Byzantine Emperor. He was born in AD 958, the son of the Emperor Romanos II. When he was five years old his father died, so first Nikephoros II, and then the usurper John I, took the throne before he finally came to power in AD 976. The powerful landowners of Asia Minor were rebelling at the time of his accession; Basil suppressed the rebellion with the help of Vladimir I of Kiev, who sent six thousand soldiers to assist him in return for marriage to Basil's sister, Anna. He then campaigned against the Muslim Arabs in the empire's south, restoring much of Syria to the Empire. This was followed by an attempt to win back Byzantine territory held by Bulgaria, with a final victory being won at the Battle of Kleidion in AD 1014. He took fourteen thousand prisoners and ordered ninety-nine out of every hundred of them to be blinded, an action that earned him the nickname "Boulgaroktonos," or "the Bulgar Slayer." Armenia, and much of southern Italy, were also returned to the empire before he died while planning a campaign to restore Byzantine control of Sicily.
Byzantine Emperor. He was born in AD 958, the son of the Emperor Romanos II. When he was five years old his father died, so first Nikephoros II, and then the usurper John I, took the throne before he finally came to power in AD 976. The powerful landowners of Asia Minor were rebelling at the time of his accession; Basil suppressed the rebellion with the help of Vladimir I of Kiev, who sent six thousand soldiers to assist him in return for marriage to Basil's sister, Anna. He then campaigned against the Muslim Arabs in the empire's south, restoring much of Syria to the Empire. This was followed by an attempt to win back Byzantine territory held by Bulgaria, with a final victory being won at the Battle of Kleidion in AD 1014. He took fourteen thousand prisoners and ordered ninety-nine out of every hundred of them to be blinded, an action that earned him the nickname "Boulgaroktonos," or "the Bulgar Slayer." Armenia, and much of southern Italy, were also returned to the empire before he died while planning a campaign to restore Byzantine control of Sicily.
Bio by: js
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