History of the Byzantines

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital

330

The ancient city of Byzantium was a very valuable city for the Greeks and the Romans, because it was on the European side of the Strait of Bosporus. The Emperor Constantine understood its strategic importance and while he was trying to reunite the empire, he decided to build the new capital there.

Nika Revolt (riots)

532

The Nika riots that are also known as the Nika revolt, was a revolt against Emperor Justinian I that took place over the course of a week in Constantinople in AD 532.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

533

General Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was interested in Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering territory in the Mediterranean, which had been lost less than a century previously.

The Hagia Sophia Completed

537

The Hagia Sophia was a cathedral built at Constantinople by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. It is the most important Byzantine structure and one of the world’s great monuments.

Emperor Basil II Military Conquest of Bulgaria

Feb 7, 986

This military conquest was a series of conflicts between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire that led to the gradual conquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantines, who then re-established their control over the entire Balkan peninsula for the first time since the 7th-century Slavic invasions.

Great Schism

Feb 7, 1054

The Great Schism is the title given to the rift that formed in the Church in the eleventh century. This separation led to the "Roman Catholic" Church, which is later known as the Western Church. The "Greek Catholic" is now known as the Eastern Church.

Emperor Alexios I contacts Pope Urban II for Military help in the Middle East

Nov 27, 1095

Pope Urban II makes one of the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a famous saying of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”

Early Islamic Military Campaigns into Byzantine Territory

Feb 7, 1180

After a period of multiple wars, a few victories by the Byzantines allowed three Byzantine Emperors, namely Nikephoros II Phocas, John I Tzimiskes and Basil II to recapture territory lost to the Muslim conquests in the 7th century.

Fourth Crusade

Feb 7, 1202

A fleet of 200 ships set sail from the lagoon of Venice. The goal of this expedition, this Fourth Crusade, was to win back the holy city of Jerusalem. Conquered by Islamic armies in the 7th century,

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

May 29, 1453

The Fall of Constantinople was due to the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1453. The Ottomans were commanded by Mehmed, the seventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who defeated an army commanded by Byzantine Emperor.