12 Byzantine Rulers
The History of The Byzantine Empire
by Lars Brownworth
Lars Brownworth is a history teacher who brings the chronicles of the Byzantine emperors to life through a series of podcast lectures. Journey along from Diocletian to Constantine XI. For more information, visit:
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A Little Bit About Byzantium
(N. Doolin)
Byzantium was the last vestige of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital city Constantinople (city of Constantine) was established in 324 by Emperor Constantine. Constantine essentially moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople, which rested along the Bosphorus.
While Byzantium saw much upheaval and suffered many bitter internal and external rivalries, it was one of the greatest empires history has known; and inadvertently sparked the infamous Crusades in 1095. The empire was whittled away over a period of time, but was finally captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Constantinople was eventually renamed Istanbul (in the city).