Constantine and his successors (306-527 )   Partition of the Roman Empire ( 395 ) 

  Justinian I and his successors ( 527 - 578 )

Phocas ( r 602 - 610 )  

 The Heraclian dynasty ( 610 - 711 )and the Persian Wars  

Isaurian Dynasty( 717 - 866 )  

Macedonian dynasty  ( 867 - 1081 )

Schism between church of Rome and Constantinople 1054

The Comneni Dynasty( 1081-1204 )

The crusader sack of Constantinople in 1204   

1261 reconquest of Constantinople

1453 The Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople death of Constantine XI Palaiologos

The Byzantine Empire or Byzantium is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople. The Empire is also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, although this name is more commonly used when referring to the time before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During much of its history it was known to many of its Western contemporaries as the Empire of the Greeks because of the dominance of Greek language, culture and population. To its inhabitants, the Empire was simply the Roman Empire (Greek: Βασιλεία ωμαίων) and its emperors continued the unbroken succession of Roman emperors. In the Islamic world it was known primarily as Rûm, land of the "Romans").

There is no consensus on exactly when the Byzantine period of Roman history began. Many consider Emperor Constantine I (reigned AD 306 - 337) to be the first "Byzantine Emperor". It was he who moved the imperial capital in 330 from Rome to Byzantium, refounded as Constantinople, or Nova Roma ("New Rome").

Some date the beginnings of the Empire to the reign of Theodosius I (379 - 395) and Christianity's official supplanting of the pagan Roman religion, or following his death in 395, when the political division between East and West became permanent. Others place it yet later in 476, when Romulus Augustulus, traditionally considered the last western Emperor, was deposed, thus leaving sole imperial authority with the emperor in the Greek East. Others point to the reorganization of the empire in the time of Heraclius (ca. 620) when Latin titles and usages were officially replaced with Greek versions.

The term Byzantine Empire is an invention of historians and was never used during the Empire's lifetime. The Empire's name in Greek was Basileia t?n R?mai?n

The Formative Period Constantine I

vision of Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge

 The seperation of the eastern and western halves of the old Roman Empire in 395 AD had begun with the administrative reforms of Diocletian, who reigned from 284 to 305 . Following the death of diocletian there was turmoil in the empire as generals fought to become emperor. At The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312, between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius Constantine won the battle and attributed his vctory to the Christian God .It is believed that the sign of the cross appeared and Constantine heard "In this sign, you shall conquer" in Latin.When Constantine established the captial of the empire at Byzantium in 330 AD it was in recognition of the economic and political importance of the eastern half .Under Diocletian and constantine, a caste system was instituted in which the people became virtual slaves of the state. Constantine accepted Christianity and his successors made it the religion of the state, outlawing pagan religions .In 324, Constantine announced his decision to transform Byzantium into Nova Roma and on May 11, 330, he officially proclaimed the city the new capital of the Roman Empire. The city was renamed Constantinople, The City of Constantine, after Constantine's death in 337. Constantinople was well-positioned astride the trade routes between East and West; it was a superb base from which to guard the Danube river, and was reasonably close to the Eastern frontiers. Constantine also began the building of the great fortified walls, which were expanded and rebuilt in subsequent ages

Constantine founds Nova Roma

Under Constantine?s lead the capital of the eastern portion of the Roman empire was moved from the site of Nicomedia- the city Diocletian had used as his Imperial residence- to the site of Byzantium, a city that had been founded by Greek colonists centuries before, and had only the slightest of impacts on how history up to that point had unfolded. The choice was because of strategic location- surrounded on three sides by water, a natural fortress, and perfect trading post, having access to Roman Europe, and Asia, as well as the nations of the farther east, and northern Europe, and being easily accessible by ships from Roman ports in North Africa, the city was ripe to blossom into a great one. Aside from the geographically important feat of deciding the capital, and namesake city of the empire, Constantine also allowed for the great cultural base for the Byzantine empire, and one of the biggest differences that would separate it from Roman culture before it, and what Roman culture would evolve into after it was established- Christianity.

Christianity was to be THE hinge point around which Byzantine civilization would revolve, and indeed flourish and expand during the middle ages. The separation between the Byzantine brand of Christianity -Greek Orthodox- and that of the Western Roman brand, which would evolve into Catholicism as we know it today was slow in coming, and only fully solidified well after the Western Roman empire itself had fallen (even though western Roman culture continued to live on in the western kingdoms). But the differences between the two would be pronounced with over the course of the Byzantine empire its unique brand of Christianity leading to multiple conflicts with the Roman papacy, leading to the Pope pushing for the expulsion of the Byzantines from Italy and Rome altogether, and naming the Franks as the ?new Roman empire?.

But Christian schisms aside, the most obvious symbol of the difference of Byzantine civilization from that of Rome is the adoption of Christianity itself- Classic Roman culture was of course Pagan in nature- and Western Roman culture, that culture that would replace the Pagan elements in Western Europe, for better or worse, was centered on the pope being the living incarnation of St. Peter- while for the Byzantines neither of these views were acceptable, for as their was one god in heaven, their may be only one emperor on earth, and the Byzantine emperor was a representative of Gods rule on earth and heaven- hence the independence of the Pope, and his audacity to try to name a New Roman emperor were viewed as works of Satan- a far removed view from the time of the eastern Roman empire, when the west was expected to have it own emperor. And a symbol of how through the 5th century that the Byzantine empire was certainly evolving on an independent course from the west, and what had been Western Roman, and Classic Roman culture and Civilization.

The great turning point would be the reign of Emperor Heraclius however, a dynamic man born in Armenia, and grew up in North Africa, it was under him that the most dynamic symbols of the new direction the eastern Roman empire had taken to become the Byzantine empire would be established, and it is under his reign that is commonly regarded as the actual starting point of the Byzantine empire. It was under his reign that Latin, -the great lingual pride of the old Roman empire, and the basis for such Languages as Italian, Spanish, French, and a Byzantine neighboring Region, Romanian would be founded upon- was dropped in favor of using Greek, and that the late Roman province plan, which had been very feudal in nature already, was reformed into a system more or less fully feudal in the nature of its geography and economic system. These significant changes would be, along with the general cultural trends that had been started in the era of Constantine, be the great definers of the Byzantine state.

Theodosius I ( 347 - 395 )

Theodosius Reunited the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empire. After his death, the two parts split permanently. He is also known for making Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. with his death his sons Arcadius became emperor of the East and Honorius emperor of the West.

Partition of the Roman Empire

During the 3rd century, three crises threatened the Roman Empire: external invasions, internal civil wars and an economy riddled with weaknesses and problems . The Eastern Empire was largely spared the difficulties faced by the West in the third and fourth centuries, due in part to a more firmly established urban culture and greater financial resources, which allowed it to placate invaders with tribute and pay barbarian mercenaries. Throughout the fifth century, various invading armies overran the Western Empire but spared the east .

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.

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

533?554         Justinian's generals reconquer North Africa and Italy from the Vandals and the Ostrogoths.

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

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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