-
330
Establishment of Constantinople
The Roman emperor Constantine rebuilds the Greek city of Byzantium and then names it after himself. Constantinople soon becomes the capital of the Byzantine empire. The city was located on a strait between the Mediterranean and Black Seas with water on three sides. There were also key trading routes running straight through Constantinople, making it Europe's busiest marketplace. -
532
Nika Riots
On January 13, 532 AD, several riots broke out after a chariot race over high taxes and unequality. These riots joined together to form a huge riot, the Nika riots. They were called this because Nika is what the riots chanted. "Nika" means to conquer or champion in Greek. The Nika riots became even more hostile and people started lighting fires. This resulted in a huge blaze that wiped out a lot of Constantinople and killed many people. This fire also burned down the original Hagia Sophia. -
Period: 532 to 540
General Belisarius Military Campaigns
General Belisarius was the commander of the army during Justinian I's rule. He was first sent to shut down the Nika riots, then was sent to Persia in 533 AD to defeat the Persians. He defeated them and then was sent to Africa to win back African provinces from the Vandals. He defeated them as well. In 535 AD Belisarius was sent to Italy to defeat the Ostrogoths. He first conquered Sicily in 535 AD and then Naples and Rome in 536 AD. In 539 AD Belisarius conquers Ravenna and captures the king. -
537
Hagia Sophia Completion
The Hagia Sophia is a church that was destroyed in 532 AD by riots and fire of the Nika revolts. Emperor Justanian I issued it to be rebuilt and it was completed in less than 5 years. It is still standing today. The interior has large domes, colored marble, and mosaics. -
Period: Jan 1, 634 to Jan 1, 950
Islamic Conquests of the Byzantine Empire
In 634 AD the Muslims recaptured the Byzantine southern provinces, Egypt and Syria. They were eventually defeated at Tours in 732 AD but the didn't stop them. In the late 800's the Muslims attacked and conquered Sicily. In about the 900's the Muslim forces retreated out of the Byzantine empire because of power struggles in the Middle East. -
Jan 1, 968
Basil II's Conquest to Bulgaria
In the year 986 AD to 1014 AD, emperor Basil II lead military conquests to take over the newly revived empire of Bulgaria. Year after year Basli's forces slowly wore into the Bulgaria territory. Finally, after many years, Basil's forces advanced towards the capital, Ochrida. There his army completely destroyed the Bulgarians. It was said that Basil blinded Bulgaria's army, leaving one eye to every 100th man, and sent them to Bulgaria's tsar, Samuel, who died of shock at the sight. -
Jan 1, 1054
The Great Schism
Many events led up to the Great Schism. First the Byzantine emperor controlled the eastern half of Christians, even though he wasn't a priest, and the pope was the leader of the western half. Another difference was that the west did not allow priests to marry but the eastern half did. A huge controversy erupted in the 700's over holy images. By 1054 the disputes got so bad the the Church split. The eastern half became the Eastern Orthodox Church and the west became the Roman Catholic Church. -
Jan 1, 1095
Start of the Crusades
In 1095 the Byzantine Empire's emperor Alexios contacted Pope Urban II for military help in the Middle East after Muslims invaded Jerusalem making it hard for Christians to make pilgrimages to the Holy City. Pope Urban responded by issuing the First Crusade, an army willing to free Jerusalem from Muslim forces. By July 1098 the First Crusaders had recaptured Jerusalem. -
Apr 12, 1204
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was supposed to free Jerusalem from the Muslims by fighting Muslims in Egypt. Instead the Fourth Crusade is known as the Crusade that looted and attacked the Christian Byzantine capital, Constantinople. They did this because the Byzantine Empire stopped funding them for their Crusade. They did this more for economic reasons and less for religious purposes. -
May 29, 1453
Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks invaded the city of Constantinople on May 29th, 1453. They were lead by a 21 year old Sultan named Mehmet II. The Byzantine emperor at the time was Constantine XI. First the Ottomans sent soldiers and cannons to break the walls around the city. Then the Ottomans found out that one of the gates to the city had been left open and they freely attacked the city. The fall of Constantinople is seen today as the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.
