The focus of this work is the Byzantine emperor, Leo VI and his reign. He has been characterized as a careless and ineffectual emperor but this work seeks to present a more considered account of Leo and the politics of his age. By drawing on a broad spectrum of primary evidence the volume illustrates that Leo forged a distinctive imperial style as a literate city-based non-campaigning emperor, and the author argues that he was actively concerned about the problems that faced his empire.