History of the Byzantines

Emperor Constantine I

330

Rome was falling and being an Emperor, Constantine had to do something about it. He started creating a "New Rome" in Byzantine, a Greek city 1500 miles to the east. He named it Constantinople, which means City of Constantine. Romans were doing well there, while back west in Rome they were getting attacked by Invanders.

Justinian

527

Justinian was emperor from 527-565 and created a set of laws called the Justinian Code. Justinian had a goal to bring he Roman Empire back together. He sent out armies to fight the barbarians who were in control of the west. The armies were very successful and took back parts of Italy and Africa.

General Belisarius

533

Belisarius was a great general during the reign of Justinian. He was often victorious and won many battles. His mission was to win back all of Italy. He started in Sicily and worked his way north from there. But after time he ended up with unloyal soldiers which caused Justinian to back him down from fighting. The wars were left to be completed by future generals.

Hagai Sophia

537

Hagia Sophia means "holy wisdom" and was built in Constantinople in less then six years. It was built when the Nika riots broke out.

Islamic conquests

Jan 1, 600

Byzantine lost many valuable provinces due to Islamic conquests. Including, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Armenia. After that occurred the Byzantine government tried transforming their military institutions.

Emperor Basil II

Jan 1, 1025

Basil was an emperor of the Byzantine during the Macedonian dynasty. He was a brother to Constantine. He led a campaign against the Muslims, won many battles in Syria., and conquered Bulgaria.

Great Schism

Jan 1, 1054

The Great Schism was a time when there was two popes who rivaled each other, from Avignon and Rome. They each had their own following and administrative offices. It was caused by political, cultural, economic and social differences.

Emperor Alexius I and Pope Urban II

Nov 27, 1095

Emperor Alexius I from Byzentine sent a letter to Pope Urban to help him with war against the Turks. So Pope Urban gave a powerful speech and started the First Crusade to free the city of Jerusalem.

Fourth Crusade

Jan 1, 1204

The Fourth Crusade was meant to attack Muslim controlled Jerusalem, but failed. Instead Crusaders from Western Europe attacked Constantinople, the capital of Byzantine.

End of the Byzantines

Jan 1, 1453

Emperor Constantine IV refused to give up to the Muslims. He had a strong wall he felt safe with but then, Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Turks. They used cannons to get through. Which cost the Byzantine empire to end. Constantinople was then Istanbul and became Islamic. This was the end of the Roman Empire.