Who was the best basileus and why was it the motherfuckin

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>>914278
was just reading about him in my study of the Varangians and the Guard
>the emperor sent his troops to the four directions of the land, commanding them with a wrathful order not to spare either old or young, neither child nor adult, neither man nor woman nor anybody
>come and tally up for me the numbers slain at that time: the venerable, respectworthy elderly who fell, their white hairs stained with blood; the youths stabbed to death with swords, the countless incalculable eyes that were blinded
how can you not respect a man who BTFO the barbarians on all sides, especially smelly bulgars and Fatimids

>>915750
S A V A G E

A

V

A

G

E

out-barbarising the barbarians, solid strategy

Basil II was a successful general and administrator, but he failed spectacularly in one critical area. Leaving no sons. All he had to do was get some chick pregnant with a boy or two so that the empire would have heirs instead of his worthless brother.

And to be frank, Basil II is sorta overrated as a general. Heraclius shits on the Bulgar Slayer for his superhuman comeback against the Persian Empire. If Islam never came to be, he'd go down in history as the undisputed Byzantine Emperor of history and legend.

Even Nikephoros II Phokas and John Tzimiskes have a better military record than Basil II.

Isn't basil the man that lost Sicily due to his idiocy?

>>916111
No, Basil actually intended to reconquer Sicily but he died before he embarked on it. I'm not sure about the feasibility. It took the Normans 31 years to fully subdue the entire isle. While the Byzantines had greater resources and manpower, it's still a tough nut to crack.