# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/basil-i
# Generated: 2026-09-01T14:08:54.435Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/basil-i"
name: "Basil I"
slug: "basil-i"
description: "A peasant who became emperor by marrying his predecessor's mistress, then killing that predecessor. Basil I seized the Byzantine throne through murder in 867 and founded a dynasty that would rule for nearly two centuries."
tagline: "Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Solidus-Basil_I.jpg"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Turkey"
  isoCode: "TR"
category:
  name: "Historical Figures"
  slug: "historical-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Historical Figure"
  slug: "historical-figure"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645"
birthDate: "811"
deathDate: "0886-08-29"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           59
  momentum:             10
  historical:           23.29497466666667
  currentAttention:     30.76923076923077
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  70
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Politician"
    slug: "politician"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Medieval Era"
    slug: "medieval-era"
sources:
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41592"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_I"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Basil%20I"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_I"
    title: "Basilio I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84"
    title: "باسيل الأول"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84"
    title: "باسل الاول"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AC%DB%8C_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B3"
    title: "بیرینجی باسیلیوس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Vasiley_(imperator)"
    title: "I Vasiley (imperator)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%B9_I_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%96%D0%BD"
    title: "Васілій I Македанянін"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_I_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%86"
    title: "Василий I Македонец"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazilije_I_Makedonac"
    title: "Bazilije I Makedonac"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basili_I_el_Macedoni"
    title: "Basili I el Macedoni"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I."
    title: "Basileios I."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_1."
    title: "Basileios 1."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I."
    title: "Basileios I."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://diq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I"
    title: "Basileios I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%92%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%AF%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%91%CE%84"
    title: "Βασίλειος Α΄"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazilo_la_1-a"
    title: "Bazilo la 1-a"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_I"
    title: "Basilio I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I"
    title: "Basileios I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_Mazedoniarra"
    title: "Basilio Mazedoniarra"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B3_%DB%8C%DA%A9%D9%85"
    title: "باسیلیوس یکم"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I"
    title: "Basileios I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basile_Ier_le_Mac%C3%A9donien"
    title: "Basile Ier le Macédonien"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_I"
    title: "Basilio I"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ru.wikiquote.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_I_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BD"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilius_I_die_Masedoni%C3%ABr"
    title: "Basilius I die Masedoniër"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_I."
    title: "Basileios I."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Born in 811 to a peasant family in Macedonia, Basil climbed into the inner circle of Emperor Michael III, who ordered him to marry the imperial mistress. Michael made him co-emperor in 866. A year later, fearing his own eclipse, Basil had Michael assassinated and took sole power. The move was ruthless, but his reign proved capable: he launched a wholesale revision of Byzantine law that became the Basilika, crushed the Paulician heretics in 872, and pushed Byzantine influence back into Italy through alliance with the Carolingians. He died in a hunting accident in 886. His son Leo VI inherited the throne — though some whispered Leo was actually Michael's.