Around 1063, the Byzantine scholar and courtier Michael Psellus wrote a book profiling some of the emperors and empresses of his era, including Basil II (r. 976–1025), known as the Bulgar-Slayer. Psellus admired Basil’s conquests, but he pointed out that these went along with the ruthless suppression of the Byzantine elites.

Having purged the Empire of the barbarians, he dealt with his own subjects and completely subjugated them too—I think “subjugate” is the right word to describe it. He decided to abandon his former policy, and after the great families had been humiliated and put on an equal footing with the rest, Basil found himself playing the game of power-politics with considerable success. He surrounded himself with favorites who were neither remarkable for brilliance of intellect, nor of noble lineage, nor too learned. To them were entrusted the imperial rescripts [laws responding to particular cases] and with them he was accustomed to share the secrets of State . . .

By humbling the pride or jealousy of his people, Basil made his own road to power an easy one. He was careful, moreover, to close the exit-doors on the monies contributed to the treasury. So a huge sum was built up, partly by the exercise of strict economy, partly by fresh additions from abroad. Actually the sum accumulated in the imperial treasury reached the grand total of 200,000 talents. As for the rest of his gains, it would indeed be hard to find words adequately to describe them. All the treasures amassed in Iberia and Arabia, all the riches found among the Celts or contained in the land of the Scyths [the Slavs], in brief, all the wealth of the barbarians who surround our borders—all were gathered together in one place and deposited in the emperor’s coffers. In addition to this, he carried off to his treasure-chambers, and sequestrated there, all the money of those who rebelled against him and were afterwards subdued. And since the vaults of the buildings made for this purpose were not big enough, he had spiral galleries dug underground, after the Egyptian style, and there he kept safe a considerable proportion of his treasures. He himself took no pleasure in any of it; quite the reverse, indeed, for the majority of the precious stones, both the white ones (which we call pearls) and the colored brilliants, far from being inlaid in diadems or collars, were hidden away in his underground vaults. Meanwhile Basil took part in his processions and gave audience to his governors clad merely in a robe of purple, not the very bright purple, but simply purple of a dark hue, with a handful of gems as a mark of distinction. As he spent the greater part of his reign serving as a soldier on guard at our frontiers and keeping the barbarian marauders at bay, not only did he draw nothing from his reserves of wealth, but even multiplied his riches many times over.

On his expedition against the barbarians, Basil did not follow the customary procedure of other emperors, setting out at the middle of spring and returning home at the end of summer. For him the time to return was when the task in hand was accomplished. He endured the rigors of winter and the heat of summer with equal indifference. He disciplined himself against thirst. In fact, all his natural desires were kept under stern control, and the man was as hard as steel.

Source: Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus, trans. E.R.A. Sewter (New York: Penguin Books, 1966), 44–46.

Question to Consider

What characteristics of Basil II made him a successful emperor?