The Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire - Timeline

Period: 667 BCE to 1461

The Byzantine Empire lasted for over a thousand years, and it was home to the largest and most powerful empire in the world. This is a timeline of its history.

Byzantine was founded

330 BCE

In 330, Emperor Constantine founded Constantinople in modern-day Turkey. This city would become one of the most influential and important cities during the middle ages. Constantinople would serve as the capital until the Byzantine empire collapsed in 1453.

The Romans come into rule

27 BCE

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful rules in the history of mankind.

Byzantium becomes the capital

330

Constantine, the Roman leader, made Byzantium the capital city of the Roman Empire. He changed the name to Constantinople.

The Empire is split in half

395

After the death of Theodosius, the Byzantine Empire was split in half. It had western and eastern kingdoms.

An Emperor is crowned

527

Justinian I was crowned and he quickly expanded the Empire.

Nika Revolts

532

The Byzantine people destroyed the palace and burned property. The fires of the people ended up burning down much of the city. The people rioting were eventually murdered(planned) by Justinian

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

Justinian the emperor rebuilt this church that had been left in pieces from when the nika revolts. The church was extraordinary because of the arching dome that the church featured.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

565

He was the leading military figure in the age of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. As one of the last important figures in the Roman military tradition, he led imperial armies against the Sasanian empire (Persia), the Vandal kingdom of North Africa, the Ostrogothic regime of Italy, and the barbarian tribes closing in upon Constantinople.

The loss of the Italian provinces

568

After a battle with the Lombards, the Byzantine Empire lost most of their lands in Italy. Many battles followed over the years and they lost much more land in Africa.

A slight revival of the Empire

843

When the Macedonian Dynasty stepped into rule, the Byzantine Empire started gaining back some of their lands. They had a revival of their greatness for 200 years.

Bulgaria is conquered

1018

Emperor Basil II sought to expand Byzantine during his rule. He most famously conquered Bulgaria a many years after he started attacking them in 986. After he captured the capital of Bulgaria he earned the name "Slayer of the Bulgars." After conquering Bulgaria he blinded the entire Bulgarian army, leaving only every 100th soldier with one eye. This event was so horrendous that the tsar died of shock when he saw what had happened to his men.

Basil II dies, and the empire falls apart

1025

When the emperor, Basil II, died, he passed his kingdom along. The next ruled didn't do well, and things began to fall apart.

Early Islamic Military campaigns into Byzantine territory

1050

The ottoman turks converted to Islamic. They continued into Asia Minor to take land. This disturbed the Christians trying to reach the holy land that god had promised.

Great Schism

1054

In an event also known as the East-West Schism, Several differences caused the Eastern Orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church to separate. One of their main differences was the Roman Catholic church in the west having one leader, the pope, while the Eastern Orthodox church had several patriarchs.

The Byzantines participate in the Crusades

1081

Alexios I became the emperor and he took his people into the Crusades in Jerusalem.

Emperor Alexios I requests help from Pope Urban II

1095

With threat of invasion from Turks looming, Emerpor Alexios I sent a plea for military help in the Middle East. Pope Urban II saw this as an opportunity to retake the holy city of Jerusalem, which was under Turkish rule. The Christian soldiers were severely outmatched by the highly trained Muslim army. However, through their massive number of soldiers, they were able to capture Jerusalem. This war tras the first of seven holy wars that would become known as the Crusades.

Antioch is taken from the Turks

1097

The Byzantines took Antioch from the Turkish armies, and later they took Hungary.

The Bulgarians rebel

1185

The Bulgarians set up a rebellion against the Byzantines, and they won back their independence.

Constantinople is captured

1204

During the 4th Crusade the capital city of Constantinople was captured, along with several other prominent cities.

Fourth Crusade

1204

Crusaders stopped fighting Muslims and raided the christian city Constantinople, which was the capitol of Byzantine. After it was attacked and plundered, Constantinople was left greatly weaken and unable to defend from other invasions. This act of greed and selfishness on the part of the crusaders was a large contributor to the decline of the Byzantine Empire.

Other cities fall from Byzantine power

1326

Prusia was taken by the Turks, and then in 1331 Nicaea also fell to the Turks.

The Black Death kills off the Byzantine Empire

1347

The Black death was a plague that swept through Europe and Asia. The weak empire couldn't stand against this last fatal blow.

The Fall of Constantinople

1453

The Ottoman Turks, lead by Mehmet II, successfully captured Constantinople. This marked the end of the Byzantines and is also widely seen as the end of the European Middle ages. It was also seen as a harsh blow to Christianity and the pope unsuccessfully called for troops to recapture Constantinople.

The last of the empire falls

1461

One last Byzantine outpost held out until 1461, when it finally fell to the Turks. The Byzantine Empire and Roman rule were officially over.