History of the Byzantines

Byzantine capital, Constantinople

330

In 330 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine made the city of Byzantium into Constantinople. This city became the most vital city of the Byzantine Empire. It blended cultures such as: Greek, Roman, and Christian. Constantinople was Europe's busiest marketplace because of the trade routes that linked to different countries.

Nika riots

532

In 532 AD, the Nika riots started after conflicts over chariot racing. After seven people of theirs were sentenced to death, two factors, the blues and greens, joined against emperor Justinian. Several people were killed and the Hagia Sophia was burned down.

General Belisarius

533

General Belisarius worked under emperor Justinian. During his time of being a general, he accomplished great things; one of them being his stop to the Nika uprising. As he was sent to reclaim areas of the western Roman Empire, he began his campaigning. He was very successful in this and was rewarded with full command of the military.

Hagia Sophia reconstructed

537

Hagia Sophia was first built by the Emperor Constantius in 360 AD. It has been burned down and rebuilt several times, but in 537 it was rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian. He took the opportunity to make the church of holy wisdom even more beautiful than before by adding a dome-shaped ceiling.

Early Islamic conquest

632

The conquest began with Islamic Prophet Muhammad's death; his death resulted in Muslims conquering large parts of the Middle East and Africa. Byzantine went under multiple attacks from Muslims during a time span over 100 years. The purpose was to increase the power they had as Muslims.

Emperor Basil II

1014

Emperor Basil II was well known for his successful military campaigns to conquer Bulgaria. He marched his army into Bulgaria little by little and then captured the capital. Emperor Basil II was given the name "Slayer of Bulgars" after he won. His army captured nearly 15,000 prisoners and blinded 99 out of 100 of the entire Bulgarian army.

Great Schism

1054

This event is what led to the official separation of the Eastern and Western Christian churches. One of many differences that led the churches to split was their leaders. The Eastern churches were lead by patriarchs and the Western were led by the pope.

Emperor Alexios I contacts Pope Urban II

1095

The Turks originally threatened to conquer the city of Constantinople, which is when Emperor Alexios contacted Pope Urban II for help. This event is what caused the First Crusade. Pope Urban II agreed to help and their two forces fought against the Turks.

The Fourth Crusade

1204

In 1202, the Fourth Crusade was getting ready to conquer Egypt. Instead of Egypt, they went to the Christian city of Constantinople to battle. During this battle, instead of fighting Muslims, they fought other Christians. This weakened the capital and left them unable to protect themselves from future invasions.

Fall of Constantinople

1453

The Byzantine Empire came to an end when the city of Constantinople fell. For many decades, the Byzantine Empire has been coming to a long decline, but it wasn't until 1453 when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. Since the city has gone under many attacks, the invasion of the Ottoman Turks was easy for them.