Byzantine succession

Byzantine succession was the process by which emperors inherited, seized, or secured the throne of the Byzantine Empire. It combined dynastic claims, court politics, military force, and public recognition.

Co-emperor: A ruler who shares imperial authority with another emperor, often as a designated successor. Emperors could publicly establish successors by elevating them as co-rulers during their own reigns.
Basil I: Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886, founder of the Macedonian dynasty. His rise from a non-dynastic background illustrates seizure and consolidation of imperial power.
Primogeniture: A rule or custom giving inheritance priority to the eldest child, often the eldest son. Byzantine succession lacked a consistently binding rule of eldest-son inheritance.
Byzantine civil war: An armed conflict between rival factions or claimants within the Byzantine Empire. Disputed accessions repeatedly expanded into wars that divided the empire.
Porphyrogennetos: A Byzantine prince or princess born while their father ruled as emperor. Birth in the imperial purple strengthened a dynastic claimant’s legitimacy.
Basil II: Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025, known for military campaigns that expanded imperial authority. His long reign followed a minority during which others exercised power in his name.
Elective monarchy: A monarchy in which a ruler is selected through an election by designated voters. Byzantine emperors could gain elite support, but the throne was not governed by a regular electoral system.
Macedonian dynasty: A Byzantine imperial dynasty conventionally dated from Basil I’s accession in 867 to 1056. Its longevity depended on both dynastic legitimacy and arrangements for rule during minority reigns.
Imperial coronation: A ceremony that formally invested a ruler with imperial authority. Coronation made a succession claim visible and could confirm an heir’s accession.
Alexios I Komnenos: Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118 who founded the Komnenian dynasty. His accession followed a military revolt and began a new ruling dynasty.

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