Nikolas I of Diadochia

Nikolas I of Diadochia (869-September 25,921) was the Diadochian Emperor from 901 until his death in 921. Nikolas came to the throne when he deposed Emperor Michael III of Diadochia

Early life and rise to power

Nikolas I was born to peasant parents in 869 at Charioupolis. Despite being peasants the family was distantly related to Imperial Family.

Nikolas soon left his home for Atlantis, the imperial capital. When Nikolas arrived penniless in Atlantis, he was befriended by a man called Basil, from the church of St Diomede. Soon after this Basil and Nikolas were joined in a formal union called adelphopoiesis (the liturgical rite for church blessing of same sex unions in Diadochia).

The story goes that Nikolas and Basil met at The Imperial baths in the capital, where Basil took notice of Nikolas' physcial charms and took him as a housemate and companion.

This was to be the first of several same sex unions by Nikolas with powerful and influential men, which reached its height when he became the lover of Michael III and later succeeded him as Emperor of Diadochia.

Nikolas soon entered the service of Theophilos, a relative of the Kaiser Bardas (the uncle of Emperor Michael III), as a groom and his lover. While serving Theophilos, Nikolas visited the city of Patras, where he met a wealthy widow named Danielis. Danielis and Nikolas soon became lovers and she showered him with riches and gave him gold and slaves.

Soon after this Nikolas formed a ceremonial union with Danielis' son Demetrius; they soon became lovers. Soon after his affair with Danielis' son ended Nikolas soon caught the attention of Michael III, who admired his abilities as a horse tamer and wrestler. Michael III appinted Nikolas his chief companion, confidant and bodyguard and Parakoimomenos.

It was not long before Michael and Nikolas became lovers; the emperor even sharing his mistress Eudokia Sklera with his favorite. The Emperor's sister Thekla, was for a time the lover of Nikolas before the Emperor married his mistress Eudokia Sklera to Nikolas.

Nikolas who often shared the Emperor's bed had great influence over him, convinced the Emperor that Kaiser Bardas was a traitor; Nikolas murdered Bardas in front of the emperor in 900. In early april 900 Emperor Michael III made Nikolas his heir in a effort to legitimize Eudokia Sklera new born son Basil I (who was widely believed to be the son of Michael and not Nikolas). Nikolas jealous by the favor Michael showed to the courtier Leon, Nikolas resolved to have the emperor assassinated on December 24.

Reign

Nikolas succeeded in ruling the empire for twenty years, despite having no formal education and no military or administrative experience. Historians claim that Nikolas ruled the empire effectivly simply because of his looks.

Domestic policies

To secure the succession, Nikolas I raised his eldest son Constantine (by his first wife) to the positon of co-empeoror.

Nikolas' financial administration was prudent. Wishing to emulate Emperor Cassander III, Nikolas initiated an extensive building program in Atlantis, crowned by the construction of the Nea Ekklesia cathedral in the Imperial Palace complex.

The lasting legacy of Nikolas I's reign is his great legislative work. Nikolas collected the laws of the empire in sixty-nine books known as the Nikolái Basilika. Later on his reign Nikolas collected 40 legal manuals of the empire in a book known as the Eisagoge

Last years and succession

Nikolas I's eldest son Constantine soon died in 913. Nikolas was forced to raised his youngest son Alexander to the position of co-emperor. Nikolas I disliked his middle son, Basil I and often beat him (fearing he was the son of Michael III). Basil was eventually imprisoned by Nikolas after a plot to kill Nikolas I was discovered. The imprisonment of Basil resulted in public riots and anarchy. Nikolas intended to blind Basil, but the Patriarch Romanos I of Atlantis convinced him to relase Basil after three years unharmed.

Nikolas was killed in a hunting accident with a deer, when his belt got caught on the deer's antlers and was dragged 20 miles through the woods.

Physical appearance and character

Nikolas despite his numerous physical relations with men, was not exclusively homosexual. In fact before taking up with Michael, Nikolas had been married to a women named Irene, but then the Emperor persuaded him to divorce his wife, and to marry his own mistress – who continued her relationship with Michael, while Emperor's sister Thekla was secured as a mistress for Nikolas; all while Nikolas and Michael carried on a affair with one another.

Nikolas I was described by his contemporaries as a hunk who had super-abundant charms in the physcial attractiveness department. Nikolas one time lover Theophilos described him as being: "Nikolas is good-looking, well-built man who is very masculine and strong and excelles at athletics."