biography
| name: |
Basil II
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| |
known as Basil Bulgaroctonus (‘slayer of the Bulgars’)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (c.958–1025)
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| biography:
| Byzantine emperor, who came to the throne as sole ruler in 976. A palace revolution was crushed by his alliance with Vladimir I the Great, Prince of Kiev. Vladimir's troops became the core of the future Varangian Guard, the elite unit of the Byzantine army. Basil's 15-year war against the Bulgarians culminated in the victory in the Belasica Mountains which earned him his surname. Bulgaria was annexed to the empire by 1018, while the E frontier was extended to L Van in Armenia. |
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