Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII was the younger brother of Basil II who spent his entire adult life as nominal co-emperor while his brother held actual power, and then finally became sole emperor at age sixty-five for the last three years of his life. Despite holding the imperial title for decades alongside Basil, he exercised no real authority during that period. When Basil died in December 1025, Constantine became sole ruler and proved quite unsuited to it. He was decisive only in cruelty: contemporary sources note that he was quick to order blindings of officials and potential rivals, creating an atmosphere of fear without the competence or strategic vision that might have justified severity. He had no male heirs, only three daughters, which created a succession crisis. He arranged the marriage of his daughter Zoe to the elderly senator Romanos Argyros just before his own death in 1028, ensuring some continuity through the Macedonian line via his daughters. His three-year reign effectively marked the beginning of the end of Macedonian greatness.
- Lived: 960 CE – 1028 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state
