Alexander

Byzantine emperor
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Quick Facts
Born:
c. 870
Died:
June 6, 913, Constantinople

Alexander (born c. 870—died June 6, 913, Constantinople) was the sole Byzantine emperor from May 11, 912, and the third son of the emperor Basil I. He founded the Macedonian dynasty and caused the renewal of warfare between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. Alexander was crowned co-emperor with his brother Leo VI in 879 after the death of their elder brother, Constantine, but he remained inactive in state affairs until after Leo’s death in May 912. Sending Leo VI’s fourth wife, Zoe, to a nunnery, he replaced Leo’s advisers and reinstated the deposed patriarch, Nicholas Mysticus. Alexander’s refusal to pay ...(100 of 138 words)