History of the Byzantine Empire

The Founding of Constantinople

330

Constantine finds the new capital city of the Roman Empire. The city was in the same place as the existing site of the Ancient Greek city Byzantium was. Byzantium was renamed Constantinople after Constantine, and it would later become the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

527

Belisarius’ first opportunity to prove his worth came when Justinian asked him to command the army in the east to deal with incursions from their greatest rivals, the Sassanians. Belisarius was able to defeat the larger Sassanian army in 530 AD in the Battle of Dara

Nika Revolts (Riots)

532

These took place against Emperor Justinian |, and took place over the course of a week. They were the most violent riots in the history of Constantinople, with nearly half of the city being burned or destroyed, and tens of thousands of people killed.

Hagia Sophia completed

532

Also called Church of the Holy Wisdom. The Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople in 532 under the direction of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian |.

Early Islamic Military Campaigns

780

The Byzantine Empire and the Abbasidand the Fatimid caliphates fought a series of wars for supremacy in the Eastern Mediterranean. After a period of slow warfare, the almost unbroken Byzantine victory allowed three emperors to recapture territory lost to the Muslim conquests.

Emperor Basil || Military conquests of Bulgaria

Jan 10, 976

Basil oversaw the stabilization of the Byzantine Empire. He was nicknamed the Bulgar Empire. He extended imperial rule in the Balkans and Mesopotamia, and increased his domestic authority by attacking the powerful interests of the military aristocracy.

Great Schism

1054

This was the break of the what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Churches. An argument of ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes formed a rupture. Prominent among these were the issues of the source of the Holy Spirit.

Emperor Alexius | contacts Pope Urban || for Military Help in the East

Nov 27, 1095

Emperor Alexius | made a special request for Pope Urban ||. The emperor was wanting to reinforce the power of the papacy. Pope Urban || used this as an opportunity to unite Christian Europe under himwhile he fought to take back the Holy Land.

The Fourth Crusade

1202

This was an armed expedition originally intended to reconquer Islam, which was controlled by Jerusalem. This meant for an invasion through Egypt. Instead, the crusaders attacked the city of Constantinople.

The Fourth Crusade continued

1203

The majority of the crusaders that attacked Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade entered into an agreement with the Byzantine prince Alexios Angelos. The agreement was to divert Constantinople,and restore his father as emperor

The Fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

After 10 centuries of battling wars, the Byzantine Empire came to an end when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. The city’s Fall sent shock waves throughout Christendom. It is known today as the event that marked the end of the European Middle Ages.