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330
The Byzantine Empire is Born
After the Roman Empire started to split into eastern and western halves, Constantine founded a new city on the site of the ancient Greek city Byzantium. This new city was founded as a new capital for the Roman Empire. Byzantium later became known as Consantinople. -
Period: 330 to May 29, 1453
Byzantine Empire
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527
Justinian Becomes Emperor
Justinian became emperor in 527. During his reign, Justinian ordered all laws to be revised, then the laws were organised into books; the Codex Iustinianus, the Digesta or Pandectae, the Institutiones, and the Novellae. Justinian also made new laws to protect women. -
533
General Belisarius Military Campaigns, 533 - 545 AD
General Belisarius led military campaigns against the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. The purpose of the campaign against the Vandals was to take over the North African territories that the Vandals controlled. The purpose of the campaign against the Ostrogoths was to take over the Western Roman Empire. -
537
Hagia Sophia
In 532, after the burning of the second church on the site known as "Magna Ecclasia", Emperor Justinian I decided to build a third church that was entirely different from the first two churches. He wanted the new church to be larger and more majestic. The church was inaugurated on December 27, 537. -
Jan 1, 600
Islamic Conquests of the Byzantine Empire, 600 - 700 AD
During the Heraclian Dynasty, the Byzantine Empire lost a lot of land. Islamic forces took over Syria and the Levant, Egypt, North Africa, and three Palestina Provinces. The forces also took over Constantinople for a period of time as well. -
Jan 1, 1025
Emperor Basil II's Military Conquests up to the year 1025
In 986, Basill II tried to regain power of Bulgaria, but his forces failed. Following the failed attept at regainning power of Bulgaria, the Byzantines were able to slowly able to take over parts of Bulgaria. In 1018, Basil's army was finally able to take control of all of Bulgaria. This causes Croatia to also surrener to the Byzantines. -
Feb 22, 1054
The Great Schism
The Great Schism is when the Eastern Orthodox Church split from the Roman Catholic Church. In 1053, Michael Cerularius ordered the closure of all Latin churches in Constantinople. Cerularius disagreed with many of the Roman Catholic teachings and traditions. In 1054 the Church split into two; the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. -
Feb 22, 1095
Emperor Alexios I and Pope Urban II
Emperor Alexios I's ambassadors went before Pope Urban II in 1095. He sought help with defending the Byzantine Empire. Pope Urban supplied Alexios with more support than Alexios asked for. -
Apr 22, 1204
The Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was origanally intended to attack Jerusalem by going through Egypt. The Fourth Crusade instead attacked Constantinople. This is considered the final act of the Great Schism, and a key turning point in the decline of the Byzantine Empire. -
May 29, 1453
End of the Empire
After the Crusades the Byzantine Emipe was weakend. Civil wars broke out after Emperor Andronikos III died. After the civil wars, the Byzantines turned to the pope for help but he would not send help unless the Eastern Orthodox Church rejioned the Roman Catholic Church. The Byzantines only partially agreed to this arrangement. Some Western troops arrived to help fight off the Ottoman Turks, but not enough. Constantinople fell to the Ottomans after a two-month siege on May 29, 1453.
