A timeline of the Eastern Roman Empire from 476 to 1100 CE — the survival of Rome in the East through Justinian's ambitions, Arab sieges, and the Great Schism.
The last Western Roman emperor is deposed. The Eastern Empire — soon to be called Byzantine — continues from Constantinople.
Justinian I ascends to the Byzantine throne, beginning the most ambitious and consequential reign in the empire's history.
A massive urban revolt nearly topples Justinian. Empress Theodora's courage saves the throne; the subsequent rebuilding produces the Hagia Sophia.
Justinian's masterpiece is completed in just five years — the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, its dome a marvel of engineering.
General Belisarius reconquers North Africa and Italy for the empire, briefly restoring much of the old Western Roman territory.
Bubonic plague strikes Constantinople, killing perhaps a quarter of the empire's population and undermining Justinian's ambitious projects.
Arab forces besiege Constantinople for four years. The deployment of Greek fire — a devastating incendiary weapon — helps save the city.
A massive Arab siege is repelled, securing Constantinople for centuries. The failure marks the high-water mark of Arab expansion into Anatolia.
Norse merchants establish trading posts along Russian rivers, founding the Rurikid dynasty that will link Scandinavia to Byzantium.
Prince Vladimir I adopts Orthodox Christianity from Byzantium, aligning Eastern Europe with the Byzantine cultural sphere for the next millennium.
Mutual excommunications between Rome and Constantinople formally split Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.
Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine army, opening Anatolia to Turkish settlement — a turning point that triggers the call for the First Crusade.