Byzantine Timeline

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital

330

The Roman emperor, Constatine, rebuilt and renamed the Greek city Byzantium to be named after him and he called it Constantionaple. Soon, it became the new capital in the empire. In time, the Eastern Roman empire became known as the Byzantine empire, and the vital center of the empire was Constantionaple. The city had an excellent harbor which made it Europe's busiest markplace. Even though the Byzantine empire eventually declined, it was a brilliant civilization that blended many cultures.

Nika revolt (Riots)

532

The Nika Revolt was a devastating riot that took place in the Eastern Roman Empire. It threatened the life and reign of Emperor Justnian. The people of Constantipole rebelled against Justnian when he did not show mercy to two chariot racers. In the end, Justnian overcame his enemies but killed thousands in the process. Between 30,00 and 35,00 people were slaughtered and it took years for the city and its people to recover.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

534

Emperor Justinian commanded Belisarius to be his general. In 535, Belisarius began to march on Italy where he occupied Naples and Rome from the hands of Goths. After the newly chosen Gothic KIng Vitigis regrouped his army, he brought it against Rome. Belisarius withstood the siege of Rome, which lasted over a year

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

In 532, riots and a tragic fire swept Constantinople which led to destroyed buildings and lost lives. Justinian, the emperor, wanted to restore Roman glory so he created a structure that had an immense, arching dome that was improved on previous Roman buildings. The interior had colored marble, and embroidered silk curtains. It was the church of Hagia Sophia which means "Holy Wisdom." It was Justinian's great triumph.

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

Sep 23, 630

The Muslim conquests brought about the great territoral loss for the Byzantine Empire eventually also resulting in its collapse. It lasted from the 630s to the 1050s. The Byzantine empire was exhausted from decades of fighting one another.

Emperor Basil II military conquests of Bulgeria

Sep 23, 1014

Basil II was widely acknologed to be one of the outstanding Byzantine emperors. From 986 until 1014, there was a warfare between Byzantium and Bulgeria, interuppted from time to time by Basil II's expeditions to settle crisis on the eastern front. He won the victory of the war and it was then that he blinded the whole Bulgerian army. Basil II then looked further west and planned to strengthen Byzantine control in southern Italy and to establish a Greek pope in Rome but both schemes failed.

Great Schism

Sep 23, 1054

Also called the East-West Schism, it was an event that caused the final separation between Eastern Christian Churches and the Western Church.Beliefs and ideas were very different when it came to both of the churches. The split led to the development of the modern Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.The schism has never been healed.

Emperor Alexius I Contacts Pope Urban for military help in the Middle East

Sep 23, 1095

By the 1050s, the once prosperous Byzantine empire was facing a serious threat from the Seljuk Turks. The conflict between the Seljuk Turks and the Byzantines disrupted travel to the Holy Land and was threatening the very survival of the Byzantine empire. Eventually, the Byzantine emperor, Alexius I, urgently asked Pope Urban II for Christian knights to help him fight the Muslim Turks. Although Roman popes and Byzantine emperors were longtime rivals, Urban agreed.

Fourth Crusade (Attack on Constantionaple)

Sep 23, 1204

During the Fourth Crusade, the crusaders were diverted form fighting Muslims to fighting other Christians. After helping merchants from the northern Italian city of Venuce defeat their Byzantine trade rivals in 1204, crusaders captured and looted Constantinople. The Fourth Crusade further weakened the Byzantine empire, which had already lost most of it's lands. As the empire continued to decline, it faced a new threat, this time from the Ottoman Turks.

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

Sep 24, 1453

The Ottomans were Turkish-speaking nomadic people who expanded across Eastern Europe's Balkan Peninsula by the 1300s. Their expansion threatneed the crumbling Byzantine empire. After several failed attempts to capture Constantinople, the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II finally succeeded in 1453.The Ottomans claimed it their own new capital of the Ottoman empire. They renamed it to be called Istanbul.