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Period: 250 to Jan 1, 1500
Byzantine Empire
Started- 330
Ended- 1453 -
330
Constantinople Became the Capital
The emperor of Rome, Constantine, rebuilt a "new Rome" on old Greek land where the Byzantium colony had once lived. He built his city and named it Constantinople, after himself. It was on the Mediterranean coast which was a popular trading spot. -
527
Justinian Becomes Emperor
Justinian became the emporer of Byzantine and was a very determined person, he wanted to revive lands of acient Rome. With his armies he took back Northern Africa, Italy and the southern Iberian peninsula. Later, the Nika Riots broke out in the capital, but Justinian restored the peace by rebuilding the Haiga Sophia chruch. He also reorganized adn revised all of the laws of ancient Rome which he called the Justinian Code -
Period: 527 to 565
Justinian Rule
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Period: 533 to 545
General Belisarius' Campaigns
General Belisarius was one of the leading miliatry commanders in the Byzantine Empire. He lead his armies to battle in North Africa, Italy and the Iberian peninsula, of which he won those battles. He was very loyal to the emperor, Justinian, and always respected him. -
537
Hagia Sophia
The emperor Justinian wanted to bring back the glory of Rome after many riots broke out within the city. He decided to rebuild the Hagia Sophia, which was previously a Roman church. It was rebuilt in about 6 years, which lead to complications with the immense domes inside the new cathedral. -
Period: Jan 1, 600 to Jan 1, 700
Islamic Conquests
After the attacks from the Persians, Huns, Vikings, Slavs and Turcs, the Byzantine Empire still stood. Since it was such a strong empire after Justinian, it ended up being a barrier for Western Europe, preventing the Muslims from invading them. They were also attacked by the Arabs who had gained a lot of land around the Meditteranean area. Despite yet another attack, Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire still stood. -
Jan 1, 1025
Basil II Military Conquests
Basil II was an extraordinary emporer in the Byzantine Empire. During is rule, he expanded the Byzantine Empire to Italy and even close to Germany and the Ottonian empire. -
Jan 1, 1054
Great Schism
In the Middle Ages, the Christian church split over a dispute of uses of icons. Some Christians used pictures of holy figures, which previously was outlawed by an emperor. That started a dispute with the pope and many more disputes started. The actual split of the two sides was called the Great Schism. -
Jan 1, 1095
Alexios I & Pope Urban II
Alexios I had started his reign in 1081 over the Byzantine Empire. In 1095, he asked Pope Urban II if he could send a crusade out to help fight the Seljuks. The Pope agreed and sent the soldiers, led by a fellow named Peter the Hermit, to help fight. -
Jan 1, 1204
Fourth Crusade
During the fourth crusade, Venitian merchants got the crusaders to turn against their city. For a couple days, the knights of the crusade attacked Constantinople. The Western Civilization ruled the Byzantine empire for a while, but eventually gained back their empire. -
Jan 1, 1453
End of the Byzantines
The Turks were always a "rival" of the Byzantine empire. Eventually, the Ottoman forces broke through their walls and attacked Constantinople. After over two months of fighting, the Turcs won. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul and became the capital city for the Ottoman empire. The Hagia Sophia was turned into an Islamic place of worship because the city had been turned into a center for Muslim culture.
