year=1991a|last1=Kazhdan|first1=Alexander|first2=Anthony |last2=Cutler |author1-link=Alexander Kazhdan|chapter=Basil I|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/odb_20210521/page/260/mode/1up|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-504652-6|editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan}}
* {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium |title=Vita Basilii |first1=Alexander |last1=Kazhdan |first2=Anthony |last2=Cutler |year=1991|pages=2180-2181}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor1-link=Ralph-Johannes Lilie
| editor1-last = Lilie | editor1-first = Ralph-Johannes | editor2-last = Ludwig | editor2-first = Claudia  | editor3-last = Zielke | editor3-first = Beate | editor4-last = Pratsch | editor4-first = Thomas|title=[[Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit]]|language = de |publisher = [[De Gruyter]] |year = 2013 |ref ={{harvid|PmbZ}} }}
* {{cite journal |last=Magdalino |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Magdalino |title=Observations on the Nea Ekklesia of Basil I |year=1987 |journal=Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik |issue=37 |issn=0378-8660  |pages=51–64 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mango |first=Cyril |author-link=Cyril Mango |title=The Art of the Byzantine Empire 312&ndash;1453: Sources and Documents |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-8020-6627-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/artofbyzantine00mang }}
*{{cite book |last=Tobias|first=Norman |title=Basil I, Founder of the Macedonian Dynasty: A Study of the Political and Military History of the Byzantine Empire in the Ninth Century|location=Lewiston, NY |publisher=The Edwin Mellen Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7734-5405-7 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XjsjAQAAIAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Tougher|first=S.|title=The Reign of Leo VI (886–912): Politics and People |year=1997 |location=Leiden|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=9004108114 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iPquae5A4zIC}}
* {{cite book |last=Treadgold|first=Warren T. |author-link=Warren Treadgold |title=A History of the Byzantine State and Society |year=1997 |location=Stanford, CA |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=9780804726306|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nYbnr5XVbzUC&pg=PA123}}
*{{cite book |last=Vasiliev |first=Alexander Alexandrovich |author-link=Alexander Vasiliev (historian) |title=History of the Byzantine Empire |year=1928–1935 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |publisher=The University of Wisconsin Press |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbyzanti0000vasi |isbn=0-299-80925-0 }}
* {{cite journal |editor1-last=Vogt|editor1-first=Albert|editor2-last=Hausherr|editor2-first=Isidorous |title=Oraison funèbre de Basile I par son fils Léon VI le Sage |journal=Orientalia Christiana Periodica|volume=26|number=77|location=Rome, Italy|publisher=Pontificium Institutum Orientalium Studiorum|year=1932|pages=39–78|language=fr }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Bury|first=John Bagnell|author-link=J. B. Bury|title=A History of the Eastern Roman Empire from the Fall of Irene to the Accession of Basil I (A.D. 802–867)|publisher=[[Macmillan and Company]]|year=1912|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistoryeastern00burygoog}}
*{{cite journal|last=Mango|first=Cyril|title=Eudocia Ingerina, the Normans, and the Macedonian Dynasty|journal=Zbornik Radova Vizantološkog Instituta|volume=14-15|year=1973|pages=17–27|doi=10.30965/9783657760374_019|s2cid=240457579 }}
* {{Cite journal|last=Živković|first=Tibor|author-link=Tibor Živković|title=On the Baptism of the Serbs and Croats in the Time of Basil I (867–886)|journal=Studia Slavica et Balcanica Petropolitana|year=2013|issue=1|pages=33–53|url=http://slavica-petropolitana.spbu.ru/files/2013_1/Zivkovic.pdf}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Basileios I}}
* [https://www.worldhistory.org/Basil_I/ Basil I – World History Encyclopedia]
{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Macedonian dynasty|Macedonian Dynasty]]||c. 811|29 August|886}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Michael III]]}}
{{s-ttl
|title=[[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine emperor]]
|years=867–886,
|regent1=[[Constantine (son of Basil I)|Constantine]] (868–879),<br/>[[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]] (870–86) and [[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Alexander]] (879–86)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]]}}
{{s-court}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Damian (parakoimomenos)|Damian]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Parakoimomenos]]|years = 865–866}}
{{s-aft|after=Rentakios}}
{{S-off}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Michael III]] in 843,<br/>then lapsed}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Roman consul]]| years=867 }}
{{s-aft | after= Lapsed,<br />[[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI]] in 887}}
{{s-end}}

{{Roman emperors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basil 01}}
[[Category:9th-century Byzantine emperors]]
[[Category:Macedonian dynasty]]
[[Category:Armenian Byzantine emperors]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars]]
[[Category:811 births]]
[[Category:886 deaths]]
[[Category:Hunting accident deaths]]
[[Category:Parakoimomenoi]]
[[Category:Protostratores]]
[[Category:860s in the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:870s in the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:880s in the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Medieval bodyguards]]
[[Category:Royal favourites]]
[[Category:Adult adoptees]]
[[Category:Byzantine consuls]]
[[Category:Historical figures with ambiguous or disputed sexuality]]