Editing Constantine VIII (section)

===Adulthood===
Tzimiskes died in January 976, when Constantine was sixteen years old. Basil and Constantine became the new heads of state; nominally the brothers were equals, but Basil devoted himself to the responsibilities of his office and emerged as the senior ''Basileus''.{{sfn|Ostrogorsky|1957|p=264}} Constantine had no comparable interest in state business, and never developed any.{{sfn|Norwich|1991|p=231}} Apart from participating in a military campaign in 989, which ended without any combat,{{sfn|Norwich|1991|pp=242–43}} he occupied his years as Basil's colleague with private interests.

In his youth Constantine was tall, graceful, and athletic, with an excellent speaking voice and a good grasp of rhetoric. He participated in wrestling competitions— which he brought back into fashion— and in the training and riding of horses. Alongside these active pursuits he was a gourmet and a gourmand,{{sfn|Norwich|1991|pp=267, 269}} leading in later years to chronic [[gout]] which impaired his ability to walk.