Vita Basilii, which was compiled by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (912‒959) in honor of his grandfather Basil I (867‒886), appears in Byzantine literature as the first laudatory biography glorifying the emperor's life and deeds (βασιλικὸς λόγος). Previous scientific findings show that, in compiling, Porphyrogenitus used two main representatives of ancient biography, Isocrates and Plutarch, as models. The research in this paper is based on the analysis and comparison of the structure and content of Isocrates' praise Evagoras, dedicated to the Cypriot ruler of Salamis, Plutarch's biography Alexander, which depicts the life and works of one of the greatest conquerors of the ancient world, Alexander the Great, and Porphyrogenitus' account of Basil's life according to topos specific to basilikos logos (prologue, homeland, origin, birth, physical appearance, upbringing, character traits, deeds, destiny leading the emperor, comparison of the emperor's reign with the previous one, epilogue, and closing prayer). The aim is to determine which elements of ancient biography are reflected in Basil's biography, i.e., to what extent its author imitated the ancient models of biography and in which segments of the work he brings his own innovations.