Middle Ages
Byzantine Empire
477 AD – 1450 AD · peak 560 AD
The Byzantine Empire (330–1453 AD) served as the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire with its capital at Constantinople. Key achievements include the codification of Roman law under Justinian I and the architectural development of the Hagia Sophia. The empire sustained itself for over a millennium before falling to the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II in 1453 AD.
Capital: Constantinople
Key figures
Battles in this period
Trade routes in use
- Amber Road (1500 BC – 500 AD)
- Silk Road (130 BC – 1450 AD)
- Trans-Saharan Gold Route (700 AD – 1500 AD)
- Route from the Varangians to the Greeks (800 AD – 1100 AD)
- Hanseatic League (1200 AD – 1600 AD)
- Indian Ocean Spice Route (800 AD – 1500 AD)