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Basil I

File:Roman_Emperor_Basil_I.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as the Macedonian, Basil the Macedonian, Emperor of the East Basilio I, Emperor Basil I, Emperor of the East Basilius I Macedo, Emperor of the East Basil I, Emperor of the East Basileios I

Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886

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Basil I, also known as Basileios I, was a Byzantine emperor and sovereign who led the Macedonian dynasty. Born in Edirne in 811, he held the position of parakoimomenos before becoming emperor. He was a citizen of the Byzantine Empire and spoke medieval Greek. His religious affiliation was Catholic.

Basil I was married to Eudokia Ingerina and had an unmarried partner named Thekla. Their children included Leo VI the Wise, Stephen I of Constantinople, Constantine, and Alexander. He died in Constantinople on August 29, 886. The manner of his death was accidental, caused by fever.

Synthesized by Vinony from 29 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

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Encyclopedic overview

DynastyMacedonian FatherBardas/Constantine MotherPankalo ReligionChalcedonian Christianity

Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (Greek: Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, romanized: Basíleios ō Makedṓn; 811 – 29 August 886), was Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in the theme of Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gaining the favour of Emperor Michael III, whose 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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Basil I” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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