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330
Founding of Constantinople
Constantine established the city that would become the capital of the East Roman Empire/Byzantine empire known as Constantinople or now modern day Istanbul which fun fact, it hosts a sizable amount of feral cat population dating back to the Ottomans worship of them for their cleanliness and hunting skills and they have now become an essential part of Turkish culture and the city of Istanbul. -
Period: 527 to 565
Justinian's Rule
Whats so significant about Justinian's nearly 40 year-reign is his extensive territorial expansion and millitary success, new synthesis of Greco-Roman and Christian culture seen at all levels of Byzantine Culture, as well as his sponsorship of a codification of laws known as the Code of Justinian which would rationalize hundreds of years of existing Roman statutes. -
Period: 717 to 718
Arab invasions
The second Arab siege of Constantinople was a combined land and sea offensive 717-718 by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople -
754
Iconoclasm
The opposition to religous images known as Iconoclasm began during the reign of Leo III but wouldnt become official policy until his son Constantive V banned the making of icons in 754. -
1054
Split between Catholic and Orthodox churches
Starting from the excommunication of Patriarch of Constantinople Micheal Cerularius which would be a breaking point in long rising tensions between the Roman church based in Rome and the Byzantine church based in Constantinople, the "Great Schism" that would split the main faction of Christianity and create the two largest denominations in Christianity known as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths. -
1054
Crisis and Fragmentation
Stated as a period of difficulties for the empire which was caused to a large extent by the undermining of the theme of system and the neglect of the millitary with the army eventually being seen as an unnecessary expense as well as a political threat, moreover at this time of difficulty the empire would be faced with new enemies. Couldnt exactly figure out a time period for these events but it was within the 10th century also overlapped with the split between catholic and orthodox churches. -
Apr 13, 1204
The Crusades
On April 13, 1204, Constantinople would be conquered by the western or Latin armies participating in the Fourth Crusade. The Fourth Crusade's initial goal was the re-establishment of Christian rule over Jerusalem but ended up with a deviation resulting in this clash of Byzantium and the Latin West. The significance of this event lies in in the irrevocable blow which it would deal to the Byzantine Empire and one which would contribute to its decline and fall -
1453
Decline and Collapse
The year 1453 would mark the end of the gradually declining Byzantine Empire when the Ottoman Empire would break through their walls with cannons and capture their capital, as well as take the life of their final emperor in that battle, Constantine XI. The end of this empire would mark the beginning of the hundreds of years during which the Ottoman Empire would rule the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans.