istoryworld
Events relating to the byzantine empire
Constantine's new Christian city on the site of Byzantium is inaugurated, as Constantinople
Constantine is at last baptized a Christian in Nicomedia, just a few days before his death
Greece begins to find a new and influential role in a Christian context, through the Byzantine empire
The first church of Santa Sophia in Constantinople, begun by Constantine himself, is completed
Julian, the new emperor in Constantinople, plans to reinstate the pagan cult of the ancient Roman empire
An apocryphal story states that Julian the Apostate, dying at Tarsus, acknowledges the victory of the Galilean, Jesus Christ
Theodosius becomes the Roman emperor and revives Constantine's close link between church and state
St Ambrose asserts the authority of the church, refusing communion to the emperor Theodosius in Milan until he does penance for a massacre
Theodoric the Ostrogoth, threatening Constantinople, is cunningly diverted by the emperor into invading Italy
Theodoric wins Ravenna from Odoacer - by inviting Odoacer to a banquet and murdering him during the meal
The law is changed to allow Justinian, of senatorial rank, to marry Theodora — whom courtesy describes as an actress
Justinian becomes emperor in Constantinople, beginning a reign which will restore the empire to much of its former glory
The monastery of St Catherine's in Sinai is founded by Justinian, and will accumulate one of the world's greatest collections of icons
Justinian closes down the schools of Athens, famous for their tradition of pagan philosophy
Theodora shows her mettle, as empress, in her response to the anarchy and terror unleashed in Constantinople by the Nika revolt
The Byzantine general Belisarius recovers Carthage from the Vandals
Belisarius lands in Sicily at the start of a five-year campaign to recover Ravenna for the Byzantine emperor
The great domed church of Santa Sophia, rebuilt on the orders of Justinian, is completed after only five years of construction
Justinian and Theodora, each with a retinue of attendants, face each other in mosaic from the walls of San Vitale in Ravenna
Most of Spain is by now in the hands of the Visigoths, though for a while the Byzantines win back territories in the south
Byzantine Italy is brought under a new administration, or exarchate, based in Ravenna
Jerusalem falls to the Persian emperor Khosrau II after a siege of a month, and it is said that 60,000 Christians are massacred
When the Persians sack Jerusalem, they carry off to Ctesiphon Christianity's most sacred relic - the True Cross
The Byzantine emperor Heraclius recovers the True Cross from Ctesiphon
The Arab capture of Jerusalem brings Palestine and Syria under Muslim control
