-
330
Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital
The Roman emperor Constantineand his successors shifted their base to the eastern Mediterranean. Constantine rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantine and then renamed it after himself, Constantinople. -
Period: 330 to Jan 1, 1453
Byzantine Empire Project
-
527
Justinian Becomes Emperor of the Byzantines
The Byzantine empire reached its peak under the emperor Justinian (527-656). He was determined to revive ancient Rome by recovering lands that have been overrun by invaders. Early in his reign, he set up a commision to collect, revise and organize all the laws of ancient Rome. The result was the "Body of Civil Law" (Justinian's Code). This massive collection included laws passed by Roman assemblies or decreed by Romen emperors, as well as the legal writings of Roman judges. -
533
General Belisarius Military Campaigns
Justinian planned to revive ancient Rome by recovering lands that have been overrun by invaders. General Belisarius led Byzantine armies to reconquer North Africa, Italy and the southern Iberian peninsula. However, the fighting exausted Justinian's treasury and weakened his defenses in the east. Moreover, the victories were only temporary. Justinian's successors would lose bitterly contested lands, one after another. -
537
Hagia Sophia Completed
The Hagia Sophia or "Holy Wisdom," stands at a cultural and geographic crossroads. Istanbul--once called Constantinople--is located where Europe meets Asia and Islam meets Christianity. Justinian ordered the construction of the Hagia Sophia in 532, after the previous church was destroyed in riots. Since then, the dome has been rebuilt and the building repaired. -
Jul 1, 600
Islamic Conquests Parts of the Byzantine Terror
The Byzantine Empire served as a buffer for Western Europe, especially in preventing the spread of Muslim conquest. Beginning in the 600s and 700s, however, Arab armies gradually gained control of much of the Mediterranean world. Still, Constantinople itself withstood their attack, and the Byzantine s held on to their heartland in the Balkans and Asia Minor. -
Jan 1, 1025
Emperor Basil II Military conquests up to year 1025
Emperor Basil II ruled from 976-1025. During his reign, the Byzantine empire extended to Southern Italy to the Eurphrates. He was known as the "Bulgar Slayer". In 1014, Basil captured 14,000 Bulgarians, and blinded 99 out of every 100 of them. The hundredth man was left with one eye to guide the others home. -
Jan 1, 1054
Great Schism
The Great Schism, also know as the East-West Schism, was between the Byzantine church and the Roman church. The schism was caused by political, cultural, social and economic differences that originated back to 1000. The schism led to the development of the modern Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. -
Jan 1, 1095
Emperor Alexios I and Pope Urban II
Emperor Alexios I was a ruler during the first Crusade. He came from an old military land family. Prior to his rule, Byzantium was threatened with collapse. Alexius wrote to Pope Urban II, asking for assistance to reopen the roads to Jerusalem. -
Jan 1, 1204
Fourth Crusade (attack on Constantinople)
The crusaders captured Constantinople in 1203 and put Alexius IV on the throne. In 1204, Murzuphlus took the thron and named himself Alexis V and ordered the Crusaders to leave. The crusaders reponded by retaking Constantinople. -
Jan 1, 1453
End of the Byzantines
After the crusaders from the Fourth Crusade retook the city of Constantinople, they founded the Latin Empire out of the territory from the Byzantuim. They formed a government and managed to retake Asia Minor by 1235. The fighting weaked the Byzantine empire and in 1453 the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople.
