This text, entitled Basileiai, “Emperors,” is found in one eleventh- century manuscript, Codex Lipsiens Graecus 16. It is a history covering 813– 886 in roughly 100 pages. The history has one book on each emperor: Leo V (813– 820), Michael II (820– 829), Theophilos (829– 842), and Michael III (843– 867). The book on Michael III is considerably longer than the others, and includes a cursory account of the reign of Basil I (867– 886).

The preface to the Genesios text says that it was written at the behest of Constantine VII, who requested an account of events not yet chronicled, beginning with the reign of Leo V (i.e., since the end of the Chronicle of Theophanes). Constantine VII also commissioned the first two texts of the collection known as Theophanes Continuatus (Books I– IV/ Text I and Book V/ Text II/ Vita Basilii). Constantine VII presumably commissioned histories of this period to help justify the actions of his grandfather Basil I in his ascension to the throne through the murder of Michael III.

The Genesios text contains much of the same information as the first part of Theophanes Continuatus (Books I– IV/ Text I). Careful comparison of the two texts has shown that one did not copy the other, but rather that they both used a common source – which seems to have been a dossier of documents rather than a set text. Most scholars now think that Constantine VII first gave the dossier of sources to the author of Genesios, but was dissatisfied with the resulting history. Constantine then gave the same dossier to the author of Books I– IV of “Theophanes Continuatus,” who created a history that was more favorable to Constantine's family. In addition to being less favorable to Constantine VII's family, Genesios is simply not as well- written as Books I– IV, which leads to the theory that Constantine wanted his project to be re-done.