The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer

An illustrated revisionary account of the reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil II (976–1025).

Paul Stephenson (Author)

9780521158831, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 November 2010

190 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.29 kg

Review of the hardback: 'It is well written and has that strong sense of Byzantium's place in the Hellenic tradition.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History

The reign of Basil II (976–1025), the longest of any Byzantine emperor, has long been considered as a 'golden age', in which his greatest achievement was the annexation of Bulgaria. This, we have been told, was achieved through a long and bloody war of attrition which won Basil the grisly epithet Voulgartoktonos, 'the Bulgar-slayer'. In this 2003 study Paul Stephenson argues that neither of these beliefs is true. Instead, Basil fought far more sporadically in the Balkans and his reputation as 'Bulgar-slayer' was created only a century and a half later. Thereafter the 'Bulgar-slayer' was periodically to play a galvanizing role for the Byzantines, returning to centre-stage as Greeks struggled to establish a modern nation state. As Byzantium was embraced as the Greek past by scholars and politicians, the 'Bulgar-slayer' became an icon in the struggle for Macedonia (1904–1908) and the Balkan Wars (1912–1913).

List of illustrations
Preface
Annotated and translation
List of abbreviations
1. Basil the Bulgar-slayer: an introduction
2. Basil and Samuel
3. Basil annexes Bulgaria
4. Victory and its representations
5. Basil the younger, porphyrogennetos
6. The origins of a legend
7. Basile après Byzance
8. Basil and the 'Macedonian question'
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]