Byzantine Timeline

By ostevens
  • Period: 300 to Jan 1, 1500

    Byzantine Timeline

  • 330

    Emperor Constantine I

    Emperor Constantine I
    After its re-foundation under Roman emperor Constantine I, who transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium in 330 AD and designated his new capital officially as Nova Roma "New Rome"
  • 532

    Nika Revolt

    Nika Revolt
    The Nika Riot was a fight between the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and the fans of the Blue and the Green chariot teams. Justinian' reforms were already making him unpopular with the people, but the situation escalated in 532 when he punished the ringleaders of the Blue and Green factions to death. Rioters burned the city for five days.
  • 533

    General Belisarius Millitary Campaigns

    General Belisarius Millitary Campaigns
    General Belisarius was the the leading military figure of the Byzantine Empire during his life. He won his first laurels as commander in 530, and continued to launch many military campaigns throughout his life.
  • 537

    Hagia Sophia Completed

    Hagia Sophia Completed
    The Hagia Sophia was a Greek Orthodox Church from 537 to 1453 then was changed into a mosque and was a mosque until 1931. It is now a museum.
  • 632

    Islamic Military Campaigns

    Islamic Military Campaigns
    The invasions by the Arabs into the Byzantine Empire began in 634, and they were able to achieve victories in only two years. These invasions caused strain on the Empire. The decisive battle in these invasions was the Battle of Yarmuk, in which the Arabs won after six days of fighting and massacring the Byzantine soldiers.
  • 986

    Emperor basil II Military Conquest

    Emperor basil II Military Conquest
    From 986-1014, the Byzantine Empire was at war with Bulgaria as the Byzantine Emperor Basil II tried to win territory. Finally, he captured the capital, Ochrida, and took control over Bulgaria.
  • 1054

    Great Schism

    Great Schism
    The Great Schism was the separation of the of the Byzantine Empire from the Roman Catholic Church. The theology of the East was different than that in the West, and combined with political jealousies and disputes, eventually lead to Pope Leo IX excommunicating the East from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054. The patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, excommunicated the Roman Church back in turn. This lead to the division of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
  • 1095

    Emperor Alexios I Contacts pope Urban II

    Emperor Alexios I Contacts pope Urban II
    The Seljuk Turks had overrun most Byzantine lands in Asia Minor and had extended their power over the Holy Land, including Jerusalem. This area was important to Christians, as they often made pilgramages there. The conflict between the custody of the Holy Land was threatening to destroy the Byzantine Empire, so the Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked Pope Urban II for knights to help him fight the Muslim Turks and take back the Holy Land.
  • 1202

    Fourth Crusade

    Fourth Crusade
    The Fourth Crusade was yet another attempt to regain possession of the Holy Land from the Turks. It lasted from 1202-1204. After helping Venice by defeating their Byzantine trade rivals in 1204, the crusaders looted and captured Constantinople.
  • May 29, 1453

    Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

    Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks
    After the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine Empire was weakened. This allowed the Ottoman Turks to conquer the city in 1453, therefore putting an end to the Byzantine Empire. It is also regarded as the end of the European Middle Ages.