Question

question 4 of 10
which statement accurately describes a similarity between the emperors constantine i and basil i?

a. both were weak leaders who left the byzantine empire vulnerable to invasions.

b. both started dynasties that tolerated previously persecuted christian groups.

c. both broke away from larger empires to form their own independent states.

d. both extended byzantine territory to cover most of the former roman empire.

Explanation:

• Option A is incorrect: Both were strong, successful rulers, not weak ones.
• Option B is incorrect: Constantine legalized Christianity, but Basil I's Macedonian Dynasty did not focus on tolerating previously persecuted Christian groups as a defining trait; this does not apply to both.
• Option C is incorrect: Neither broke away from a larger empire to form their own state; Constantine was part of the Roman Empire, and Basil I took over the existing Byzantine Empire.
• Option D is correct: Constantine reunited and expanded Roman/Byzantine holdings, and Basil I expanded Byzantine territory significantly, bringing much of the former Roman Empire's core under Byzantine control.

Answer:

D. Both extended Byzantine territory to cover most of the former Roman Empire.