Rise of the Byzantine empire (476-1453 AD)
the eastern part of the Roman Empire that survived the break up of the Western Roman Empire
based in Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), which became capital of the Roman empire in 330AD after Constantine the Great, the 1st Christian emperor re-founded the city Byzantium and named it after himself
at the time it was regarded as being Roman and its subjects were “Roman” but spoke Greek
863 - under a vigorous Macedonian dynasty, took back from the Arabs several great Roman cities - Antioch, Alexandria, Beirut & Caeserea
Basil II:
976 - drives Muslims back to the gates of Jerusalem
defeats the Bulgarians, then the Georgians, Armenians, & Normans
encompassed SE Europe, SW Asia, NE Africa including the Balkan peninsula, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt
Western Roman Empire (476AD)
gothic tribes (Christian Aryan sects) had split into 2 tribes:
460AD: the Burgonds (an old Germanic people) settle in French city of Lyon
Ostrogothic empire - Austria to Italy:
504AD Franks drive Visigoths (the Vandals) from France to Spain where the settle esp. around Toledo to form a Visigothic kingdom which would last for 2 centuries (Visigoths had been forced to France from the Danube by the Huns)
556AD Franks conquer Bavaria
558-9 Huns invade Thrace, Macedonia & Greece
561 civil war breaks out amongst the Merovingians in France
565 Christianity reaches the Fezzan
675 Bulgars settle south of Danube, founding their 1st empire
Britain:
535AD global climate change leads to failed crops, which combined with the Britons on England's western parts being weakened by bubonic plaque brought by trade with Romans, leads to England becoming dominated by the Anglo-Saxons from the east of England.
600AD, Britain dominated by a dozen warlords who battled each other and also created the feudal system which would dominate Europe for next 1000yrs.
Vikings invade Britain, bringing their carbonised “hard” iron swords in 6thC AD perhaps fuelling the legend of 'magic swords' such as Excalibur
633 - the Mercians under Penda defeat the Northumbrians
664 - King Oswy of Northumbria abandons Celtic Christian Church, accepting Roman Christianity, thus unifying dates of Easter and replacing John by Peter as the main apostle.
719AD: Visigoths in Spain overtaken by the recently converted Islamic people of Morocco resulting in an Islamic Spain for the next 500 years.
725AD: Saracens rampage the Rhone Valley looting Lyons, reaching Pointiers before stopped by Charles Martel.
Charlemagne's empire:
crowned emperor of the so-called Holy Roman Empire by a grateful Pope, thereby strengthening the alliance between the Franks & the Roman Church & dividing further from the Byzantine Empire
in agreement with Arabian rulers & traders, set a standard of measurement based on Arabian cubit:
Otto the Great
889 - Germany invaded by Hungarians
935 - Lyon attacked by Hungarians
950 - Lapps enter Norway