Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire was an empire in Balkans and Greece (Europe) that lasted from 395 to 1453 CE, about 1,058 years. Its people spoke Greek languages (Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic, Byzantine, modern Greek).

The Greek-speaking, Orthodox eastern Roman Empire, which held the Balkans and Anatolia for centuries. Justinian retook Italy, and the empire survived Arab and Turkish sieges until the Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453.

See Byzantine Empire on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates: 395 to 1453 CE
Duration: 1,058 years
Type: Empire
Region: Balkans and Greece, Europe
Language family: Greek
Capital: Constantinople

Came from

Roman Empire 27 BCE to 395 CE
Roman Macedonia and Achaea 146 BCE to 395 CE
Latin Empire 1204 to 1261 CE

Became

Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE

Events in Europe during its time

410 Visigoths sack Rome
476 End of the Western Roman Empire
541 Plague of Justinian
732 Battle of Tours
793 Viking raid on Lindisfarne
800 Charlemagne crowned emperor
988 Baptism of the Rus
1054 East-West Schism

Neighbours in Europe

Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE
Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE
Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE
Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE
Roman Empire 27 BCE to 395 CE
Kievan Rus 882 to 1240 CE
Hunnic Empire c. 370 to 469 CE
Carolingian Empire 751 to 843 CE
Papal States 756 to 1870 CE
Kingdom of Scotland 843 to 1707 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Middle East
Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE, North and West Africa
Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE, North and West Africa
Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE, Southeast Asia
Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
Khmer Empire 802 to 1431 CE, Southeast Asia
Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East

Questions

When did Byzantine Empire exist?

395 to 1453 CE, about 1,058 years.

Where was Byzantine Empire?

Balkans and Greece, in Europe. Its capital was Constantinople.

What language did Byzantine Empire speak?

Greek. This family includes Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic, Byzantine, modern Greek.

What came before Byzantine Empire?

Roman Empire, Roman Macedonia and Achaea and Latin Empire.

What came after Byzantine Empire?

Ottoman Empire.