Byzantine Emprie

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital

330

Constantine after restoring the unity of the empire and helping the government by agreeing with the church. He was aware that Rome wasn’t a good capital of the empire because it was so far away from the frontlines so he made Constantinople over a 6 year span in the 6th year it was finlly finished and consecrated.

Nika revolt

532

On January 13, 532, a tense and angry populace arrived at the Hippodrome for the races. The Hippodrome was next to the palace complex, and thus Justinian could watch from the safety of his box in the palace and preside over the races. After the races the crowd laid siege to the palace.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

533

He had gone against the Vandals in Carthage, the Ostrogoths, and a few others later in life but those are the ones he was to lead.

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom, cathedral built at Constantinople in the 6th century.

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

634

Arab-Muslim raids that followed the Ridda wars prompted the Byzantines to send a major expedition into southern Palestine, which was defeated by the Arab forces under command of Khalid ibn al-Walid at the Battle of Ajnadayn. This was a great victory for the Muslims.

Emperor Basil II military conquests of Bulgaria

976

Basil also sought to restore territories the Empire had lost long before. At the start of the second millennium Bulgaria had been partly subjugated by John I after the invasion of Svyatoslav I of Kiev, but parts of the country had remained outside Byzantine control, under the leadership of Samuel and his brothers.

Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism was the break of communion between what are now the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, which had lasted until the 11th century. The Schism was the culmination of theological and political differences between the Christian East and West which had developed over the preceding centuries.

Emperor Alexios I contacts Pope Urban II

1095

When the Turks then threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I made a special appeal to Urban for help. This was not the first appeal of its kind. Wanting to reinforce the power of the papacy, Urban seized the opportunity to unite Christian Europe under him as he fought to take back the Holy Land from the Turks.

Fourth Crusade

1204

The Fourth Crusade was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem. The crusade lasted about 2 years but in the end failed.

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

May 29, 1453

The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by an invading Ottoman army. The capture of the city (and two other Byzantine splinter territories soon thereafter) marked the end of the Byzantine Empire, a continuation of the Roman Empire.