19 September
After a siege lasting almost a month the Rashidun Arabs under Khalid ibn al-Walid capture Damascus from the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). Continue reading “AD 634 – Siege of Damascus”
15 August
The Second Arab siege of Constantinople (717–718) was finally raised after a year of conflict. Continue reading “718 – Raising of the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople”
15 August
The Second Arab siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a combined land and sea offensive by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), Constantinople. Continue reading “717 – Second Arab Siege of Constantinople begins”
15 August
The Battle of Yarmouk was a major battle between the army of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and the Muslim Arab forces of the Rashidun Caliphate.
19 April
The Battle of Callinicum took place on this day in 531 AD, between the armies of the Byzantine Empire under Belisarius and the Sassanid Persians under Āzārethes. Continue reading “531 – Battle of Callinicum”
15 March
The Battle of Halmyros, (known also as; the Battle of the Cephissus or Battle of Orchomenos), was fought on this day in 1311 between the forces of the Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals under Walter of Brienne and the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, resulting in a devastating victory for the Catalans. Continue reading “1311 – Battle of Halmyros”
27 December
Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: “Holy Wisdom”; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former Christian patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey. Continue reading “537 – The Hagia Sophia is completed”
23 December
Nicephorus II Phocas (c. 912 – 10–11 December 969) was Byzantine Emperor from 963 to 969. His brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century. Continue reading “962 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo”
10 December
Michael V (1015 – 24 August 1042) was Byzantine emperor for four months in 1041–1042, the nephew and successor of Michael IV and the adoptive son of his wife, the Empress Zoe. He was popularly called “the Caulker” (Kalaphates) in accordance with his father’s original occupation. Continue reading “1041 – Michael V succeeds to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire”
27 November
Maurice Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus 539 – 27 Nov 602 was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602. Maurice was murdered on this day in 602. It is said that the deposed emperor was forced to watch his six sons executed before he was beheaded himself. Empress Constantina and her three daughters were spared and sent to a monastery. Continue reading “602 – Emperor Maurice is executed”
24 September – On this day
Manuel I Komnenos (or Comnenus) (28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180) was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium. Continue reading “1180 – Manuel I Komnenos ‘the Great’ dies”
17 September – On this day
The Battle of Myriokephalon, also known as the Battle of Myriocephalum, was a battle between the Byzantine Empire (Emperor Manuel I Komnenos) and the Seljuk Turks in Phrygia on this day in 1176. Continue reading “1176 – Battle of Myriokephalon”
15 September – On this day
The Battle of the Orontes was fought on this day in 994 between the Byzantines and their Hamdanid allies under Michael Bourtzes against the forces of the Fatimid vizier of Damascus, the Turkish general Manjutakin. The battle was a Fatimid victory. Continue reading “994 – Battle of the Orontes”
14 September – On this day
Constantine V, born 718, dies on this day in 775. He was Byzantine Emperor from 741 to 775. Continue reading “775 – Constantine V dies”
