Basil I the Macedonian
Basil I, founder of the Macedonian dynasty that would preside over Byzantium's greatest medieval flowering, was a man of peasant origins from the Macedonian theme who rose through sheer force of personality and physical charisma to become the most powerful figure at Michael III's court. His origins were humble - possibly of Armenian or mixed Slavic ancestry - and he came to Constantinople as a young man with nothing. His rise through Michael's favor was meteoric, and in 867 he murdered Michael III in his bedchamber to take sole power. Despite the usurpation, Basil proved a remarkably effective emperor. He launched a major program of legal reform, producing the Procheiros Nomos and the Epanagoge and commissioning the great Basilika compilation that his son Leo VI would complete. In foreign policy he fought persistent campaigns against the Arabs in the east and in southern Italy. He also worked to restore Byzantine influence in Bulgaria and among the Slavic peoples. Basil died in 886 in a hunting accident, reportedly dragged by a stag. Despite his murderous origins, he founded the dynasty historians regard as Byzantium's golden age.
- Lived: 830 CE – 886 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, military_leader, lawgiver
