Leo VI
TurkeyBiography of Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, also known as Leo VI the Wise, was a Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty. He was born on September 19, 866, into the family of Emperor Basil, however, according to some sources, his mother Eudokia Ingerina gave birth to him from her lover Michael. Historians have been unable to determine his paternity with certainty. It is known that Basil had a very hostile attitude towards Leo, possibly suspecting him to be someone else's child. A certain courtier named Santavarin took advantage of the emperor's suspicions and animosity towards his son, and slandered Leo before the emperor. According to the courtier, Leo carried a knife in his boot for the purpose of killing the emperor, and during a hunting trip, the emperor asked Leo for his dagger. Unaware of any ill intentions, Leo took out the weapon from his boot, thus "confirming" Basil's suspicions. The emperor intended to blind his heir, but he died during the hunt before he could carry out his plan. Leo ascended the throne, continuing the work started by Basil - the compilation of a law code known as the "Basilika" - and he made his own comments and additions to it.
A highly educated individual, Leo VI wrote various treatises, poems, and speeches. His most famous treatise is a military one, with a significant title "Taktika of Leo". Leo VI the Wise passed away on May 11, 912.
