Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Liber quo Vita Basilii Imperatoris amplectitur : Recensuit Anglice vertit indicibus instruxit Ihor Ševcenko

The life of Emperor Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, is the only extant secular biography in Byzantine literature; in its importance and as an instance of the genre it is comparable to Einhard’s __Vita Caroli Magni__. Composed in the circle of scholars around Basil’s grandson Constantine VII Prophyrogennitos and at his instigation as early as 957 and 959, the __Vita Basilii__ is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9^th^ and 10^th^ centuries. Previous editions (whether from the 17^th^ or 19^th^ centuries) were based on secondary manuscripts; they arenot reliable, because of their arbitrary conjectures and a large number of unjustified additions from a parallel source. The present edition is based on Vaticanus gr. 167, the source of all extant manuscripts, andthe insertions made by the earlier editors are removed. In producing the new text, the editor also hadaccess to the draft edition he rediscovered which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903.

The life of Emperor Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, is the only extant secular biography in Byzantine literature; in its importance and as an instance of the genre it is comparable to Einhard’s Vita Caroli Magni. Composed in the circle of scholars around Basil’s grandson Constantine VII Prophyrogennitos and at his instigation as early as 957 and 959, the Vita Basilii is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Previous editions (whether from the 17th or 19th centuries) were based on secondary manuscripts; they arenot reliable, because of their arbitrary conjectures and a large number of unjustified additions from a parallel source. The present edition is based on Vaticanus gr. 167, the source of all extant manuscripts, andthe insertions made by the earlier editors are removed.

In producing the new text, the editor also hadaccess to the draft edition he rediscovered which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903.

Das Leben des Kaisers Basilios I. (867-886), des Gründers der Makedonischen Dynastie, ist die einzige erhaltene Säkularbiographie der byzantinischen Literatur, in Bedeutung und hinsichtlich des Genres mit der Vita Caroli Magni von Einhard vergleichbar. Im Gelehrtenkreis um Basilios' Enkel Konstantin VII. Prophyrogennitos und unter dessen Ansporn schon 957 und 959 entstanden, ist die Vita Basilii eine der Hauptquellen für die Kultur- und politische Geschichte von Byzanz und seinen Nachbarn im 9. und 10. Jahrhundert. Die bisherigen Ausgaben (ob aus dem 17. oder dem 19. Jh.) beruhen auf sekundären Handschriften; sie sind auch wegen ihrer willkürlichen Konjekturen und vieler unangezeigter Zusätze aus einer Parallelquelle für die Forschung unbrauchbar. Die vorliegende Edition stützt sich auf Vaticanus gr. 167, die Quelle aller erhaltenen Handschriften. Somit werden die Eingriffe der früheren Herausgeber beseitigt. Herangezogen wurde bei der Herstellung des neuen Textes der vom Herausgeber wiederentdeckte Entwurf der Ausgabe, die der berühmte Byzantinist Karl de Boor um 1903 vorbereitete The life of Emperor Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, is the only extant secular biography in Byzantine literature; in its importance and as an instance of the genre it is comparable to Einhard’s Vita Caroli Magni . Composed in the circle of scholars around Basil’s grandson Constantine VII Prophyrogennitos and at his instigation as early as 957 and 959, the Vita Basilii is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9 th and 10 th centuries. Previous editions (whether from the 17 th or 19 th centuries) were based on secondary manuscripts; they arenot reliable, because of their arbitrary conjectures and a large number of unjustified additions from a parallel source. The present edition is based on Vaticanus gr. 167, the source of all extant manuscripts, andthe insertions made by the earlier editors are removed. In producing the new text, the editor also hadaccess to the draft edition he rediscovered which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903. The life of Emperor Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, is the only extant secular biography in Byzantine literature; in its importance and as an instance of the genre it is comparable to Einhard's Vita Caroli Magni. Composed in the circle of scholars around Basil's grandson Constantine VII Prophyrogennitos and at his instigation as early as 957 and 959, the Vita Basilii is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9th and 10th centuries. Previous editions (whether from the 17th or 19th centuries) were based on secondary manuscripts; they are not reliable, because of their arbitrary conjectures and a large number of unjustified additions from a parallel source. The present edition is based on Vaticanus gr. 167, the source of all extant manuscripts, and the insertions made by the earlier editors are removed. In producing the new text, the editor also had access to the draft edition he rediscovered which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903. Preface Editorial Note PROLEGOMENA I. Introduction by C. M II. Textual Transmission 1. The Manuscripts 1.a. The main manuscript (Vat. gr. 167) 1.b. The apographs of Vat. gr. 167 by Th. Carbu 2. Editions III. The Present Edition 1. The Greek Text 2. The English Translation 3. The Maps IV. Works Consulted IΣTΟPIKH ΔΙΗΓΗΣΙΣ TOY BΙOY KAI TΩN ΠΡΑΞΕΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟY TOY ΑΟΙΔΙΜΟY ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ Tabula notarum praecipuarum in textu et apparatibus adhibitarum Textus et versio Anglica INDICES 1. Index nominum propriorum 2. Index rerum ad res Byzantinas Christianasque spectantium 3. Index graecitatis 4. Index verborum 5. Index locorum Photographic reproductions Maps The life of Emperor Basil I (867-886) is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9th and 10th centuries. The present edition eliminates the arbitrary conjectures and insertions of older editions and is based on the sole source of all the extant mss, the Codex Vaticanus gr. 167. Based on "Vaticanus gr. 167", the source of extant manuscripts. In producing this text, the editor also had access to the draft edition which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903.