Basiliskianos 1 | Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire |
| Sex | M |
| Floruit | M/L IX |
| Dates | 866 (taq) / 867 (tpq) |
| PmbZ No. | 977 |
| Variant Names | Basilikinos |
| Locations | Constantinople (residence); St Mamas (Palace of, Constantinople); Constantinople; Nikomedeia (birthplace) |
| Occupation | Rower |
| Titles | Patrikios (dignity); Imperial oarsman (office) |
| Textual Sources | Georgius Monachus Continuatus, in Theophanes Continuatus, ed I Bekker (Bonn, 1839), pp. 761-924 (history); Leo Grammaticus, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1842) (chronicle); Pseudo-Symeon, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838), pp. 603-760 (history); Theophanes Continuatus, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838) (history); Zonaras = Ioannis Zonarae Epitome Historiarum, libri XIII-XVIII, ed. Th. Büttner-Wobst, (Bonn, 1897) (history) |
Basiliskianos 1: Leo Gramm., Georg. Mon. Cont., Ps.-Symeon. Basilikinos: Theoph. Cont., Zon.
Basiliskianos 1 was the brother of Kapnogenes 1: Theoph. Cont. IV 44 (p. 208), V 25 (p. 250). A native of Nikomedeia: Theoph. Cont. V 25 (p. 250) (ἀπὸ τῆς Νικομήδους ὁρμώμενον). Basiliskianos 1 was one of the dozen close companions of the emperor Michael III (Michael 11) with whom he indulged in drunken orgies and mocking imitations of church rituals; described as a bad man, effeminate and devoted to feasting and revelry: Theoph. Cont. V 25 (p. 250) (ἕνα καὶ αὐτὸν τοῦ παλαμναίου συνεδρίου τυγχάνοντα), cf. V 21-23 passim.
Basiliskianos 1 was a patrikios; after the emperor's victory in chariot races in the palace of St Mamas to celebrate the birth of Leo 25 (the future emperor Leo VI) in September 866, Basiliskianos 1 was lavish in his praise of the emperor's prowess; in response Michael 11 insisted that he don the imperial slippers and commented that they suited him; Basilios 7 (the future emperor Basil I, currently co-emperor with Michael 11) was present and showed his annoyance, at which Michael 11 declared that he would make Basiliskianos 1 also emperor; the incident provoked Basilios 7 to plot the murder of Michael 11: Leo Gramm. 249-250, Georg. Mon. Cont. 835-836, Ps.-Symeon 682-683.
According to the version in Theophanes Continuatus Basiliskianos 1 was one of the rowers on the imperial ship (Theoph. Cont. IV 44 (p. 208): τοῦ βασιλικοῦ δρόμωνος ἐρέτην τηνικαῦτα τελοῦντα; Theoph. Cont. V 25 (p. 250): τότε δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐλαύνουσιν εἰς τὴν βασιλικὴν τριήρη κατειλεγμένος ἐτύγχανε); the emperor Michael 11 clothed him in the imperial clothes and produced him before the senate stating that this was the man whom he should have made co-emperor and not Basilios 7, whom he now regretted having raised to the throne; this led to the eventual murder of Michael 11: Theoph. Cont. IV 44 (p. 208), V 25 (pp. 250-251), cf. Zon. XVI 7. 18-25 (a similar story; Basilikinos 1 was a former rower on the imperial ship - τις τῆς βασιλείου τριήρους πρῴην ἐρέτης ὤν - and an imperial favourite because of his beauty - διὰ σώματος ὡραιότητα; present at the banquet which followed the games).
On the night when Michael 11 was murdered (23 September 867) Basiliskianos 1 was sleeping in the imperial bedchamber, taking the place of Rhendakios 1 by order of the emperor; the assassins struck him with their swords and threw him down from the chamber: Leo Gramm. 250-251, Georg. Mon. Cont. 836-837, Ps.-Symeon 684-685. See Winkelmann, Quellenstudien, pp. 84, 112.
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