Byzantium, Constantinople, and Istanbul

By KN_Ripley
  • 478 BCE

    Byzantium Ruler After Peloponnesian War

    Byzantium Ruler After Peloponnesian War
    Pausanias, a Spartan general, became governor of Byzantine during the Peloponnesian War after he conquered the region from the Persians.
  • 404 BCE

    Sparta Regained Control over Byzantium

    Sparta Regained Control over Byzantium
    Sparta regained control over Byzantium after Athens conquered it one year earlier. Sparta permanently stopped the grain shipments to Athens, and Athens surrendered to Sparta. This marked the end of the Peloponnesian War.
  • 390 BCE

    Athenian Rule of Byzantium

    Athenian Rule of Byzantium
    Athens, for the last time, gained control over Byzantium and ended the Spartan rule over the city.
  • 340 BCE

    Macedonia's Attempt at Gaining Byzantium

    Macedonia's Attempt at Gaining Byzantium
    Philip II attempted to conquer Byzantium but retracted after the Persian Empire threatened to attack Macedonia. Alexander the Great, eventually conquered the Persian Empire.
  • 330

    Binbirdirek Cistern

    Binbirdirek Cistern
    The emperor of Constantinople built the Binbirdirek Cistern to bring water into the city because it could not support all of its citizens.
  • 337

    Byzantium to Constantinople

    Byzantium to Constantinople
    Byzantium was renamed Constantinople, in Constantine's honor, after Emperor Diocletian declared that four people should govern the Roman Empire, Diocletian ruled Byzantium (on the eastern section of the divide), and the next Emperor, Constantine, died.
  • 360

    First Hagia Sophias

    First Hagia Sophias
    Julian the Apostate built the first Hagia Sophias, which will be rebuilt by Theodosius II. Once Theodosis II's version of the building was destroyed, Justinian rebuilt the Hagia Sophias.
  • 363

    Split of Byzantine Empire

    After Emperor Julian died by fighting the Persians, the Byzantine Empire split into 2 sections, each ruled by Julian's brothers: Valens ruled the east and Valentinian I ruled the west.
  • 378

    Visigoths Tried to Conquer The Byzantine Capital

    After Valens lost and later died in a battle between the Eastern Byzantine Empire and the Visigoths at Adrianople, the Visigoths tried to conquer Constantinople and failed.
  • 411

    Spartan Control Over Byzantium

    Spartan Control Over Byzantium
    Sparta gained Byzantium because Athens was losing the Peloponnesian War. As a result, Spart cut off grain shipments to Athens, which forced their economy and people to suffer.
  • 532

    Destruction of Hagia Sophia and Irene

    Destruction of Hagia Sophia and Irene
    In the Nika Revolt, people destroyed the Hagia Sophia and Irene as well as killed nearly 10% of Constantinople's population. The Nika Revolt was a conflict between the Blues and Greens in a circus against Emperor Justinian's authority.
  • 541

    Black Death Epidemic

    Black Death Epidemic
    Constantinople suffered from Black Death epidemic, which resulted in a decline of the empire’s economy. Emperor Justinian survived this epidemic.
  • 550

    Third Persian War

    Third Persian War
    Justinian started the 3rd Persian War after her conquered Andalusia. In short, the 3rd Persian War was a conflict between the Persians and the Byzantine Empire over Colchis.
  • Period: 674 to 677

    Arab Threat to Constantinople

    During Islamic expansion, the Arab army tried to conquer Constantinople against Byzantine Emperor, Leo III. A a result, Byzantine Empire lost some of its southern territory.
  • 717

    Beginning of Iconoclasm

    Beginning of Iconoclasm
    The Byzantine Emperor Leo II outlawed religious icons in Christianity. Pope Gregory II, however, disagreed with the Byzantine Empire, which led to, in 1054, the division of the Christian Church.
  • 1071

    Beginning of the Fall of Constantinople

    Beginning of the Fall of Constantinople
    After the Seljuks of Rum defeated the Greeks, the Byzantine Empire was already declining and could not support a large navy, which exposed Constantinople.
  • 1095

    Beginning of Crusades

    Beginning of Crusades
    The Crusades began when the Christian Pope told the Western Christians to defend the Byzantines to reclaim the religious sites from Muslims. It was a war between Christians and Muslims who wanted control over Constantinople’s religious sites.
  • 1097

    First Crusade

    During the 1st Crusade, the 4 armies, "...led by Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois and Bohemond of Taranto" and the Byzantines attacked the Muslims and Seljuk capital (History.com).
  • 1198

    Fourth Crusade

    During the 4th Crusade, power struggles in the region led to the Crusaders attempt to remove the Byzantine emperor. The Crusaders attacked Constantinople, which resulted in the fall of Constantinople.
  • 1453

    Creation of Istanbul

    Creation of Istanbul
    In 1453, the Ottoman Turks invaded and conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul, in which the city still has this name today.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQrKZcYtqg