Basiliscus's Byzantine Blunder: The 20-Month Emperor Who Couldn't Keep His Crown

On August 24, 475 CE, a seismic moment in Byzantine history unfolded when Basiliscus, a military commander with audacious ambitions, seized the imperial throne from Emperor Zeno in Constantinople. This wasn't just a mere power grab; it was a meticulously planned coup that would reshape the political landscape of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Zeno, an Isaurian military leader who had previously held the throne, found himself unceremoniously ousted from power after a cunning conspiracy orchestrated by Basiliscus and his influential wife Aelia Verina. What made this takeover particularly fascinating was its temporary nature and the subsequent political turbulence it would unleash.

Basiliscus quickly demonstrated his political ineptitude, alienating key religious factions and military supporters through a series of ill-conceived decrees. His reign would last a mere 20 months—a blink of an eye in imperial terms—before Zeno would triumphantly return and reclaim his throne, effectively erasing most traces of Basiliscus's brief, tumultuous rule.

The episode serves as a quintessential example of the Byzantine Empire's complex and often volatile imperial succession dynamics, where military prowess, familial connections, and political maneuvering could elevate or demolish an emperor's prospects in remarkably short order.