Byzantine Timeline

Emperor Constantine I founded the Byzantine Capital

330

It was reinaugurated in 324 AD at ancient Byzantium, as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great, after whom it was named, and dedicated on 11 May 330. In the 12th century, the city was the largest and wealthiest European city and it was instrumental in the advancement of Christianity during Roman and Byzantine times. It was famed for it's massive defenses and architectural wonders.

General Belisarius' Military Campaign

505

He first stopped the Nika uprising in Constantinople in 532 CE. Then Justinian sent him against Persia in 533 CE after a long string of victories he returned home. His next mission was in 535 CE Belisarius was sent against the Ostrogoths in Italy and, again, won a number of victories. He took Sicily first in 535 CE and then Naples and Rome in 536 CE and finally in 539 CE. Belisarius died in 565 CE, within only a few weeks of Justinian, in Constantinople.

Nika Revolt

532

The Nika revolt, took place over the course of a week in Constantinople in AD 532. It was the most violent riot in the history of Constantinople, with nearly half the city being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people killed. During a chariot race to calm the people a bigger riot started and laid siege to the palace of Justinian. Senators joined in because of the high taxes and everything went down hill from there.

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

The church was burned down and rebuilt many times and served a big purpose in the city of Constantinople as the bishop's seat at one point. The interior of Hagia Sophia was paneled with costly colored marbles and ornamental stone inlays. Decorative marble columns were taken from ancient buildings and reused to support the interior arcades. Mother Nature has also taken it's toll on the building over the centuries, although the surviving main structure is essentially that which was built in 532-37

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

Jan 1, 634

It began with the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power. Most historians agree that the Sassanid Persian and Byzantine Roman empires were militarily and economically exhausted from decades of fighting one another, so they were easy to defeat.

Great Schism

Jan 1, 1054

The East–West Schism is the break of communion between what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, and which began in the 11th century. The Latin mans Roman churches had different views on what and how things should be done in the church. The Romans ordered all Latin churches to be closed or converted. When the Latins said no there was war.

Emperor Alexios I contacts Pope Urban II for military support in the Middle East

Nov 1, 1095

The Byzantine Emperor Alexius asked Pope Urban II for military support to help fight the Seljuks, a middle eastern group. In November of 1095 at the Council of Clermont in France, Pope Urban called on Western Christians to aid the Byzantines and recover the Holy Land from the Muslim invaders. Christians everywhere jumped at the chance to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims.

The Fourth Crusade

Apr 12, 1204

For 3 days the Fourth Crusade armies terrorized the city of Constantinople. They looted, attacked, and killed hundreds of thousands of people. The Library of Constantinople was destroyed along with many other Greek and Roman artifacts. Many statues including the huge bronze one of Hercules were melted down to make other things.
The emperor of Byzantine had died and there was rioting, the leaders of the Fourth Crudade armies took full advantage of this and attacked the city.

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks (official end to Byzantines)

Apr 6, 1453

The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire. The capture of Constantinople marked the end of the Roman Empire, an imperial state which had lasted for nearly 1,500 years. After the conquest, Sultan Mehmed II transferred the capital of the Ottoman Empire from Edirne to Constantinople. Several Greek and others fled the city before and after the siege, with the majority of them migrating to Italy.

Emperor Basil II military conquests of Bulgaria

Mar 2, 2022

In 986, after securing his own position in Byzantium, emperor Basil II gathered a 30,000-man army, marched on the Bulgarian city of Sofia and laid siege to it. But he started to question his men's loyalty. When he was ambushed his suspicions were proved correct. But when he came back in 1000 he had fought off his own men and defeated Islam. He set off to Bulgaria again his time taking it bit by bit and eventually winning the war. He proved to be a fair leader and was very generous to the people.