Andreas Schminck
The beginnings and origins of the 'Macedonian' dynasty
"In the thirtieth year of his age, and inthe hour of intoxication and sleep, Michael the Third was murdered in his chamber by the founder of a new dynasty, whom the emperor had raised to an equality of rank and power." 1 Much more detailed than this statement by Edward Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is J.B. Bury's description in his History of the Eastern Roman Empire from the Fall of Eirene to the Accession of Basil the First: Basil struck the blow on Sept. 24, 867. Michael had bidden him and Eudocia to dinner in the Palace of St. Mamas. When Michael had drunk deeply, Basil made an excuse to leave the room, and entering the Imperial bed-chamber tampered with the bolts of the door so that it could not be locked. He then returned to the table, and when the Emperor became drunk as usual, he conducted him to his bed and kissing his hand went out. The Keeper of the Private Wardrobe, who was accustomed to sleep in the Emperor's room, was absent on a commission, and Basiliskianos had been commanded to take his place. Michael sank on his bed in the deep sleep of intoxication ... Basil had engaged the help of eight friends, some of whom had taken part in his first crime, the murder of Bardas. Accompanied by these, Basil opened the door of the bed-chamber, and was confronted by the chamberlain, who opposed his entrance. One of the conspirators . . . wounded Basiliskianos and hurled him on the floor, while [another], John Chaldos (who had been prominent among the slayers of Bardas) hewed at the sleeping Emperor with his sword, and cut off both his hands ... The conspirators [then] consulted whether their victim should be despatched outright. One of them took it upon himself to return to the bed where Michael was moaning out piteous imprecations against Basil, and ripped up his body. Through the darkness of a stormy night the assassins rowed across the Golden Hom ... [and entered] the Great Palace ... Such is the recorded story of the final act which raised Basil the Macedonian to supreme power.2 But this is not only a crime story but also a sex story or at least a love story. Liutprand of Cremona, who stayed at Constantinople in the tenth century when Basil's grandson Constantine VII was in power, wrote the following: The August Emperor Basil, the present emperor's grandfather, was born of a humble family in Macedonia. Under the compelling yoke of poverty (ttl<; ntroxeicx<;)he came down to Constantinople and was for a
I. E. Gibbon, Declineand Fall of the RomanEmpire ch. 48, ed. J.B. Bury(London 1912)V 214-5. 2. Bury,ERE 177-9.
Byzantine Macedonia.: Identity Image and History. Edited by John Burke & Roger Scott (Byzantina Australiensia 13, Melbourne 2000). 62 Andreas Schminck
time servant to an abbot (11youµEvo~).The then Emperor Michael went one morning to pray in the monastery where Basil was serving and, seeing that he was exceptionally comely, called the abbot and asked him to give him the lad. He then took him off to the palace and made him his chamberlain; and in a little time he became so powerful that everyone called him the second emperor. 1 The young peasant's forma egregia which charmed the young emperor is confirmed by the Greek sources, and especially by the Vita Basilii, Basil's Life written by his grandson Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos: The abbot introduced Basil to the little Theophilos ... who endeavoured to be surrounded by excellent, beautiful (EUEt8Ei~)men of good stature, who distinguished themselves in particular by manliness and strength of body, and to be presumptuous and proud of them; you could see that such men were immediately equipped with silken robes and caught the eye with their other equipment. Theophilos placed the young newcomer Basil among these people, and as he seemed to surpass the others greatly in respect of bodily strength and spiritual manliness, he was appointed protostrator, i.e. first master of the horse, by Theophilos who loved (T]ya.1tfrto)him more and more day after day and worshipped him for his superior qualities.2 Basil's protector Theophilitzes then introduced him to Michael III by telling the emperor that Basil would be able to catch Michael's intractable horse that had run away. Constantine described it as follows: When the emperor ordered that this should be done, Basil executed it willingly and in a shapely manner (Euq>uro~).The emperor wondered about that and began to love (aymt~cm~) his shapeliness (Euq>uia.v) with manliness and his sagacity so that he at once took him away from
I. Liutprandof Cremona,Antapodosis ed. J. Bekker(Hannover-Leipzig 1915) 1.8: "Ba~ilius imperatoraugustus, avus huius, Macedoniahumili fuerat prosapiaoriundus, descenditque Constantinopolim tf\i; ntcoxdai;, quod est paupertatis iugo, ut cuidam serviret fiyouµevcp, id est abbati. lgitur imperator Michahel, qui tune temporis erat, cum orationis gratia ad monasterium istud, in quo hie ministrabat, descenderet, vidit hunc forma praeter ceteros egregia, accitumque tov fiyouµevov, abbatem, rogavit, ut se donaret hoc puero; quern suscipiensin palatio,cubicularii donavit officio.Tantae denique post paululumpotestatis est factus,ut alter ab omnibus imperatorsit apellatus." 2 Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, "Vita Basilii", TheophCont 225.1-12: totltq> (JUVEcrtTJ