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The Greek city of Byzantium was rebuilt by Emperor Constantine when he shifted his military base to the east Mediterranean due to German invaders. When Constantine rebuilt the city he renamed it Constantinople after himself. He also made it the new capital of the east Roman empire which later became known as the Byzantine empire.
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These riots took place in Constantinople and were in revolt against emperor Justinian. During this revolt many people lost their lives and many buildings were ruined. Much of Constantinople was destroyed due to a fire that swept the city. The riots were extremely violent, people were killed and there was a lot of fighting.
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During the time when Justinian was emperor of Byzantine, General Belisarius led the Byzantine army. Under his command, the Byzantine army recaptured North Africa in 533, Italy in 535, and the southern Iberian peninsula. He also battled the Goths, a Germanic tribe, in west Rome from 537-540. Unfortunately his victories were only temporary , emperors after Justinian lost much of the land Belisarius reconquered.
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After the Nika Revolt ended Emperor Justinian started a project of rebuilding the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia is a church in Constantinople and its name translates to "Holy Wisdom." It's interior was based off of and improved upon Roman architecture with an arched dome, colored marble, and silk curtains.
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The Byzantine Empire faced many attacks, the fiercest among them came from Arab armies. These armies were bringing Islam, a new religion, with them. The Arab armies were successful in their attacks against Byzantine provinces, however when they went to attack Constantinople, the city did not fall to them.
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Emperor Basil ruled from 976-1025. His goal was to extend imperial authority, he was ruthless but his campaigns were successful and persistent. He fought in many different conflicts but is best known for is campaigns against Bulgaria. Year by year he advanced further into Bulgaria eventually reaching the capital, Ochrida. Byzantine was victorious. He then blinded the Bulgarian soldiers causing the tsar Samuel to die of shock at the sight. This left Bulgaria to be a part of the Byzantine Empire.
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There were many controversies between the Christian church in the Byzantine Empire. Eventually these conflicts worsened the divide that was already present between the east and west, this lead to the permanent split, or Great Schism, between the sides. The eastern side was then known as the Eastern Orthodox Church while the western side was known as the Roman Catholic Church.
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The conflict between the Seljuk Turks and the Byzantines was threatening the Byzantine Empire. This caused Emperor Alexios I to ask Pope Urban II to help the Byzantines fight the Muslim Turks. The emperor asked for Christian knights. Roman popes and Byzantine emperors had been rivals in the past, however the pope still agreed to help out.
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This crusade resulted in the sack of Constantinople and it weakened the Byzantine Empire. The crusaders did not fight Muslims during the Fourth Crusade, instead they fought against other Christians. This crusade started with crusaders helping merchants from Venice, Italy defeat their Byzantine rivals in trading, then the crusaders attacked Constantinople.
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The Byzantine Empire continued to decline and it faced a threat from the Ottoman Turks. Mehmet II led invaders into Constantinople and led his Seljuk Turk forces to victory, defeating the Byzantines. This was the final downfall of the Byzantine Empire.
