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Under the reign of Emperor Diocletian, reforms would be made that would divide the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves.
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Constantine the Great was the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire. His reign would mark the toleration of Christendom across the Empire and the founding of Constantinople, capitol of what would become the Byzantine Empire.
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Convened by Constantine I, the first ever Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church. Affirmed the deity of Christ and codified Christian belief in the Nicene Creed. Established imperial involvement in Christian doctrine. -
Roman Emperor Constantine the Great establishes a new capitol in the eastern half of the Empire, on the foundations of the city of Byzantium. -
His sons divide the Empire amongst themselves, the East-West divisions would deepen further by political and administration lines. -
The Byzantine Empire is permanently split between east and west after the death of emperor Theodosius I. His sons rule each half of the Empire separately, marking the technical start of the Byzantine Empire. -
Rome falls to Visigoth invaders, greatly weakening the western half of the Empire. The Eastern half remains intact and more resilient -
Affirms Jesus Christ as both fully God and fully man. Causes schism with what would become the Oriental Orthodox Churches in places like Egypt and Syria. -
The last emperor in the west is deposed by Germanic tribes. The eastern Byzantines would survive for another 1000 years. -
Justian sought to reform Rome's former glory through military conquest and legal reforms. His rule is considered a golden age for the Empire and marks its cultural and territorial peak.
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A large political revolt erupts in Constantinople, leading to half of the city being burned. Justinian crushes the riots and kills thousands in the city's Hippodrome. It is considered the largest riots in the City's history.
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The monumental basilica is completed under Justinian. It becomes a symbol of Christianity and imperial strength. It remains the largest church in the world for almost 1000 years. -
A deadly plague devastates large parts of the Empire, setting economy back for decades.
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Under Justinian, the Byzantines hit their territorial peak and reclaim much of the west. -
A brutal series of wars with Sassanid Persia nearly collapses both empires. The Byzantines come out victorious yet weakened.
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Emperor Heraclius reorganizes the army and officially replaces Latin with Greek. His long reign marks many cultural shifts despite numerous invasions from the Sassanids and Caliphate
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Arab armies conquer Syria, Egypt, and North Africa bringing the new religion of Islam with them. The Empire permanently loses these territories and with them loses vital land and tax revenue.
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The first Islamic Caliphates form and quickly conquer over half of the Byzantine Empire. These former Imperial lands would embrace Islam and continually come into conflict with the remaining Byzantine Empire. -
Arab forces besiege the City for several years. The Byzantines are able to push them back using their naval forces and a unique type of fire simply known as "Greek Fire"
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The Arab Muslims try again to siege Constantinople; The Empire once again defeats them and halts Islam from entering Europe.
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Emperor Leo III bands the use and veneration of Icons in Christian worship. This sparks major religious and political turmoil across the Empire for over a century. -
Church leaders officially condemn Iconoclasm as a heresy. This does not fully end Iconoclasm which would fully cease a few decades later. -
Empress Theodora puts an official end to Iconoclasm and restores icons to Christian worship. This settles the dispute permanently.
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Christian monks Cyril and Methodius go on a mission to evangelize the Slavs and while on their mission invent the Cyrillic Alphabet. Their work officially spreads Christendom northwards. Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet to this day.
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Tsar Boris I adopts Christianity. Over the next decades Bulgaria develops a Slavic Christian Culture becoming a religious partner to Byzantium, despite the wars that they have been waging on the Byzantines for centuries.
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Emperor Basil I founds a new ruling dynasty. This new dynasty begins a long period of military success and cultural flourishing. -
Emperor Basil II crushes all internal rebellions within the Empire and also finally defeats Bulgaria. Under his reign the Empire reaches its greatest territorial gains since Justinian.
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Prince Vladimir converts to Christianity and adopts Byzantine rites and customs. This further spread what would become Eastern Orthodoxy into the Slavic world. -
After numerous years of war, Bulgaria finally collapses and is annexed by the Byzantines. Byzantium now has full control of the Balkans
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The Eastern and Western halves of The Church mutually excommunicate each other. This permanently splits the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. -
The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine army and capture the emperor. The Byzantines would quickly lose much of Anatolia after this loss. -
Under the reign of Emperor Alexios I, the empire restabilizes after losses to the Seljuk Turks. He also directly leads to the Crusades when he asks the Pope for aid in reclaiming Christian lands from Muslims and other non-Christians.
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Emperor Alexios I requests military aid against the Turks and other Muslims. Pope Urban II, responds to his appeal by calling the First Crusade. -
Emperor Manuel sought to revive Imperial power in the Mediterranean. He briefly strengthens ties with the west but faces a few military defeats.
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The Byzantines suffer another major defeat against the Seljuk Turks, officially ending Byzantine efforts to retake Anatolia
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Western Crusaders betray the Byzantines and sack Constantinople. They loot the city and install the Latin Empire which would rule for a few decades. -
The Latin Empire was installed after the Crusader siege of Constantinople. It was intended to replace the Orthodox Byzantine Empire with a Catholic Empire loyal to the West but was recaptured by the Byzantines, who were in exile in Nicaea.
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Emperor Michael VIII establishes the final ruling Byzantine dynasty. He soon after retakes Constantinople from the Latins. The dynasty oversees a brief cultural revival but ultimately the fall of the Empire. -
Emperor Michael VIII recaptures Constantinople from the Latin Empire. The Byzantine Empire is restored but greatly weakened.
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Founded by Osman I, the Ottoman State emerges from the weakened Seljuk and Byzantine frontiers. It quickly takes the place of the Seljuks as the Byzantine's most dangerous long term threat.
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Rival emperors, John V Palaiologos and John VI Kantakouzenos, plunge the Empire into a civil conflict which further drains resources and invites foreign interventions.
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The Bubonic Plague enters Europe. It would go on to spread quicky across both Europe and the Islamic World. It is estimated that upwards of 50 million total people may have died during what became known as "the Black Death" -
The Bubonic Plague ravages across Europe, killing huge portions of the population. This causes the Byzantine economy to collapse and military strength to decline.
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The Ottomans win their first major stronghold in Europe. This victory would open up further conquests in the Balkans and the spread of Islam in the region.
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A crusader army is defeated by the Ottomans. With its defeat, any hopes of rescuing the Byzantines from the Turks begin to fade. -
The Ottomans try and fail to take Constantinople. It is a brief and temporary reprieve for a collapsing Empire. -
Sultan Mehmed II finally conquers Constantinople on May 29th. Emperor Constantine XI dies in the siege. With his death and the capture of the city, the Byzantine Empire officially ends, and along with it the very last remnants of the Roman Empire.