History of the Byzantines

History of the Byzantines

Period: 300 to Feb 8, 1500

Establishment of Constantinople

324

The city was turned from the old city of Byzantium to the new capital of the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine the Great founded the city and named it after himself. Constantinople became one of the largest and richest urban centers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea due to its perfect position on trade routes between the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea.

Nika revolt

532

The Nike Riots were a revolt against Emperor Justinian I that took place over a course of a week. The rioters burned and destroyed the city of Constantinople, destroying the Hagia Sophia. Citizens were upset over chariot racing controversies in which Justinian had a part of.

Belisarius' Military Campaigns

533

Justinian rewarded Belisarius with the command of a land and sea expedition against the Vandal Kingdom in 533 AD. This campaign led to the Vandalic War. In 535 AD, Justinian had Belisarius attack the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy. Thus resulting in the Gothic War. This campaign reined unsuccessful; The Ortrogoths elected a new leader and planned a campaign to reclaim parts of northern Italy and drive the Romans out of Rome. The Gothic War ended in 554 AD.

Hagia Sophia

537

In 532 AD riots and devastating fire swept Constantinople. Many buildings were destroyed and many lives were lost. Justinian wanted to rebuild the city, and his greatest achievement was rebuilding the church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom).

The Muslim Conquests

Feb 9, 622

The Islamic Prophet Muhammad established a new unified policy in the Arabian Peninsula that led to a century of rapid expansion. The empire stretched from China and India across Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The Muslim conquests caused a great territorial loss for the Byzantine Empire.

Basil II conquest of Bulgaria

Feb 9, 986

Emperor Basil II gathered a thirty thousand soldier army and traveled to the Bulgarian city of Sofia. Basil was worried about the loyalty of his men, so he started his army back to the Byzantine Empire but was ambushed and defeated by Bulgarian forces in the Battle of the Gates of Trajan.

Great Schism

Feb 7, 1054

The Great Schism is the permanent split between eastern and western Christianity. The Byzantine Christian Church became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the west the Church became known as the Roman Catholic Church.

The First Crusade

Feb 8, 1095

Pope Urban II was contacted by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to aid and help to rebel the invading Seljuk Turks from Anatolia. Reclaiming the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and the freeing of the eastern Christians from Muslim rule became the secondary goal.

The Fourth Crusade

Feb 7, 1202

During the Fourth Crusade in 1202 Crusaders were diverted from fighting Muslims to fighting other Christians. Crusaders captures and looted Constantinople, the Byzantine capital in 1204.

The fall of Constantinople

Feb 8, 1453

In 1453 AD the Ottoman Turks captured the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. The capture of Constantinople marked the end of the Roman Empire.