History of the Byzantines

History of the Byzantines

Period: 300 to 1500

Emperor Constantine I Founded the Byzatine Capital

330

German invades invaded the Western Roman Empire. Roman Emperor Constantine shifted his base and successors to the Eastern Mediterranean. He rebuilt the Greek City Byzantine and named it Constantinople. It became the capital of the Byzantine empire. Constantine also called Constantinople the New Rome. The people of Constantinople were Roman and Christian and spoke Greek.

Nika Revolt

532

A civil uprising against Justinan I in Constantinople.Half the city was destroyed and tens of thousands of people were killed.The Byzantine Empire like the Roman Empire was associated with the Demes. They supported various sports like chariot racing.There was four teams the blues, greens, reds, and whites.The teams became a focus for political and social issues. Two murders one blue and one green escaped into a sanctuary when they were supposed to be hanged, they were found and riots broke out.

General Belisarius Military Campaigns

533

Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He helped with Justinian's project of recovering much of the Mediterranean from the former Western Roman Empire. Belisarius led a campaign against the Vandal Kingdom and the Ostrogothic Kingdom. In his last campaign, Belisarius defeated the Kutrigurs at the battle of Melantias and pushed them back across the river with the greatly outnumbered force under his command.

Hagia Sophia's Completion

537

The Hagia Sophia or the Church of the Holy Wisdom is a cathedral built in Constantinople, or what is today Istanbul, Turkey. It was built under the supervision of Justinian I, It is considered the most important Byzantine structure. It was built in six years which is very fast for this time period. The Hagia Sophia has a hundred and five foot dome on the top and the building is a square shape.

Early Islamic military campaigns into Byzantine territory

639

The Islamic military campaigns caused the collapse of Sassaind Empire and and large territorial loss for the Byzantine Empire.The Byzantine Empire was important for its grain production, naval yards, and base for defeating territory in Africa. The Arab forces won a major victory at the Battle of Heliopolis, but they found it difficult to advance further because major cities in the Nile Delta were protected by water and they lacked the machinery to break down city.

Emperor Basil II military conquests of Bulgaria

970

From 970-1018 a series of conflicts between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgarian Empire helped the Byzantine Empire re-establish control over the Balkan Peninsula. Basil II was a successful general and experienced solider helped the Byzantines get the upper hand in important areas.The Bulgarians risked everything in one battle in 1014. The Battle of Kleidion was a disaster for the Bulgarians and the Byzantine army captured 15,000 prisoners.

Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism caused the final separation of the Eastern Christian churches who were lead by the patriarch of the Constantinople Michael Cerularius and the Western Church lead by Pope Leo IX. The eastern side beliefs were rooted in Greek philosophy and the western side beliefs were based on Roman law. The mutual excommunication by the pope and patriarch in 1054 became a milestone in church history. The excommunication was not lifted 1965.

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

1095

Pope Urban made a very important speech, forming the Crusades. He called all Christians in Europe to fight against the Muslims in an effort to reclaim the Holy Land. Since the sixth century European Christians went to Holy Land. When the Turks took control of Jerusalem, Christians were banned from there. Turks then threatened to invade and take Constantinople, Emperor Alexius I asked Urban for help. Urban's speech ignited support, between 60,000-100,000 people marched to Jerusalem.

Fourth Crusade

1204

The crusades went from fighting Muslims to fighting other Christians. They helped merchants from Venice defeat their Byzantine trade rivals Crusades attacked, captured, and destroyed Constantinople the Byzantine capital. Meanwhile the Muslim army overran the Crusade States.

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

1453

The siege of Constantinople was led by Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 men on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days. The Turks used various war tactics in taking over the city. They used a large cannon to destroy the walls, warships were used to the eliminate the city's sea defense.