Leo VI

:This article is about the Byzantine Emperor. There is also an article on Pope Leo VI

Background

He inherited from his father Basil I an empire that was stronger than it ever had been since the height of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. However, he and his father hated each other; it is possible that Leo was not Basil's son at all, but the son of his predecessor, Michael III. Basil had almost had Leo blinded as a teenager. In 886, Basil died in a hunting accident, though he claimed on his deathbed that there was an assassination attempt in which Leo was possibly involved.

Related Topics:
Basil I - Roman Empire - 3rd century - Michael III - Assassination

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Leo's somewhat absurd surname may be explained by the facts that he "was less ignorant than the greater part of his contemporaries in church and state, that his education had been directed by the learned Photius, and that several books of profane and ecclesiastical science were composed by the pen, or in the name, of the imperial philosopher" (Gibbon). Leo completed work on the Basilica, the Greek translation and update of the law code created by Justinian I, which had been started during the reign of Basil.

Related Topics:
Photius - Gibbon - Greek - Law code - Justinian I

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