WI Emperor Basil II marries a daughter of Tsar Boris II?

Apparently, in 968, the future Byzantine emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII were betrothed to daughters of the Bulgarian Tsar Boris II. But then a year later, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas was murdered and his successor, John I Tzimiskes, went on to invade Bulgaria, capture Boris and his brother, Roman, castrating the latter and formally divesting the former of his title and authority.

IOTL, Basil never married and Constantine married a Greek noblewoman named Helena, producing three daughters, including the Empresses Zoe and Theodora. But what might have happened if the planned joint-marriages with Boris' daughters had gone through, with or without Nikephoros' death?
 
He produces a Commodus level son,who goes on to wreck the empire.

Are you saying that because it's the most likely option or because it's the more interesting option?

Personally, I think such a marriage, and any heirs jt may produce, would be a strong rallying point for the Byzantine s against the Bulgarians - "the last direct descendants of Krum and Simeon the Great against the usurper Samuel", or something along those lines.
 
Are you saying that because it's the most likely option or because it's the more interesting option?

Personally, I think such a marriage, and any heirs jt may produce, would be a strong rallying point for the Byzantine s against the Bulgarians - "the last direct descendants of Krum and Simeon the Great against the usurper Samuel", or something along those lines.
I'm just saying that things could potentially be worst than otl.
 
I'm just saying that things could potentially be worst than otl.

Frankly that's rather impsosible. At worst the man dies and/or is overthrown, kicking off another round of bloodletting and instability... which is just what happened OTL.

A legitimate male heir to Basil doesn't need to be competent. He just needs to surivive.
 
Frankly that's rather impsosible. At worst the man dies and/or is overthrown, kicking off another round of bloodletting and instability... which is just what happened OTL.

A legitimate male heir to Basil doesn't need to be competent. He just needs to surivive.

And if said heir has even half the capacities of his father I think Sicily and Damascus might be under Byzantine rule for a while. Bulgarians also might tolerate it a little more easily if their new Emperor is half-Bulgarian.
 
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