History of the Byzantines

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital

330

Byzantium changed his name to Konstantinoupolis. Roman emperor Constantine I transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium and made his new capital 'New Rome'.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

505

Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was important to Emperor Justinian's project of reconquering the Mediterranean territory of the Western Roman Empire.

Nika revolt (riots)

532

The Nika riots took place against Emperor Justinian I. They were the most violent riots in the history of Constantinople. Almost half the city was burned or destroyed and thousands of people were killed.

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

Hagia Sophia cathedral was built in Constantinople as the Byzantine emperor Justinian I had ordered. It is the most important Byzantine building and one of the world’s greatest monuments.

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

622

Early Islamic conquests began with Prophet Muhammad. He made a new society in the Arabian Peninsula which had a century of growth. These conquests led to the collapse of the Sassanid Empire and loss of territory for the Byzantine Empire. The Arabian empire extended from Tartary and India to the Atlantic Ocean. It would take 200 days to walk across it, east to west.

Emperor Basil II military conquests of Bulgaria

970

Many conflicts between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire led to the slow but consistent conquest of Bulgaria. The Byzantines re-established their control of the entire Balkan peninsula for the first time since the 7th-century.

Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism is the rift that formed in the Church in the eleventh century. This separation led to the "Roman Catholic" Church, now known as the Western Church, and the "Greek Catholic" or "Greek Orthodox” Church, now known as the Eastern Church.

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

Nov 17, 1095

Pope Urban II makes a speech calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land. This was the start of the First Crusade.

Fourth Crusade (attack on Constantinople)

1204

This event marked the high point of the Fourth Crusade. Armies captured, looted, and destroyed parts of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks (official end to Byzantines)

1453

The siege of Constantinople took place in 1453. Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks, led the attack. The city was defended by 10,000 men.