Editing Basil II (section)

==Early life and rule (960–976)==
[[File:Coronation of Basil II as co-emperor by Patriarch Polyeuctus.png|thumb|Coronation of Basil as co-emperor, from the ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]'']]
[[File:INC-3041-r Номисма стамена. Никифор II Фока, Василий II, Константин VIII. Ок. 963—969 гг. (реверс).png|thumb|Coin of [[Nikephoros II]] (left) and Basil II (right)]]
Basil II was born in 958.<ref name="PMBZ"/>{{sfn|PBW|2016}}<ref name="ODB">{{harvnb|ODB|loc="Basil II" (C.M. Brand, A. Cutler), pp. 261–2}}.</ref> He was a ''[[porphyrogennetos]]'' ("born into the purple"), as were his father [[Romanos II]]<ref name="PMBZ-RomanosII">{{harvnb|PMBZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/view/PMBZ/PMBZ28988 Romanos II. (#26834)]}}.</ref> and his grandfather [[Constantine VII]];{{sfn|Holmes|2005|p=93–94}} this was the appellation used for children who were born to a reigning emperor.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Porphyrogennetos" (M. McCormack), p. 1701}} Basil was the eldest son of Romanos and his [[Laconia]]n [[Greeks|Greek]] second wife [[Theophano (born Anastaso)|Theophano]],<ref>
*{{harvnb|McCabe|1913|p=140}}
*{{harvnb|Talbot|Sullivan|2005|pp=99–100}}
*{{harvnb|Vogt|1923a|pp=67–68}}
*{{harvnb|Durant|Durant|1950|p=429}}
*{{harvnb|Garland|2002|pp=126, 128}}</ref> who was the daughter of a poor tavern-keeper named Krateros{{sfn|Bréhier|1977|p=127}}{{sfn|Diehl|1927|p=C-207}} and may have originated from the city of [[Sparta]].{{sfn|Miller|1921|p=47}} He may have had an elder sister named Helena (born {{c.}} 955).{{sfn|Garland|2002|pp=128, 271 (note 13)}} Romanos succeeded Constantine VII as sole emperor upon the latter's death in 959.{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=494}} Basil's father crowned him as co-emperor on 22 April 960,<ref name="PMBZ"/> and his brother Constantine (born 960 or 961, eventually to rule as sole emperor [[Constantine VIII]] in 1025–1028) in 962 or 963.<ref name="ODB-ConstantineVIII">{{harvnb|ODB|loc="Constantine VIII" (C. M. Brand, A. Cutler), pp. 503–504}}.</ref><ref name="PMBZ-ConstantineVIII">{{harvnb|PMBZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/view/PMBZ/PMBZ25889 Konstantinos VIII. (#23735)]}}.</ref> Only two days after the birth of his youngest child [[Anna Porphyrogenita|Anna]],<ref name="ODB-Anna">{{harvnb|ODB|loc="Anna" (A. Poppe), p. 103}}.</ref><ref name="PMBZ-Anna">{{harvnb|PMBZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/view/PMBZ/PMBZ22589 Anna (#20436)]}}.</ref> Romanos II died on 15 March 963 at 24 years of age. His unexpected death was commonly thought at the time to be the result of poisoning with [[Conium maculatum|hemlock]];{{sfn|Garland|2002|p=128}} the chroniclers [[Leo the Deacon]] and [[John Skylitzes]] imply that Theophano was responsible,<ref name="PMBZ-RomanosII"/> and according to Skylitzes, she had been complicit in an earlier attempt by Romanos II to poison Constantine VII.<ref name="PMBZ-Theophano">{{harvnb|PMBZ|loc=[https://www.degruyter.com/view/PMBZ/PMBZ30280 Theophano (#28125)]}}.</ref>

Basil and Constantine were too young to rule in their own right when Romanos died in 963.{{sfn|Cartwright|2017}} Therefore, although the [[Byzantine Senate]] confirmed them as emperors with their mother as the nominal [[regent]], ''de facto'' power passed for the time into the hands of the ''[[parakoimomenos]]'' [[Joseph Bringas]].<ref name="PMBZ"/>{{sfn|Garland|2002|p=128}}{{sfn|Whittow|1996|p=348}} Theophano did not trust Bringas, however, and another enemy of the powerful ''parakoimomenos'' was [[Basil Lekapenos]],{{sfn|Garland|2002|p=128}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|pp=495–498}} an [[illegitimate]], [[eunuch]] son of Emperor [[Romanos I]]{{sfn|Stephenson|2010|p=34}}{{sfn|Bury|1911|p=476}} – Basil's great-grandfather.{{sfn|Holmes|2003}} Lekapenos himself had been ''parakoimomenos'' to Constantine VII and ''[[megas baioulos]]'' to Romanos II.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Basil the Nothos" (A. Kazhdan, A. Cutler), p. 270}} Yet another enemy of Bringas was the successful and widely popular general [[Nikephoros Phokas]], who had just returned from his conquest of the [[Emirate of Crete]] and a highly successful raid into [[Cilicia]] and [[Bilad al-Sham|Syria]], which culminated in the sack of [[Aleppo]].{{sfn|Garland|2002|p=128}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|pp=495–498}} Phokas was proclaimed emperor by his men in July and marched on Constantinople. Bringas tried to bring in troops to stop his rival's advance, but the capital's populace supported Nikephoros. Bringas fled, leaving his post to Lekapenos, and on 16 August 963 Nikephoros Phokas was crowned emperor.{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|pp=498–499}}{{sfn|Whittow|1996|pp=348–349}}

On 20 September, Phokas married Theophano, but problems resulted; it was a second marriage for each spouse and Nikephoros was thought to be the godfather of one or both of Theophano's sons. Although [[Polyeuctus of Constantinople|Polyeuctus]], the [[patriarch of Constantinople]], disapproved of the marriage, the Church declared it to be valid. With it, Nikephoros secured his legitimacy and became the guardian of Basil and Constantine.<ref name="PMBZ-Theophano"/>{{sfn|Kaldellis|2017|p=43}} He was murdered in December 969 by Theophano{{sfn|Cartwright|2017}} and his nephew [[John Tzimiskes]], who then became emperor John I{{sfn|Kaldellis|2017|p=65}} and exiled Theophano.{{sfn|Vogt|1923a|p=79}} John married [[Theodora, daughter of Constantine VII|Theodora]], a sister of Romanos II.{{sfn|Brubaker|Tougher|2016|p=313}} Basil II acceded to the throne as effective ruler and senior emperor when John died on 10 January 976.{{sfn|Talbot|Sullivan|2005|p=22, 220}} He immediately had his mother brought back from her convent.{{sfn|Vogt|1923b|p=84}}