The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-SlayerThe 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 new 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 (1904-8) and the Balkan Wars (1912-13). |
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Ahrweiler Aldershot Alexios Athens Bamberg Basil II Basil II's Basil the Bulgar-slayer Basil's reign battle battle of Kleidion Belgrade Bulgares Bulgarian Byzance Byzantine emperors Byzantine empire Byzantinische Byzantium Byzantium's Balkan frontier Cambridge campaigns CFHB chartophylax chronicle Church Constantine Constantinople crown CSHB Bonn Danube Darrouzès Delta Duklja Dumbarton Oaks Dyrrachion eleventh century emperor Basil epithet fortress Geschichte Gregorovius Gunthertuch Hebdomon Hellenic imperial inscription Ioannis Isaak John Justinian Kekaumenos Kleidion Komnenos l'empire lands legend Leipzig Leo the Deacon literature London Macedonia Magdalino Mango manuscript medieval Michael military modern Greek Museum Nikephoros Niketas northern Balkans Ohrid Oikonomides Ostrogorsky Oxford Palamas Paparrigopoulos Paris patriarch Pechenegs poem portrait Preslav Prespa psalter Psellos repr Roman ruler Samuel Schlumberger seals Serbia siècle Silistra Skopje Skylitzes Slavic slayer Sofia strategos Studies suggests Theophylaktos Thessaloniki toupha translation triumphal Tsar Tzimiskes victory Vladislav vols Voulgaroktonos Yahya