GENESIUS, JOSEPH

flourished 10th century Byzantine scholar whose history of Constantinople is one of the few known sources on the relatively obscure 9th-century period of Byzantine history. The details of Genesius' life are unknown. He apparently composed his history between 945 and 959 at the order of Emperor Constantine VII, using his high social position to gain eyewitness reports of events from members of the royal court. Also referring to a variety of manuscripts, including chronicles and the biographical accounts of patriarchs, the History of Constantinople covers the Byzantine Empire from the reign of Leo the Armenian (813) to the death of Basil I in 886.