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- Justinian: The Byzantine Emperor Who Reconquered the West. Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was probably the most important Byzantine emperor.
- Heraclius: Triumph and Tragedy. In 610, when Heraclius became emperor, the Empire was fighting for its very survival. Sassanid armies had crossed the eastern border and advanced into imperial territory.
- Basil II: The Medieval Roman Empire at its Apex. Born in 958, Basil II was a member of the renowned Macedonian dynasty, which restored imperial fortunes, making the Byzantine Empire the most powerful state in the medieval Mediterranean.
- Alexios I Komnenos: The Byzantine Emperor and a Founder of the Last Great Imperial Dynasty. The Byzantine Empire was like a phoenix. Every time it came to the brink of collapse, a hero would appear to defeat its foes and rebuild the Empire from the ashes.
Oct 13, 2022 · The founder of the Byzantine Empire and its first emperor, Constantine the Great, moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium in 330 CE, and renamed it Constantinople. Constantine the Great also legalized Christianity, which had previously been persecuted in the Roman Empire.
May 6, 2024 · The name refers to Byzantium, an ancient Greek colony and transit point that became the location of the Byzantine Empire’s capital city, Constantinople. Inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire would have self-identified as Romaioi, or Romans.
Join us as we delve into the chronological order of Byzantine emperors, explore notable emperors such as Justinian I and Constantine the Great, and examine the unique system of imperial succession. Discover the role of emperors in art and literature and the lasting legacies they left in politics, religion, and culture.
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Why did the Byzantine Empire rename Constantinople?
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Who ruled Constantinople?
- Early History of Byzantium and Constantinople
- Founding by Constantine
- The Importance of Constantinople
- Constantius to Theodosius
- Justinian and The Nika Revolt
- Medieval Constantinople
- Fall of Constantinople
- Ottoman Rule
Byzantium – the future Constantinople – was originally a Greek settlement founded in the seventh century BCE. In ancient Greek, it was known as Βυζάντιον (Byzantion). Popular legends point to a Megarian king by the name of Byzas as the city’s founder. Of course, in Classical Greek fashion, Byzas was either the grandson of Io or the offspring of a n...
It all begins with the Roman emperor Constantine I who just really loved the city. He renamed it Nova Roma(New Rome) upon seeing the potential of an expanded city and established it as the main imperial residence in 324 CE. The great city was highly defensible, rich in trade, and wasn’t far from Roman Asia or the frontiers stretching along the Euph...
Constantinople was the base of the Eastern Roman Empire and acted as the imperial capital from the time of Emperor Constantine I. It was, effectively (and literally), “New Rome” during the over a thousand years of the Byzantine Empire (330 CE – 1453 CE). Most notably, it was a cultural melting pot and the center of art and Christianityin the Middle...
The early years of Constantinople were among its most important. Although Constantine the Great laid the city’s foundations, it was his son, Constantius II, and the emperors thereafter that made it into the splendor that we know so well today. Constantius II saw a reign strife with warfare and serious political unrest. Not only did the new Eastern ...
Justinian I was Justin I’s nephew and – for a handful of months – his co-ruler. Though Justinian scandalized polite society after marrying a performer, Theodora, his early rule was a prosperous one. He was fantastically educated and a tactful politician. By 528 CE, Justinian was forced into a full-out war with Persia after the revival of the Sassan...
“Constantinople was by its situation the center and seat of universal domination.” –(The Memorial of Saint Helena, 1823) The Middle Ages began in 476 CE with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The emperor of the Western Roman Empire Romulus Augustuluswas exiled by the Germanic king Odoacer and henceforth, no Roman emperor ever ruled from Italy a...
The Fall of Constantinople occurred on May 29, 1453, at the hands of Mehmed II, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire stylized as “ the Conqueror.” At the time, the ruler of the Byzantine Empire was Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. He had only been in power for 4 years. The fall of the Byzantine Empire came after a 53-day Arab siege, in which the exp...
Under Ottoman rule, Constantinople became an Islamic city. The Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque. However, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople remained intact per Mehmed II’s demands; a Greek scholar, Gennadius II, was arranged as Patriarch. Based on an eyewitness account from the Byzantine historian George Sphrantzes, Mehmed II ...
Byzantine Empire - East Rome, Christianity, Constantinople: The 6th century opened, in effect, with the death of Anastasius and the accession of the Balkan soldier who replaced him, Justin I (ruled 518–527).
The third son of John Comnenus and a nephew of Isaac I (emperor 1057–59), Alexius came from a distinguished Byzantine landed family and was one of the military magnates who had long urged more effective defense measures, particularly against the Turks’ encroaching on Byzantine provinces in eastern and central Anatolia.
