Basil Basileus: 5. The Varangian Guard (History in Comics (By Byzantine Tales))

The two greatest Roman generals of their generation — Bardas Phokas and Bardas Skleros — have joined forces with a single ambition: to seize Constantinople and overthrow Emperor Basil II.

With no loyal army to command, Basil can only rely on the imperial fleet and the seemingly impregnable Theodosian Walls to keep his throne. Yet even as the capital braces for siege, the empire is crumbling.

In the West, after the catastrophic defeat at the Gates of Trajan , Samuel of Bulgaria has swept across the Balkans, leaving only Thessalonica and southern Greece unconquered. In the East, the Fatimids are about to overrun Syria.

Surrounded by enemies.

Betrayed by his own generals.

Without an army. Without allies.

How can an emperor save an empire… when he has nothing left?

"Emperor Basil II (976-1025) was perhaps the most distinguished ruler of the great Macedonian dynasty, which guided the Byzantine Empire for nearly two centuries (867-1025). Rather than remaining within the confines of the imperial palace, he preferred the battlefield, where he excelled and won a series of decisive victories.

During his reign, Byzantine authority stretched from Southern Italy to the Euphrates. Meanwhile, the conversion of the Rus' of Kiev to Christianity in 988 expanded the influence of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and demonstrated the remarkable effectiveness of Byzantine ecclesiastical diplomacy."

Dr. Athanasios Markopoulos
Professor Emeritus of Byzantine Philology
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens