Byzantine Timeline Project

By mmeixner
  • 330

    Constantinople

    Constantinople
    The Roman leader, Constantine, made Byzantine the capital city of the Roman Empire. The city was then renamed to Constantinople.
  • 395

    Splitting of the Roman Empire

    The Byzantine empire was split into western and eastern kingdoms after the death of the Roman emperor, Theodosius I.
  • 527

    Justinian's Reign

    Justinian was crowned emperor and expanded the empire. Constantinople becomes one of the biggest cities in Europe with over 500,000 people. He also puts all of the Roman laws into one document.
  • 568

    Lombard Invasian

    Most of Italy is lost due to an invasion from the Lombards.
  • Jan 1, 602

    Start of Byzantine–Sasanian War

    This war was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanian Empire of Persia. In 602, Maurice was murdered by Phocas, a political enemy. War was declared by Khosrau to avenge his death. The war lasted until 628.
  • Feb 15, 730

    Iconoclasm

    Many emperors adopted Iconoclasm, which is the destruction of religious images and ideologies. This started in 730 and ended in 787, and regained again from 813–843. This ideology lead to the loss of Italian territories.
  • Jan 1, 867

    Macedonian Dyansty

    The Macedonian Dyansty started in 867 by Basil I the Macedonian and ended in 1056. This dynasty lead to a revival of military - the Byzantine empire regained a lot of their land in Italy and continued to expand.
  • Feb 15, 924

    Unsuccesfull Attacks

    Bulgars unsuccessfully attack Constantinople in 924.
    Constantinople and Bithynia is attacked by Prince Igor of Kiev, but they hold the attackers off. The Byzantines destroys the Russian fleet.
  • Feb 15, 1014

    Defeat of the Bulgarian army

    Emperor Basil II has the objective to defeat the Bulgarians in 1002, and eventually defeats their army in 1014. In 1018, Bulgaria is added to the empire. Cultural diffusion plays a role here, as Bulgaria's culutres mixed with the Byzantine Empire.
  • Feb 15, 1025

    Death of Basil II

    Emperor Basil II dies in 1025 and the decline of the Byzantine Empire slowly begins.
  • Feb 15, 1071

    Conflict with the Turks

    The Turks defeat Emperor Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert. Most of Asia Minor is lost to the Turks admist the civil wars that follow. Over 100 years later, in 1176, Byzantine armies take back Asia Minor from the Turks.
  • Feb 15, 1185

    Bulgaria's Independence

    The Bulgarians win back their independence from the Byzantines by rebelling against the government.
  • Feb 15, 1204

    The Fall of Constaninople

    The capital city of Constantinople was captured, along with many other big cities during the 4th Crusade. The Byzantine Empire never fully recovered from this blow.
  • Feb 15, 1326

    The Last Breath

    The Turks took Prusia in 1326 and Nicea in 1331. In 1347, the Black plague spread threw Europe and Asia, killing hundreds of thousands. The already weakened empire was on its knees at this point.
  • Feb 15, 1461

    End of the Byzantine Empire

    Constantinople is conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Constantine XI Palaiologos dies within this time period, and the Byzantine Empires comes to an end.