Basil I, also known as 'Basil the Wise (23 August 900 – 15 April 947), was Diadochian emperor from 921 until his death. The second ruler of the Nikolai-Basilian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well-read, leading to his surname. During his reign, the Nikolai-Basilian Renaissance renaissance, begun by his supposed father and predecessor Nikolas I.