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In 330, Emperor Constantine built the fortified Byzantine capital on what used to be Byzantium. The city took nearly six years to construct. Constantine named the capital after himself "Constantinople".
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During Justinian's rule, he tried to reconquer the empire that was once been the Germanic peoples'. General Belisarius was sent out to be in charge of this endeavor. He was sent out to North Africa in 533 and succeeded to capture the Vandal kingdom. He went to invade Italy in 536 and conquered Rome. He also took the southern part of Spain.
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The Nika Riots happened throughout the span of a week in the capital of Constantinople. Tens of thousands of people were killed, and half of the town was burned to the ground. The riots took place due to the people's opposition to Justinian's taxes and lack of support of the good people. These were the most horrific riots to take place in Constantinople.
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Justinian's greatest building brought him fame during his reign. This church is known for its beautiful mosaics and domed ceiling which was revolutionary in its time. The Hagia Sophia remained the center of Eastern Christians for centuries.
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Beginning in 632, the Arabs declared war against the Byzantines by conquering Jerulsalem. In 642 they captured Egypt and by 698 they had seized control of Carthage. In 678 the Byzantines fought back with their new weapon called Greek Fire. This proved to be an effective weapon and broke up multiple Arab blockades using this advanced weapon of war.
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The Great Schism was the break between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. A growing list of differences ultimately brought the division between the churches.
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Emperor Alexios I requested Pope Urban II to help when the Turks threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire. Pope Urban took this opportunity to reign all of Christian Europe and fought to take back the Holy Land from the enemy Turks. This began the rise of the Crusades. The Christian population began war with the Muslims.
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In 1203 Alexios IV Angelos was crowned co-emperor with the support of the Crusaders. This happened after battles occurred outside Constantinople. The Western Crusaders murdered Alexios in 1204 because they were not given the payments they were promised. Constantinople was conquered and destroyed. This was the start of the new Latin Empire.
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The fall of Constantinople was the capture of the city by the Ottoman Empire, marking the end of the Roman Empire. This empire lasted 1,500 years! This is considered the end of The Middle Ages.
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In 986, the Byzantines under order of Basil II were lead to the city of Sofia and conquered it. Basil defeated the Islam's threats and lead another invasion. Bulgaria then went all in for the Battle of Kleidion in 1014. During this battle, the Byzantines captured over 15,000 prisoners. In 1018 the Bulgarians finally surrendered to Basil's reign.
