History of the Byzantines

Constantinople is founded

330

Emperor Constantine I rebuilt the city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. It became the capitol of his empire and was an important part of trading in Europe.

Nika riots

532

Members of two major chariot racing teams, the Blues and the Greens, were arrested for murder. Many of them were hanged, but some of them escaped. The emperor Justinian ordered their capture and death, but some demanded a full pardon for those that had escaped. People started setting fires and attacking Justinian's palace.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

533

General Belisaius gained the emperor Justinian's confidence by commanding troops during the Nika riots. Justinian chose Belisarius to lead Byzantine armies to reconquer North Africa, Italy, and the southern Iberian Peninsula.

Hagia Sophia Completed

537

The Hagia Sophia, meaning "Holy Wisdom", was rebuilt by the emperor Justinian to restore Roman glory after the Nika riots and a fire in Constantinople. He made the church more spectacular than it had been before it was destroyed.

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

634

There was a lot of warfare between the Byzantines and Islamic forces. Damascus was the first major city to fall during the Muslim conquest of Syria. There were many other attacks on other cities and the Byzantines lost Syria. Islamic forces later conquered Northern Africa, which had also been Byzantine territory.

Emperor Basil II conquests of Bulgaria

986

Bulgars had been raiding Byzantine lands since 976. Emperor Basil II set out to get revenge and take over Bulgaria. His first move was leading an army of 30,000 men into Bulgaria and besieging Sredets. After many other attacks from Basil, Bulgaria submitted in 1018.

Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism was the permanent split between Christians in the east and Christians in the west. Byzantines and the Romans practiced Christianity in different ways. In the east, the Byzantine Christian Church became the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the west, the Church became the Roman Catholic Church.

Emperor Alexios I contacts Pope Urban II

1095

Byzantine emperor Alexios I asked Pope Urban II to provide Christian knights to help him fight the Muslim Turks and protect his empire. Pope Urban II agreed even though Roman popes and Byzantine emperors had been rivals for a long time.

Fourth Crusade - Attack on Constantinople

1204

Alexios IV was was imprisoned in 1195 after his father, Emperor Isaac II, was overthrown. Alexios wanted to return to his father's throne, so he promised to pay the Crusaders if they helped him. Alexios became emperor, but he could not pay the money he promised, and the Crusaders sacked Constantinople. The attack lasted three days.

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

1453

The Ottoman Turks had tried to conquer Constantinople multiple times, only succeeding after a 53 day siege led by Mehmed II. The Byzantine emperor at the time, Constantine XI, fought alongside his troops during the battle, and was killed while defending the city. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire.