How a Multiethnic Gay Peasant Became a Roman Emperor
I've heard it said that the Byzantine Emperor Basil II was Homosexual, explaining his lack of marriage and children. Where does this assertion come from, as I can't find the idea in any of the old histories. After his station in life had improved, Basil met a man named John. Of course, the history of same-sex unions stretches back much further.
Revisiting the Bachelorhood of Emperor Basil II
Basil didn’t stop there, and reached out to the Catholic Pope in Rome and the German King Louis II to make alliances for mutual protection against Arab invasions. Drag and drop boxes to rearrange! Who is Basil II? Basil II
Basil II Porphyrogenitus (Greek: Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος, romanized: Basíleios Porphyrogénnētos; [note 2] – 15 December ), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (Greek: ὁ Βουλγαροκτόνος, ho Boulgaroktónos), [note 3] was the senior Byzantine emperor from to Mark Masterson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. You might think same-sex marriage is something completely new. Basil II FAQs 2024
Basil I was obviously aware of the possibilities of desire between men when he was very poor, for example. NOTCHES: How did religion fit into the picture, both in terms of the Church’s stance on same-sex desire and how the men themselves reconciled their sexuality and their religious contexts? MM: This is an important question. . 
Basil II
The fourth chapter of Between Byzantine Men is a case study of the bachelorhood of Emperor Basil II (–). This study builds on previous chapters’ depiction of Byzantine elite homosociality and the place of same-sex desire in it. On the throne for almost 50 years, the energetic and militarily inclined Basil II notoriously never wed. Basil’s refusal to wed is best seen in the context. .
A Byzantine ancestor to same
It was well known that Emperor Basil I (mids), who rose to the throne from modest circumstances, had a series of spiritual brotherhoods that were advantageous for him. The Byzantine historians. . 
Gay Marriage Is Not a New Concept
Basil the First would go on to become the ruler of the Byzantine Empire from , and — according to historian John Boswell’s revelatory book, Same-Sex Marriage in Premodern Europe — this wouldn’t be his only marriage to another man. After his station in life had improved, Basil met a man named John. .
Between Byzantine Men – NOTCHES
IIRC, there's some more recent speculation that maybe Basil II was gay, which I guess is plausible, but it doesn't explain why he was so reckless with the Macedonian succession. Remember, neither of his nieces had children either, so Basil's sexuality alone is, I think, an insufficient reason for his unwillingness to have an heir. .