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In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire suffered a crisis, which led to a wave of migrations across its borders. In AD 395, the Emperor Theodosius divided the Roman Empire into two halves: the Western Roman Empire, whose capital was Rome, and the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital was Constantinople. -
The Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. Its greatest period of glory was during the reign of Justinian, when the empire conquered many territories.
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Islam originated in the 7th century, on the Arabian Peninsula, when Muhammad preached a new monotheistic religion. He believed that the only God was Allah. The wealthy merchants in Muhammad¨s home city of Mecca did not accept his teachings, so in 622, he fled to Medina. He then later built an army in Medina and conquered Mecca. After his death there were three caliphates: Orthodox, Omeya and Abbasid.
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In 1054, the East-West Schism took place. This was a split between the Orthodox Church, which recognised the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Roman Catholic Church, which only accepted the authority of the Pope. -
In the end, the Byzantine Empire did not have sufficient resources to defend such vast territories. In 1453, The Turks captured Constantinople, marking the end of Byzantine Empire´s 1.000 year long history.