-
With the end of the Western Roman empire the Eastern Roman Empire or as its often referred the Byzantine Empire began to develop its own identity -
Emperor Justinian the Great send the Great general Belisarius to reconquer the lost Roman province of North Africa held by the Vandal Kingdom, marking the first major territorial expansion since the Fall of the Western Roman empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I
-
As a reward for assisting the Visigothic Kingdom put down some rebellions the Byzantine Empire was given holdings on the Iberian peninsula https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I
-
after many years of fighting and interruptions Belisarius would bring the empire into taking the once Roman heartland of Italy for a short-lived period, this would bring the Byzantine Empire to it's territorial height http://livescience.com/42158-history-of-the-byzantine-empire.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I -
The Lomabard tribes forced into migration by the Avar Khaganate took over most of Italy leaving the Byzantines with scattered remaining territories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombards#Kingdom_of_the_Lombards_in_Italy,_568%E2%80%93774
-
this 26 year long war between the Byzantines and the Sassanid Persians marked the last major conflict between the the two historic rivals and like many wars before ended with not major territoial changes but nearly an entire generation of trained soldiers dead severely weakening the two empires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Sasanian_War_of_602%E2%80%93628#End_of_the_war_(628) -
With the rise of the early Islamic Caliphates the arab invasions began, Syria marked the first of many major territories lost to the Arabs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab%E2%80%93Byzantine_wars
-
As the Arab Invasions continued Egypt was the next target with the end of Byzantine rule in Egypt being marked with the Fall of Alexandria a major city in that era of Christianity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab%E2%80%93Byzantine_wars
-
Bulgar tribes migrating into the Balkan peninsula lead to large loss of land and control in the region https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bulgarian_Empire -
After two major wars inter spliced with a major civil war among the Arabs, North Africa would be lost to the Byzantines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab%E2%80%93Byzantine_wars
-
After Decades of acting defacto independent the Papal State around historic capital of Rome became officially independent with the aid of the Frankish Emperor Pepin -
After many conflicts between the Frankish and Byzantine empires the city became and independent state https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Venice#9th%E2%80%9310th_century:_The_ducal_age
-
After a public dispute where Latin priests excommunicated the eastern church the many tension points that had been developing between the two faiths for centuries broke as they ended communion splitting the faith in two -
with the Norman Conquest of the city of Bari the Byzantine lost their last hold on the Italian peninsula
-
with the disastrous loss at Manzikurt Byzantine forces were forced out of the Anatolian peninsula begin the Turkic migration into the region https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manzikert
-
The Catholic pope with hopes of mending the Great Schism attempted to send aid the Byzantine Empire in reclaiming lands lost to the Turks, though the crusading armies focused more so on claiming their own lands in the Levant the Byzantines were able to retake lands in Anatolia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade
-
Western European armies, referred to by the Byzantines as Franks, supported by the merchant republics of Venice and Genoa took over much of the byzantine heartland in Greece including the capital of Constantinople, leaving the empire fractured among the successor states of Epirus, Nicea, and Trebazond, with many Islands under Italian rule and the Greek heartland under Frankish rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Crusade -
The Frankokratia (meaning Frankish Rule or Frankish occupation) describes the ere of Frankish rule over the Greek heartlands after the fourth Crusade Via the Latin empire and other Latin principalities. It is commonly described as ending with the Nicean reconquest of Constantinople https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankokratia#Latin_Empire
-
The Fall of the City of Philadelphia to the Turks marked the last time the Byzantines would hold land in the Anatolian peninsula
-
The Fall of Thesoloniki marked the last major city to fall before Constantinople and the ultimate end of the empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Thessalonica
-
With the Fall of the the capital to the Turks the empire had come to an end once and for all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople