7 – Basil II – 1025
The death of Basil II was hardly a surprise since he reigned for nearly 50 years and was almost 70 years old when he died. However, the Byzantine Empire badly missed the excellent leadership of Basil; a fact only highlighted by the lack of quality of the people that succeeded him. Basil succeeded the able John I Tzimiskes in 976 and spent the early part of his reign dealing with rebellions. The first was by Bardas Skleros while the second revolt was started by the man sent to deal with Skleros, Bardas Phokas.
Once he defeated Phokas in 989, Basil was able to get on with the process of cementing his Empire’s position. During the rebellion period, Basil also contended with the Bulgarians and his first attempt to subdue them was unsuccessful. However, he eventually ground them down and forced surrender in 1018 but only after approximately two decades of war.
Overall, Basil’s reign is considered as the peak of Byzantine power in the medieval era. By the time of his death in 1025, the Bulgarians were Christian, and a number of important and powerful families in Kiev were also converted or in the process of doing so. The Byzantine Empire appeared to be in fantastic shape at that point. It was wealthy, its bureaucracy was effective, and its army was battle-hardened and large. Basil expanded territories in the Balkans and eastern Anatolia but his successors were unable to keep everything in check.
Despite his age and length of reign, Basil left no heir and his brother, Constantine VIII, who was technically his co-emperor, ruled alone but only for three years before he also died. Constantine’s daughter, Zoe, took over and married a succession of men who proved to be weak and ineffectual rulers. These emperors foolishly reduced investment in the standing army and the militias on the frontiers. Byzantium’s enemies seized the initiative and groups such as the Normans and Pechenegs threatened the empire. The Seljuk Turks however, did the most damage including a crushing victory at Manzikert in 1071.