Constantine VIII

   Emperor (q.v.) from 1025-1028. His brother and predecessor Basil II (q.v.) set a high standard that Constantine VIII failed to emulate. Constantine was interested in little beyond chariot racing in the Hippodrome (q.v.). His legacy, so to speak, lay in his two daughters, Theodora and Zoe (qq.v.). Both played important roles in the Byzantine court for the next quarter century, especially Zoe.