The Byzantine Empire

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In 326 AD Constantine the Great started construction of his new city of Constantinople on the site of the Greek city of Byzantium on the Bosphorus. Thus began the split between the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire. With the fall of the western half and Rome itself to the "barbarians", the eastern half was Rome. Although the inhabitants were mainly Greek, they considered themselves Roman. Later historians called it the Byzantine Empire, though that was not it's name at the time. For convenience, the Byzantine Empire can be considered to start in the reign of Anastasius I (491 -518 AD), because that was when the coinage was changed from a Roman type to a completely new style. Parts of the Western Empire were re-captured under Justinian I (527 - 565 AD) but these were eventually lost. Although Constantinople was a Christian beacon of opulence and splendour, it's resources and lands were slowly eaten into by various enemies, such as Sassanians, Avars and Magyars. In 622 AD, another threat reared it's head - Islam. The conquests of the Muslims, and later the Turks and Mongols, encroached on Byzantine territory. This was not helped by the take-over of Constantinople by the Crusaders (1204-1261). In 1453, the Ottoman Great Sultan, Muhammed II, stormed the walls of Constantinople. The last emperor, Constantine XI was last seen on the walls, defending the city to the last. The great bastion of Christianity in the east had fallen, Constantinople becoming Istanbul and the great cathedral of St Sophia becoming a mosque.

Table of Rulers

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Anastasius I 491 -518 AD AE Follis (large module)	Justin I 518 -527 AD AE Follis	Justinian I 527 AD - 565 AD AE Follis	Justin II 565 AD - 578 AD AE Follis
Maurice Tiberius 582 AD - 602 AD AV Solidus	Maurice Tiberius 582 AD - 602 AD AE Follis	Heraclius overstruck on Follis of Phocas 610 AD - 641 AD AE Follis	Constans II 641 AD - 648 AD AE Follis
Leo VI 870 AD - 912 AD AE Follis	Leo VI and Alexander 870 AD - 912 (913) AD AE Follis	Constantine VIII: Sole reign 15 Dec. 1025 – 11 Nov. 1028 AV Histamenon Nomisma	Michael IV 12th April 1034 - 10th December 1041 AE Follis
Constantine IX, Monomachus 12th June 1042 - 11th January 1055 AE Follis	Constantine X, Ducas 25 Dec 1059 - 21 May 1067 AE Follis	Romanus IV, Diogenes 1068 AD - 1071 AD AE Follis Anonymous type	Manuel I Comnenus 8th April 1143 – 24th September 1180 Billon aspron trachy (scyphate)
Isaac II Angelus 12th September 1185 - 8th April 1195 Billon aspron trachy (scyphate)	Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus 8th April 1195 - 17th July 1203 Billon aspron trachy (scyphate)	Latin Rulers of Constantinople 1204-1261 AD Billon small module trachy (scyphate)	Andronicus II and Michael IX 1295-1320 AD debased gold Hyperpyron (scyphate)
Empire of Trebizond John IV - 1446 AD - 1458 AD AR Asper	North Africa: Vandals c. 520 AD AE 10mm Nummus

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