Editing Basil II (section)

===Later life, death and burial===
[[File:Map Byzantine Empire 1025-en.svg|thumb|upright=2|The Byzantine Empire at the death of Basil II in 1025]]
Basil II later secured the annexation of the sub-kingdoms of [[Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia|Armenia]] and a promise that its capital and surrounding regions would be willed to Byzantium following the death of its king [[Hovhannes I of Ani|Hovhannes-Smbat]].{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=528–529}} In 1021, he also secured the cession of the [[Kingdom of Vaspurakan]] by its king [[Seneqerim-Hovhannes of Vaspurakan|Seneqerim-John]], in exchange for estates in [[Sebasteia (theme)|Sebasteia]].{{sfn|Mango|2002|p=309}} Basil created a strongly fortified frontier in those highlands. Other Byzantine forces restored much of [[Southern Italy]], which had been lost during the previous 150 years.{{sfn|Hussey|1998}}

Basil was preparing a military expedition to recover the island of [[Sicily]] when he died on 15 December 1025,{{efn|group=note|This is the universally accepted date for Basil's death.<ref name="PMBZ"/><ref name="ODB"/>{{sfn|Hussey|1998}} The date is found in the [[Skylitzes]]' (and [[Cedrenus]]') chronicle archived in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]].{{sfn|Thurn|1973|p=868 (note 84)}} Two latter copies, from the 15th century, give 12 December.{{sfn|Thurn|1973|p=868 (note 84)}}{{sfn|Schreiner|1975|p=158. Δεκεμβρίου [[Greek numerals|ιβ']]}} Two others, from the 13th century, give 13 December.{{sfn|Grierson|1962|p=58}}{{sfn|Schreiner|1975|p=165. Δεκεμβρίου [[Greek numerals|ιγ']]}} The [{{GBurl|nbkVAQAAMAAJ|pg=PA479}} 1839 edition] of the [[CSHB]] uses the Paris manuscript, but forgets to translate the full date (Δεκεμβρίῳ γὰρ μηνί '''[[Greek numerals|ιεʹ]]'''), a mistake that is repeated in the 2010 translation.{{sfn|Wortley|2010|p=348}}}} having had the longest reign among any Byzantine or Roman emperor.{{sfn|Rogers|2010|p=126}} At the time of his death, the Empire stretched from southern Italy to the [[Caucasus]] and from the [[Danube]] to the [[Levant]], which was its greatest territorial extent since the [[Early Muslim conquests|Muslim conquests]] four centuries earlier.{{sfn|Holmes|2005|p=23}} Basil was to be buried in the last sarcophagus available in the [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] of [[Constantine I]] in the [[Church of the Holy Apostles]] but he later asked his brother and successor Constantine VIII to be buried in the Church of St. John the Theologian (''i.e.'', the Evangelist) at the [[Hebdomon]] Palace complex outside the walls of Constantinople.{{sfn|Holmes|2003}}{{sfn|Cartwright|2018c}} The [[Epitaph on the tomb of Basil II|epitaph on Basil's tomb]] celebrated his campaigns and victories. His final resting place carried the following inscription: {{blockquote|From the day that the King of Heaven called upon me to become the Emperor, the great overlord of the world, no one saw my spear lie idle. I stayed alert throughout my life and protected the children of the New Rome, valiantly campaigning both in the West and at the outposts of the East&nbsp;... O, man, seeing now my tomb here, reward me for my campaigns with your prayers.{{sfn|Herrin|2013|p=219}}}} In 1260, during the unsuccessful [[Empire of Nicaea|Nicean Byzantine]] [[Siege of Constantinople (1260)|siege of Constantinople]], then held by the [[Latin Empire]], a corpse was found, upright in a corner of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, with a shepherd's flute placed in its mouth. An inscription allowed the Nicaean soldiers to identify the corpse as the remains of Basil II. The body of Basil II was transferred to the Monastery of the Saviour at [[Selymbria]]. The following year Constantinople was recovered by the Byzantines.{{sfn|Stephenson|2010|p=95}}