The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer [Paperback]

An illustrated revisionary account of the reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil II (9761025).The long reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil II (976 1025) has long been considered as a 'golden age', in which his greatest achievement was the annexation of Bulgaria after a long and bloody war. Paul Stephenson establishes that the legend of the 'Bulgar-slayer' was in fact created long after his death, and that his reputation was seized upon by scholars and politicians in the modern period, and used to help galvanize support for Greek wars against Bulgarians in Macedonia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.The long reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil II (976 1025) has long been considered as a 'golden age', in which his greatest achievement was the annexation of Bulgaria after a long and bloody war. Paul Stephenson establishes that the legend of the 'Bulgar-slayer' was in fact created long after his death, and that his reputation was seized upon by scholars and politicians in the modern period, and used to help galvanize support for Greek wars against Bulgarians in Macedonia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.The long reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil II (976-1025) has been considered a golden age , in which his greatest achievement was the annexation of Bulgaria after a long and bloody war. Paul Stephenson reveals that the legend of the Bulgar-slayer was actually created long after his death. His reputation was exploited by contemporary scholars and politicians to help galvanize support for the Greek wars against Bulgarians in Macedonia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.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 apr?s Byzance; 8. Basil and the 'Macedonian qul³+