History of the Byzantines

Byzantine Timeline

Period: 300 to Jan 1, 1500

Founding of the Byzantine Empire

330

A roman emperor named Constantine conquered the greek city of Byzantine and rebuilt the city and named the city, Constantinople, after himself.

General Beilsarius

527

Beilsarius was a brilliant general in the Byzantine army. General Beilsarius helped the empire conquer North Africa,Italy, and parts of the southern Iberian Peninsula. In later years the Byzantine Empire lost this territory.

Nika Riots

532

During a week in January 532 A.D horrible riots took place all over Constantinople. The riots started because the members of the two chariot teams,the Blues and Greens, were mad at Emperor Justinian, because he would not pardon two men who had been saved from the gallows. The members began to chant Nika! Nika! over and over again. Violence erupted and the mob began fires around the city. The riots were ended when General Beilsarius trapped the mob in the Hippodrome and killed the entire mob.

Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)

537

During the Nika riots the Hagia Sophia was damaged in a fire. Emperor Justinian decided to improve and make a more impressive replacement. By 537 A.D the Hagia Sophia was rebuilt with a massive arching dome and colored marble on the inside making it more impressive then what the Romans did.

Islamic Military Campaigns

600

During the 600s A.D the Arab military conquered some of the Byzantine territory in Egypt and Syria. They than began the march toward Constantinople. When they reached the capital, they attacked the city. The Byzantines held them off but were deeply weakened. These attacks made them vulnerable to smaller civilizations, such as the Germanic Tribes.

Emperor Basil II Military Conquests of Bulgaria

1014

Emperor Basil attempted during the Battle of Trajan's Gate but suffered a huge loss. This only fueled Basil and made him want to come back and get revenge. About 20 years later,in 1014 A.D Emperor Basil II got his revenge. Basil and the army won a victory against the Bulgarians at the Kledion in the Belasica Mountains.

Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism was the break of communion that lead to the development of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Today those churches are the two largest dominations of Christianity.

Emperor Alexios I Contacts Pope Urban II

Nov 27, 1095

During the wars between the Byzantine Empire and the Turkish, Emperor Alexios II contacts Pope Urban with a urgent request, he would be able to send christian knights to aid him and help him to victory. Pope Urban II agreed to help Emperor Alexios II because it would help reinforce papacy and reunite the Christian Europe under him. It would also help take back the Holy Land from the Turks.

Fourth Crusade

Apr 1, 1204

During the fourth crusade the Venetians convinced the crusaders to sack Constantinople. They did this by telling the crusaders that they controlled the imperial Navy and would be able to join their side in sacking Constantinople and because of the wealth in the capital city, the crusaders forgot about their holy purposes and began the journey toward Constantinople. Once they reached the capital, they sacked and pillaged it. Again Constantinople made it through these attacks but was weakened.

Fall of Constantinople

Apr 29, 1453

During the fourth crusade Constantinople was weakened after the city was sacked and pillaged. The city had been in decline for a long time but was still an important center for christian Europe facing Muslim Asia. The Ottoman Turks wanted Constantinople for its imperial power and because it was a center of rival christian faith. In May of 1453 Mehmed II lead a land and sea assault upon the city. They entered the city and killed the emperor and sacked the city and killed thousands of people.