History of the Byzantine Empire

Justinian Reign

Period: 327 to 365

Justinian I Emperor of the Byzantine. One of his first orders of business was to reconquer the fallen parts of the Western Empire (Italy, Spain, and Africa). He also constructed the Hagia Sofia and adapted some Roman laws to create the Justinian Code.

Constantinople made the new capitol

330

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzantine Capital. He renamed the Greek city of Byzantium

Byzantine Empire

Period: 330 to 1453

Fall of Western Empire

476

The Western Empire collapsed because of Barbarian attacks.
The Eastern Empire survives and now is known as the Byzantine Empire.

Hagia Sophia Completed

526

Took 5 years to complete. Hagia Sophia translates to Holy Wisdom. It was a Greek Orthodox Christian church later a mosque, and is now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The Roman Empire's first Christian Cathedral. The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 1453 until 1931. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have changed the history of architecture.

Nika Revolt

532

took place against Emperor Justinian I and took place over the course of a week in Constantinople. Riots turned into a revolt. Started because of a chariot race.

Belisarius against Vandals

533

For his efforts, Belisarius was rewarded by Justinian with the command of a land and sea expedition against the Vandal Kingdom, mounted in. The Romans had political, religious and strategic reasons for such a campaign.

Belisarius Campaign Italy

535

Justinian resolved to restore as much of the Western Roman Empire as he could. He commissioned Belisarius to attack the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy. Belisarius landed in Sicily and took the island in order to use it as a base against Italy, while Mundus recovered Dalmatia.

Belisarius Last Campaign

559

Justinian recalled Belisarius to command the Roman army. In his last campaign, Belisarius defeated the Kutrigurs at the battle of Melantias and drove them back across the river with the greatly outnumbered force under his command

Early Muslim attacks

636

During the reign of Emperor Heraclius. They came into Byzantine territory.

Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

968

Emperor Boris II was captured and taken to Constantinople where he abdicated and the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes announced the annexation of Bulgaria, even though the Eastern Roman Empire only controlled Eastern Bulgaria at the time, but the lands to the west remained under Bulgarian control

Great Schism

1054

The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church split apart because of there slight differences

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

1095

Urban Agreed. This was the beginning of the first crusade. Urban would say this is Gods will to take the Holy Land back from the muslims.

Fourth Crusade (attack on Constantinople)

1204

Crusaders started fighting each other so after helping merchants from Venice defeat their Byzantine trade rivals crusaders captured and looted Constantinople

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

1453

The pillaging and loss of the capital for a short amount of time was a challenge that the Byzantine's never truly recovered from. Yet, 200 years they were still in Constantinople facing the oncoming Ottomans. In a seige that lasted almost a full year, the Ottomans finally defeated the Byzantine's and took the city for itself. The mighty Byzantine Empire had fallen. Led by Mehmet II