A Brief History of the Byzantine Empire

To assist the Chimera Legion members develop their personas, I will be posting information about the Byzantines.

Let's start with a little history.

Origins of the Byzantine Empire

It all starts with Rome.

In its heyday, the Roman Empire spanned from Britain to Mesopotamia. As the Empire faced barbarian invasions and other threats, the Emperor Diocletian (ruled 284 - 305) divided the Empire into four regions. This would begin a process of separation between East and West.

Constantine the Great (r 306 - 337) instituted two changes that would dramatically affect the later Byzantines. He moved the Empire's capital to the city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. This city would become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire  He also legalized Christianity, which eventually became the state religion.

The Empire was irrevocably split in 395 after the death of Theodosius. During the 400s, the Western Empire began to collapse in the wake of barbarian invasions. The last Western Roman Emperor was deposed in 476.

But the Eastern Empire remained, and would last for another 1,000 years. However, later historians began referring to this remnant empire as the Byzantine Empire to distinguish it from the preceding, united Empire. Nevertheless, the citizens of the Empire never called themselves Byzantines. For centuries, they still proudly called themselves Romans.

Justinian's Revival

The Emperor Justinian (r 527 - 565) led a revival of the Empire's fortunes. Military expeditions reconquered Italy, North Africa, and Spain from barbarian tribes.

The Empire under Justinian

He also instituted grand building projects. Perhaps his greatest architectural triumph was the church of Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia

Decline of the Empire

After Justinian, the Empire began to decline. There was a lengthy war with the Persians. Heraclius (r 610 - 641) ultimately prevailed against them, but the war left the Empire exhausted. Shortly after victory against the Persians, a new threat emerged from the deserts of Arabia. Muslim armies overran huge swaths of Imperial territory. Egypt, Palestine, and Syria were lost. Muslims even besieged the capital, Constantinople itself.

For the next two hundred years, the Byzantines faced myriad threats. Internal religious controversies and invasions from external enemies on all fronts rocked the Empire. Its territory shrank and its prestige faded. But this decline was only temporary.

Macedonian Revival

There would be an Imperial resurgence under the so-called Macedonian dynasty (867 - 1056). The Empire reclaimed lost territories, ended religious infighting, and stimulated an artistic renaissance. The revival would reach its peak under Basil II (nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer after he defeated and absorbed the Bulgar Empire).

The Empire Under Basil II

The Crusades

The Empire would suffer another blow when the Seljuk Turks invaded. They defeated an Imperial army at Manzikert (1071), which opened the heartland of the Empire to conquest. By the 1090s, Turkish armies had nearly reached Constantinople. The threat prompted Emperor Alexios I to reach out to the Pope for assistance. This would spark the beginning of the Crusades. This call for help gave rise to a quest to recapture Jerusalem.

Initially, the Crusade helped the Byzantines regain lost territory, but it turned against them. Technically vassals of the Emperor, the Crusader lords more often bickering with their supposed overlord. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade actually attacked Constantinople, Crusaders ruled the capital for nearly 60 years while the rest of the Empire fragmented into various states.

Decline and Fall

The Fourth Crusade fatally weakened the Empire. Even after restoring Byzantine rule in 1261, the Empire was unable to reassert authority over all the fragments. Meanwhile, the Turks steadily gobbled up Imperial lands.

Constantinople had stood for centuries against Muslim attacks, but in 1453 the Turks brought a new weapon that shifted the balance of power - cannons. Their monstrous artillery battered the walls of the city, opening breaches through which Turkish troops poured. The end came on May 29. The city, and the Empire, had fallen.