6 – Basil I (886)
If Basil’s ascent to the throne was bloody and brutal, his death was similar. However, unlike the others on this list, Basil died horribly in a freak accident. Although he became Emperor through deceptive and murderous means, he was one of the greatest Byzantine Emperors. Admittedly, his legacy is enhanced by the fact that he was succeeded by high-quality emperors. Nonetheless, he set in place the political, social and economic conditions to help the Byzantine Empire grow and flourish.
Basil founded the ‘Macedonian Dynasty’ which was a period of expansion for the Empire. It has to be said that Basil’s military record was far from spotless. He successfully expanded eastwards by defeating the Paulicians in 872 and sacking their main city, Tephrike. However, he was less successful in other areas and failed to prevent the Empire of Sicily from taking Syracuse in 878. The Byzantines recovered by taking Taranto in 880 along with most of Calabria. These Italian Peninsula successes enabled the Byzantines to expand over the next few generations.
Due to the enormous amount of legislative work he undertook, Basil is sometimes known as the Second Justinian. All of his laws were collected in a 60 book series called the ‘Basilika’ and Leo VI completed these works. Basil clearly sought to emulate Justinian the Great by focusing on an extensive building program in the capital. He also did his best to ensure good relations with Rome on the ecclesiastical front.
In terms of succession, Basil suffered a blow in 879 when his favorite son, Constantine, died. He raised his youngest son Alexander to be the new emperor and despised Leo who he suspected of being Michael III’s son. After imprisoning Leo on suspicion of plotting against him, he wanted to blind his son but was talked out of it by Photios.
In 886, Basil had a freak accident while hunting. His belt apparently got caught on the horns of a deer; some sources say he was impaled. The deer dragged him for 16 miles before it was hunted down. Basil accused the man who saved him of attempted murder so he had the unfortunate attendant executed. Basil died from a fever sustained during the accident, and his hated son Leo became the new emperor.