# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/basil-ii
# Generated: 2026-09-01T02:59:19.039Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/basil-ii"
name: "Basil II"
slug: "basil-ii"
description: "He ruled for nearly half a century and left the Byzantine Empire at a size it hadn't seen in four hundred years — but the Bulgarians know him by one name: the Bulgar Slayer."
tagline: "Byzantine Emperor from the Macedonian dynasty"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Basilios_II.jpg"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Historical Figures"
  slug: "historical-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Historical Figure"
  slug: "historical-figure"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645"
birthDate: "958"
deathDate: "1025-12-15"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           59.21
  momentum:             1.058948111542535
  historical:           24.70615733333334
  currentAttention:     10.24624325550905
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  60
  trendDirection:       "FALLING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Historical Figure"
    slug: "historical-figure"
  - name: "Royalty"
    slug: "royalty"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Medieval Era"
    slug: "medieval-era"
sources:
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_II"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41833"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Basil%20II"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_II"
    title: "Basilio II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A"
    title: "باسيل الثاني"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%89"
    title: "باسيل التانى"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basiliu_II"
    title: "Basiliu II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AC%DB%8C_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84"
    title: "ایکینجی باسیل"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/II_Vasili_Vulqarokton"
    title: "II Vasili Vulqarokton"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%B9_II_%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%86%D0%B0"
    title: "Васілій II Балгарабойца"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_II_%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B5%D1%86"
    title: "Василий II Българоубиец"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basili_II_Bulgar%C3%B2cton"
    title: "Basili II Bulgaròcton"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II._Bulgaroktonos"
    title: "Basileios II. Bulgaroktonos"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%97%D0%BB%D1%97%D0%B8_%D0%92%D2%83_%D0%91%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0"
    title: "Васїлїи В҃ Блъгаробоица"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/II-%D0%BC%C4%95%D1%88_%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_(%D0%92%D0%B8c%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8_%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%C4%95)"
    title: "II-мĕш Василий (Виcанти императорĕ)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II"
    title: "Basileios II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II."
    title: "Basileios II."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://diq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II"
    title: "Basileios II"
    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%92%C2%B4"
    title: "Βασίλειος Β´"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazilo_la_2-a"
    title: "Bazilo la 2-a"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_II"
    title: "Basilio II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II"
    title: "Basileios II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilio_II.a_Bulgaroktonoa"
    title: "Basilio II.a Bulgaroktonoa"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84_%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%85"
    title: "باسیل دوم"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II"
    title: "Basileios II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Basilio_II_Bulgaroctono"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bazyli_II_Bu%C5%82garob%C3%B3jca"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilius_II_van_Bisantium"
    title: "Basilius II van Bisantium"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basileios_II."
    title: "Basileios II."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Crowned alongside his brother in 963 before their father died, Basil II and Constantine VIII were too young to hold power; two generals ruled in their place until 976, and even then Basil's great-uncle kept control until 985. The first years as senior emperor meant crushing civil wars against two generals from the Anatolian aristocracy — Bardas Skleros, then Bardas Phokas — which ended only in 989 after Phokas died and Skleros submitted. From there Basil stabilized the eastern frontier, fought the Fatimid Caliphate to a truce in 1000, took part of Crimea from the Khazar Khaganate, campaigned against Georgia, and spent years grinding down the First Bulgarian Empire until it was fully subjugated. He broke the grip of the great landowning families, filled the treasury, and made one cold diplomatic deal that outlasted him: his sister Anna to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for soldiers, forming the Varangian Guard and setting the Kievan Rus' on a path to Byzantine Christianity. When he died in 1025 after forty-nine years on the throne, the empire he left was vast and rich — his heirs just couldn't hold it.