Division of the Roman Empire-Fall of the West and the Foundation Early Eastern Empire

312 AD  Battle of the Milvian Bridge

330 Constantine founds Nova Roma

378-395 Theodosius I last Roman emperor to reign over both the Eastern and Western Roman Empire. After his death, the two parts split permanently

408-450  Emperor Theodosian builds  Walls of Constantinople,walls not breached till 1204

425 University of Constantinople founded

455 Vandal sack of Rome

476 End of Western Roman Empire

457-474 Leo I

474-491 Zeno

491-518 Anastasius I

The Justinian Dynasty

(518 - 602)

518-527 soldier Justin I founds Justian dynasty

525-565 Justinian I

525 Justian marries Theodora,one of the most powerful women in Byz history

529 Corpus Juris Civilis law reforms

532 Nika riots

540-3 Plague of Justinian

533–534 conquest of North Africa by Belisarius

537 Hagia Sophia finished

535-554 Most of Italy reconquered

548 Theodora dies

550 conquests in Spain apogee of Byzantine expansion

550s silk worms smuggled to Byz

565-574 Justin II,retires due to insanity

570s Lombards take most of Italy

574-582 Tiberius II Constantine

582-602 Maurice,victories against Persians,Avars and Slavs, writes Strategicon

 Phocas ( r 602 - 610 ) Phocas leads mutiny against and kills  Maurice,time of brutal repression

608  The Exarch of Africa and his son, both named Heraclius, began a revolt against Phocas,kills Phocas in 610

The Heraclian Dynasty ( 610 - 711 )

610-642 Heraclius

Empre attacked on many fronts

625 Avar siege of Constaninople fails

627 Persians defeated at Ninevah,sue for peace

632 Muhammad dies

Latin abandoned for Greek in court documents

641-668  Constans II

642 Byzantines completely withdraw from Egypt

656 civil war between the future Sunni and Shi'a factions

660 Constans kills younger bro, moves Syracuse,visits Rome.Rumored to be planning to move capital to Syracuse and killed.

668-685 Constantine IV

687 Arab siege of Constaninople repulsed by Greek fire

685-695  705-711 Justinian II

680s Slavs in Balkans subdued

695 Arabs conquer Armenia

Thematic organization of the Empire

695  Justinian deposed,nose cut off and exiled by Leontius, strategus of Hellas

695-698 Leontios

697 Carthage falls to Arabs

705 Justinian regains throne, tyranical rule leads to revolt and execution, last of the Heraclian Dynasty

711-713 Philippikos,blinded after army mutiny

713-715 Anastasios II,overthrown after army mutiny

715-717 Theodosios III

717 the strategos of the Anatolic Theme, Leo the Isaurian (the future Leo III of the Isaurian dynasty), rebelled against Theodosius' rule, Theodosius resigns

 A Concise History of Byzantium

Warren Treadgold

 Classic general history of Byzantium

Byzantium: The Lost Empire

Documentary

 12 Byzantine Rulers podcast

 by Lars Brownworth

The Fall of 

Constantinople 1453

Steven Runciman

Sir Steven Runciman was one of the English language's (if not the world's) leading scholars of the Crusades and the Eastern Roman Empire. He weaves a story that is both historically accurate as well as emotionally moving

Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe

The Alexiad

Anna Comnena (1083-1153) wrote "The Alexiad" as an account of the reign of her father, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. It is also an important source of information on the Byzantine war with the Normans, and on the First Crusade in which Alexius participated

 Isaurian Dynasty ( 717 - 866 )

Isaurian dynasty (717-802)

Nikephoros' dynasty (802-813)

Non-dynastic (813-820)

Phrygian dynasty (820-867)

717-741 Leo III

717-718 Second Arab siege of Constantinople thwarted

Empire revived with military and admin reforms

740 Ummayad Caliphate defeated at Akroinon, Arab forces expelled from Asia Minor

750 End of Umayyad Caliphate,rise of Abbasid Caliphate

New field army divisions called tagmata created

Byzantines go on offensive against new Caliphate

726 edicts against the worship of images, start of Iconoclasm to deal with abuses

727 Religious revolt in Greece put down-Exarchate of Ravenna rebells from the empire

741-775 Constantine V

civil war of rival emperors

Constantine  an even more fervent iconoclast than his father

775-780 Leo IV,upon his death his wife Irene made guardian of their son Constantine VI

797-802 Empress Irene Imperial regent.

Restoration of the Orthodox veneration of icons

787 Constantine turns 16, gains power in 790, Irene allowed to be Empress

Constantine blinds rivals,divorced wife,losses support.

797 Irene blinds son Constantine who dies of wounds

802 Irene was exiled to Lesbos

Nikephoros' Dynasty (802-813)

802-811 Nikephoros I

811 Nikephoros defeated and killed by the king of Bulgaria,who is said to have made a drinking cup of his skull.

811-844 Michael I Rangabe

Charlemagne returns Venice to Byz in return for recognition as Holy Roman Emperor

813-820 Leo V

Phrygian dynasty (820-867)

820-829 Michael II

819-842 Theophilos

830 Theodora wins bride show

842-855 Theodora regent 842-855

842-867 Michael III

860 Rus attack on Constaniople

842-867 Michael III

863 Saints Cyril and Methodios introduce Slanonic writing system to Moravia

Michael III's courtier and chamberlain Basil the Macedonian gains influence

867 Basil was crowned co-emperor, Basil assassinates Michael III and becomes emperor

The Macedonian Dynasty (867-1081)

842-867 Basil I the Macedonian

Macedonian Renaissance renewed interest in classical scholarship

886-912 Leo VI the Wise

last Byzantine city in Sicily taken by Arabs

908-959 Constantine VII

959-963 Romanos II

961 Crete retaken from Arabs

963-969 Nicephorus II Phocas

960s Byz armies retake Mesopotamia,Syria and  Cyprus. Otto I of the Holy Roman Empire declares himself the Western Roman Emperor,drives Byz forces to the coast of Italy

969 Young and brilliant Gen. John I Tzimiskes conspires with with Nikephoros' wife Theophano to kill Nicephorus.Patriarch Polyeuktos forces John to punish Theophano with exile

969-976 John I Tzimiskes

970 Kievan Rus driven from Bulgaria

972 Byz invasion of  Upper Mesopotamia

975 Byz conquests in Syria

976-1025 Basil II the Bulgar-slayer

civil war

989 Basil agrees to let sister Anna marry Vladimir I of Kiev, Christianization of the Kievan Rus. Rus soldiers given to Basil become emperor's Varangian Guard

990s Much of Syria added to the empire

1000s conquest of much of the Bulgarian Empire,after the Battle of Kleidion 15,000 Bulgarian prisoners taken,99 out of 100 prisoners blinded, causing Bulgarian Emperor Samuel to have a stroke and die.Byz Emp extends to  Danubian frontier for the first time in 400 years

1016 Byz defeat Khazars and occupy southern Crimea. Later Armenia and southern Italy retaken.

1025-1026 Constantine VIII, dies with no male heir, empire passes to his daughter, Zoe.and her husband Romanos Argyros

1028-1034 Romanos Argyros, his death possibly caused by Zoe and her lover Michael

1034-1042 Michael IV, adopted son of Zoe, exiles Zoe and her sister Theodora. Zoe's popular support forces her recall from exile, Zoe and Theodora have Michael blinded and castrated.

Co emperors Empress Zoe 1042-1050

Constantine IX Monomachos 1042-1055 Constantine marries Zoe 1042

1046 first contact with Seljuk Turks in battle in Armenia

1054 final seperation of Orthodox and Catholic Churches

1055-56 Empress Theodora, becomes empress at 70, last of the Macedonian dynasty.

1056-57 Michael VI Bringas

Chosen by the empress Theodora as her successor shortly before her death,forced to abdicate and retire by Isaac I Komnenos, founder of the Komnenos dynasty.

The Comneni Dynasty (1081-1204)- Crusader sack of 1204 and the Fall of the Byzantine Empire

1057-1059 Isaac I Komnenos, economic reforms of empire, abdicated due to illness

1059-1067 Constantine X Doukas, weakened army in favor of church and nobility.Army trys to assassinate him in 1061

1068-1071 Romanos IV Diogenes, marries wife of last emperor

1071 Byz city of Bari in Italy surrenders to Normans

1071 Battle of  Manazkert one of the most decisive defeats in Byzantine history. Son of  Constantine X Doukas, betrays Romanos in battle,captured by Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan .rleased on ransom. Romanos losses civil war with sons of Constantine X Doukas and blinded.

1071-78 Michael VII Doukas

Armies sent to recover western Asia Minor defeated

Devaluation of the currency

Michael resigns after army revolt

1078-81 Nikephoros III Botaneiates,retires to monastery

1081-1118 Alexios I Komnenos Alexios was able to halt the Byzantine decline and begin the recovery known as the "Komnenian restoration". His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks were also the catalyst that triggered the Crusades. Daughter Anna Komnene wrote history of reign

1091 Seljuk Pecheng siege of Constantinople defeated

1095 Byz ambassadors sent to  Pope Urban who urges crusade. Alexios only wished mercenaries and heavy cavalry,unprepared for large numbers that ravaged the Balkans on the way to the Holy Land,. The first disorganized group of Crusaders defeated by Turks in 1096.

Second Crusade Crusaders take Nicaea in 1097

1118-1143 John II Komnenos

Famed for his piety and his remarkably mild and just reign.made alliances with the Holy Roman Empire in the west, decisively defeated the Pechenegs in the Balkans, and personally led numerous campaigns against the Turks in Asia Minor.,putting th Turks on the defensive. Appointees chosen on merit rather than family connections.Accidently killed while hunting.

1143-1180 Manuel I Komnenos

1146 Seljuk capital of Konya besieged but not taken

1176 Byz defeat by Seljuks at Battle of Myriokephalon

1180-83 Alexios II Komnenos

1182 Massacre of the Latins in Constantinople,est 60,000 resentment against Italian merchants

1183-85 Andronikos I Komnenos Limits power of nobles,grows paranoid and violent,many executions. King William of the Norman Sicilians pillages Thessalonica. revolt against,Andronikos killed by mob. Last of the Komnenos dynasty.

1185-1204 Angelos dynasty

 Byzantine Military  

The Hippodrome

Byzantine Art

Byzantine Empire Maps

Time Line of Byzantine History

Glossary

Byzantine Empire Links

Administration of the Byzantine Empire

Religion in the Byzantine Empire

IIntroduction

The name Byzantine Empire is the name applied to the Eastern Roman Empire  which survived the Germanic invasions of the fourth century which toppled the Western Roman Empire and ruled for over a thousand years till the sacking of Constantinople in 1453  by the Ottoman Empire. Byzantine civilization spanned 11 centuries and three continents. When did the Eastern Roman Empire become the Byzantine Empire ? There is no official date, though most mark its beginnings with Constantine's transfer of the capital of the Eastern Empire from Nicomedia to Constantinople in 330. Some historians to date the commencement of the Byzantine Empire as early as the reigns of Zeno and Anastasius, and others to descend so late as the times of Heraclius who took the Greek title of Basileus instead of the Latin Imperator and replaced Latin with Greek as the official language, some by the accession of Leo the Isaurian. The inhabitants themselves called themselves Romans in Greek

.The Byzantine Empire was the last stronghold of Christianity in Asia Minor and one of the prime trade centers in the world, helped defend Western Europe from Muslim expansion, provided a stable gold currency for the Mediterranean world (the solidus,from which the word soldier is derived) , influenced the laws, political systems, and customs of much of Europe and the Middle East, and preserved much of the literary works and scientific knowledge of ancient Greece, Rome, and many other cultures. The Slavs and the Russians were converted to the Greek Orthodox faith." Byzantine " has become synonym for deceitful, overly complex or elaborate scheming and intrigue, due to such historians as Gibbon who branded the successors of Justinian and Heraclius as a series of vicious weaklings. Later historians have given the empire a more balanced and charitable accounting, considering the myriad of challenges it face and its ability to survive for so long .In the field of literature and learning the Byzantine civilization was distinctly conservative. The Greek classics were the basis of education. In the field of art and architecture the Byzantines archived its most original and creative expression in the brilliant frescoes,mosaics and sculptures found in such churches as the St. Sophia.

   Map of Byzantine Constantinople

Time Line of Byzantine History 

330     Constantine makes Byzantium into his capital(Nova Roma), which is renamed "Constantinople" (The City of Constantine), sometime after Constantine's death in 337. It would remain the capital of the Byzantine Empire, with a half-century exception, for over a thousand years.

395     The Empire is permanently split into eastern and western halves, following on the death of Theodosius I.

404 St. John Chrysostom is exiled because of his criticism of Empress Eudosia, first Hagia Sophia burned in riots

413 construction of Constantinople's triple walls begun under Theodosius II

476 Imperial rule comes to an end in the West

527     Justinian I is crowned "emperor".

April 7, 529    The Codex Justinianus is promulgated.

532 - 537 The Emperor, Justinian, builds the church of Hagia Sophia

542-544 Plague, Large numbers of deaths, Constantinople losses half of its population

533 - 554         Justinian's generals takes North Africa and Italy from the Vandals and the Ostrogoths.

568     The Lombard invasion results in the loss of most of Italy.

626 Avar armies attack Constantinople

634 - 641         The Arab armies conquer the Levant and Egypt. In the following decades, they take most of North Africa (and later conquer Sicily as well).

673 Arab armies besiege Constantinople

697 Carthage falls to the Arabs

717 Leo III defeats second Arab siege Constantinople

730 - 787 and 813 - 843     The Iconoclasm controversies result in the loss of most of the Empire's remaining Italian territories, aside from some of the territories of the Mezzogiorno.

797 Irene blinds her own son to become sole ruler, calls herself emperor

802  Irene deposed

813 Leo III the Armenian gains the throne

843 Iconoclastic controversy comes to an end, icons allowed again

843 - 1025        The Macedonian dynasty is established and the Empire experiences a military and territorial revival. Byzantine scholars record and preserve many of the remaining ancient Greek and Roman texts.

904 Arabs seize Thessalonica,second greatest city of the empire

941 Russians make surprise attack, fleet of 10,000 ships destroyed by Greek fire

1002 - 1018       The Emperor, Basil II, campaigns annually against the Bulgarians, with the object of annihilating the Bulgar state.

1014    The Bulgarian army is completely defeated at the Battle of Kleidon

(Basil II becomes known as The Bulgar Slayer).

1018    Bulgaria surrenders and is annexed to the empire. The whole of the Balkans is incorporated into the Byzantine Empire, with the Danube as the new Imperial frontier to the north.

1025    With the death of Basil II, the zenith of the Empire's power is passed and the long decline of the Byzantine Empire begins.

1054    The Schism (split between Church in Rome and the Church in Constantinople).

1071    The Emperor, Romanos IV, is defeated by the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Manzikert, losing his position in most of Asia Minor. In the same year, the last Byzantine outposts in Italy are conquered by the Normans.

1081    The Komnenos dynasty is established by Alexios I and Byzantium becomes involved in the Crusades. Economic prosperity generates new wealth; literature and the arts reach new heights. In Anatolia, the Turks become established.

1091    The Imperial armies defeat the Pechenegs at the Battle of Levounion.

1096 First Crusade

1097    The recapture of Nicaea from the Turks by the Byzantine armies and the First Crusaders.

1097-1176       The Byzantine armies recapture the coasts of Asia Minor from the Turks, and push east towards central Anatolia. The Crusader Principality of Antioch becomes a Byzantine protectorate.

1122    The Byzantines defeat the Pechenegs at the Battle of Beroia.

1167    The Byzantine armies win a decisive victory over the Hungarians at the Battle of Sirmium and Hungary subsequently becomes a Byzantine client state.

1171 Venetians throughout the empire are arrested, property confiscated

1176    The Battle of Myriokephalon and the Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos, attempts to capture Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Turks. He is forced to withdraw after the destruction of his siege equipment. This is the effective end of the Imperial attempts to recover Anatolian plateau.

1180    With the death of the Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos, the decline of the Empire recommences.

1185    A successful rebellion is organized in Bulgaria and other lands are lost in the Balkans.

1204    Constantinople is conquered by Crusaders, attempting to establish a Latin Empire.

1261    Constantinople is reconquered by the Patriarch of Constantinople sponsored Emperor of Nicaea, Michael VIII Palaiologos, re-establishing Greek rule of a terminally diminished empire.

1453    The Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople, and with the death of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last de facto emperor of the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Empire comes to an end.

Glossary 

acheiropoietos Greek 'not made by human hands' image of Chirst, the Virgin or a saint that appears in a miraculous fashion

akakia purple silk pouch carried by the emperor during court ceremonies containing dirt from a grave to remind the emperor that he was human

apse vaulted space of Byzantine Church that traditionally held a statue of the Virgin Mary

aspasmos veneration of an icon by kissing,bowing or embracing it

Athos center of Orthodox monasticism

Augustaion main square in Constantinople

autocephalous an ecclesiastical province

autokrator Greek  'absolute ruler' one of the titles of the emperor

basileus Greek 'king' principal title for emperor

boyat,bojar member of the military landed nobility in Bulgaria and Russia

bulla seal attached to a document

Cappadocia  ancient name for a hilly region of central Anatolia with many churches and monasteries, some carved out of rock

chiton tunic worn by Byzantine men and women

chlamys long cloak worn over chiton,became part of the military insignia of the emperor

chrysobull imperial documents signed by the emperor

Codex Justinianus compilation of imperial law by Justinian I, arranged according to subject, intended to be free of repetitions and contradictions

Codex Theodosianus Latin lawbook commissioned by Theodosis II and compiled in 429, superceded by the

 Codex Justinianus

coenobitic monastic rule where all possessions are held in common

demes factions of chariot racing supporters, lead by a demarch.

Deo coronatus Greek 'crowned by God' ruler who had God's approval

Digenes Akritic national epic compiled in the 12th century of warriors who fought in Anatolia

diptych a laterally connected pair of panels made of wood,ivory or precious metal

Dromon Byzantine warship

Edit of Milan  first decree granting tolerance of Christianity issued by Constantine the Great in 313

eparchy second only to the emperor,the eparch of Constantinople acted as governor,supreme judge, chief of police and controlled trade

Ferrara-Florence Council religious council held in 1438-45 to attempt to reunite the Orthodox and Roman Church, ended in failure

Greek fire early form of napalm, projected from ships

gynaikeion part of Byzantine house or palace reserved for women

Hagia Sophia cathedral of Holy Wisdom, the first was built in 360 ,destroyed by fire in 404 by supporters of John Chrysostom,rebuilt in 415 and destroyed again in the Nika Revolt of 532,rebuilt in 532-7 by Justinian, converted into a mosque by the Ottomans called the Ayasfya Camii, made a museum in 1935

Hippodrome arena for chariot races built by Septimus Severus in 196, area for sports,triumphs and proclamations of emperors

hosios saint

icon Greek 'image' any image of a sacred personage

Iconoclasm Greek 'breaking of images' movement during the 8th and 9th centuries that rejected the sanctity of icons and outlawed their veneration, officially ended in 843

Koilas klaphtmonos Byzantine slave market

logothetes one of the ministers of the emperor treasurer,prime minister and minister of foreign affairs

milion milestone in the Augustaion which distances from the empire were measured from

Pantokrator Greek all sovereign' best known type of Christ image, bearded and blessing with right hand, holding the Gospel in the left, usually decorates central dome of Orthodox churches

solidus or nomisma Byzantine gold coin, used as a medium of international trade due to its standard weight and purity to the 11th century, the word soldiers is derived from this word.

strategos Greek 'general'

Strategikon a military manual,compiled by the Byzantine emperor Maurice (582-602

stylities ascetic moks who lived on platforms on pillars

tagmatic army professional army under the direct command of the emperor

theme military division and territorial unit administered by a strategos with military and civil power, leader of a theme were responsible for gathering levies in time of war. Soldiers were given land in a theme in return for service

taxis organization of state and church along similar hierarchical lines, in imitation of the hierarchy of the heavenly realm

vita icon icon with scenes of the life of a saint

Trisagion Greek 'thrice holy' hymn

Byzantine Empire Links 

wikipedia

Virtual Hagia Sophia tour

Metropolitan Museum on Byzantine Art

Byzantine Army

Byzantine coinage

pictures of Byzantine clothing

Byzantine Icons

Byzantine Architecture

Byzantine Studies

Ottoman Empire

Listen to The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire (for free !)

*Conquests Of Justinian, Character Of Balisarius.

*From The Time Of Heraclius To The Latin Conquest.

  from librivox.org

The Life of Belisarius

Lord Mahon

 read online at archive.org

 Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture

Byzantine coins

The Secret History  (c500-565)

Byzantium

Stephen R. Lawhead

(Historical Fiction)

tells the story of Aidan, a 10th-century Irish monk sent to take the Book of Kells to the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. Separated from his fellow pilgrims, Aidan undergoes various exotic adventures, including capture by and life with Vikings, political intrigue in the Byzantine court, enslavement in a caliph's mine and loss of his all-important faith in God

Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe

The Emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals who had separated Italy, Spain, and North Africa from imperial rule. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married its most powerful empress, and wrote its most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed five thousand people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.

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Foundation of the Byzantine Empire