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Period: 300 to Jan 1, 1500
Byzantine
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330
Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital
Roman emperor Constantine and his successors settled in a Greek city after German invaders cause them to move to the eastern Mediterranean. They settled in the Greek city of Byzantium. He rebuilt the city and renamed it after himself. Constantinople became the capitial of the Byzantine empire. -
527
General Belisarius Military Campaigns
When Justinian became emporer he was determined to reclaim all of the land invaders took over. Gerneral Belisarius lead the Byzantine armies, and they had great success. Together they reclaimed North Africa, Italy, and the southern Iberian peninsula. -
532
Hagia Sophia Completed
Higia Sophia was a church in Constantinople. The name of the church means "Holy Wisdom." It was destroyed in 532 by riots and fires. After it was destroyed emperor Justinian wanted to reestablish its previous beauty, so he ordered for it to be rebuilt. The Hagia Sophia was completed in 537. -
532
Nika Revolt-Riots
The Nika Riots was the worst riot in the history of Constantinople. It lasted around one week. During the riot thousands of people were killed and half of the city was destroyed. -
Jan 1, 1054
Great Schism
Easter and western Christianity was permantly split during an event called the Great Schism. The Byzantine Christian Church became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Roman Catholic Church was found in the west. Many differences formed between the two groups. In the west they had one leader called the Pope. There were high-ranking clergy found in the Eastern Orthodox Church that were called patriarchs. -
Jan 1, 1095
Emperor Alexius I contacts Pope Urban II for military help in the Middle East
Alexius contacted the Pope after Seljuk Turks invaded the majority of the Byzantine lands and entered the Holy Land. The battles between the Byzantines and Muslim Turks began to interfere with the travel to the Holy Land. Their conflicts were endagering the well being of the Byzantine empire. In 1095 Alexious requested Pope Urban II to send Christian Knights to fight against the Seljuk Turks. The first Crusade was declared at the Council of Clermont. -
Jan 1, 1204
The Fourth Crusade- The Attack on Constantinople
During the Fourth Crusade, parts of the capitol were destroyed which belonged to the Byzantine Empire. There was vandalizing, killing and terrorizing across the city Constantinople. This was also known as the Sack of Constantinople. -
Jan 1, 1453
Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks
After the Fourth Crusade Byzantine had lost the majority of its land. Byzantine never recovered and continued to decline. The Ottoman Turks took advantage of the weak empire and attacked. The invaders were led by Mehmet II, and took over the empire in 1453. This was the end of the Byzantine empire. -
Emperor Basil II military conquests to Bulgaria
Basil II marched a 30,000 man army to Sofia, a Bulgarian city. They failed due to an ambush. In 1014 the Byzantines defeated the Bulgarians in the Balttle of Kleidion. Byzantines held 15,000 Bulgarians captive. Basil II became the ruler in 1018. -
Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory
The Byzantine- Arab Wars lasted from 629 to 1050. The wars between Arab Muslims and Byzantine caused the Byzantine empire to loose a large portion of their land. The last war ended in 1050.
