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Constantine was the emperor of Rome. He rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople after himself. Constantine made Constantinople the new capital of the Roman empire in 330 A.D.
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Justinian revived ancient Rome by recovering lands that had been overruned by invaders. He was the emperor of the Byzantine empire from 527 A.D to 565 A.D
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The Hagia Sophia which means "Holy wisdom" is a church rebuilt by Justinian in the city of Constantinople. The arching dome of the Hagia Sophia improved many earlier Roman buildings. The colored marble and emroided silk curtains made the interior of the church glow.
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Belsarius was a brilliant Byzantine general. Belsarius and his armies reconquered North Africa, Italy, and the Southern Iberian peninsula. His victories were only temporary because Justinians successors would lose all the land.
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Arab armies began to take control of most of the Mediterranean world in the beginning of the 600s and 700s. Constantinople still under the ruler Justinian withstood the Arabs attack, and the Byzantines didn't give up their land in the Balkans and Asia Minor.
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Basil II was a Byzantine emperor from958 A.D- 1025 A.D. He wanted to restore territories the Empire had lost long before. Basil II and his army conquered many cities and empires. In 1025 Basil was preparing a military expedition to recover the island of Sicily when he died.
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In 1054 A.D the eastern and western Christinanity provoked a schism, or split which became known as the Great Schism.The Byzantine church became the Easter, or Greek, Orthodox Church. The western became known as the Roman Catholic Church. The two branches became rivals rather than branches of the same faith.
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Alexios I the Byzantine emperor asked Urban II to help fight the Seljuks, whose attacks blocked the pilgramage routes to Jerusalem. The First Crusade was the results of this.
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On the fourth Crusade knights were persuaded by the Venetian merchants to attack Constantinople. Crusaders burned and plundered the city for three days. Constantinople was then ruled by western Christians for 57 years.
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Ottoman forces surronded the city of Constantinople and attacked the city walls with cannons. After a siege lasting two months, the Turks stormed down the city walls and attacked Constantinople. The city was renamed Istanbul and became the capital of the Ottoman empire.
