Background
- when Western Rome fell, the Eastern half remained. They still thought they were Roman, but spoke Greek. Their capital, Constantinople, was formerly Byzantium, and founded by Constantine in 330. Theodosius later built massive walls, and Constantinople's strategic location produced its wealth. Justinian rebuilt the Roman Empire briefly, but more invasions led to the western Dark Ages.
- 602, Byzantium was warring with other great power, Persia.
- 700's, Muslims conquered Persia, took territories from the Byzantines, and influenced Iconoclasm.
- 800's, after Charlemagne crowned, Byzantium turned away from the "barbarian" west.
- Vikings invaded, and Russia emerged as a new threat.
- 1054, both east and west churches excommunicated each other, as Orthodox Church was much different from Roman Catholic
- by end of century, Byzantine and Rome formed a Crusade.
- when Black Plague hit, half the people died. Turks in nearby countryside survived though. After large earthquake damaged massive Constantinople walls, Ottoman Turks swept through Eastern Europe.
- 1453, the great walls fell, as the Sultan built cannons. Constantinople became Istanbul. Turks then ran into Vlad the Impaler, the original Dracula.