Joint rule as Junior emperor with Basil I (his his father), 6 January 870 - 28 August 866 A.D.
Joint rule with Alexander (his brother), c. September 879 - 11 May 912 A.D.
Joint rule with Constantine VII (his son), 15 May 908 - 11 May 912 A.D.
Leo VI, the Wise, was a scholar who had little time for foreign affairs, and as a result, affairs outside the empire suffered a rapid decline. The Bulgars and the Arabs both became problematic to the Empire. Internally, Leo did complete the work started by Basil on the legal system, which became the basis for Byzantine law. He married four times in the quest for a male heir, which put him in direct conflict with the church. He was eventually barred from attending St. Sophia.