Best Historical Novels About Basil II

Basil II

958–1025

Basil II was Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025 and one of the empire’s longest-reigning rulers. Basil II held the title of Byzantine emperor. Basil II belonged to Macedonian dynasty.

He defeated major aristocratic revolts, expanded imperial control in the Balkans after prolonged war with Bulgaria, and strengthened the authority and finances of the Macedonian dynasty. Basil II was born in Constantinople.

Rosemary Sutcliff’s Blood Feud brings its Norse and English protagonists to Constantinople while Basil II’s government is threatened by aristocratic rebellion, making imperial service an alternative to the feud that has driven them across Europe. Cecelia Holland’s The High City places Basil more directly in the action as the young emperor confronting Bardas Phokas. Raef and his Rus and Norse companions become useful precisely because Basil needs soldiers whose loyalty does not depend on the great Byzantine families, allowing the novel to connect the emperor’s struggle for survival with the emergence of the Varangian Guard.

Historical novels and book series featuring Basil II (1 series)

The Life and Times of Corban Loosestrife in Order

by Cecelia Holland 6 books 3.9(518)

The six-volume Corban Loosestrife saga begins in tenth-century Ireland when a Viking raid destroys Corban’s family and carries away his twin sister, Mav. His pursuit takes him through Dublin, Jórvík and Denmark before the family attempts a new life across the Atlantic. The later volumes shift much of…