Bubonic Plague :
Bubonic Plague Disease resembled the Bubonic Plague
Probably arrived from India on ships infested with rats
Estimated that in 542, the worst year of the plague, 10,000 people were dying every day
Continued to break out repeatedly until 700, when it finally faded
Byzantine Empire Falls :
Byzantine Empire Falls Justinian died in 565
Following his death there were numerous street riots, religious quarrels, and palace intrigues
Numerous foreign attacks
626 – Persians and Avars attack Constantinople
674 & 717 – Arab armies attack
Between 860-1043 – Russians attempt to invade three times
11th century – Turks take over the Muslim world and fight their way into Byzantine territory
Fall of Constantinople :
Fall of Constantinople Byzantines used bribes, diplomacy, political marriages, and military power to keep their enemies away
7th Century – Emperor Heraclius reorganized the empire along military lines
Provinces became themes – military districts
Each theme was run by a general who reported directly to the Emperor
1350 – Byzantine Empire consisted of the tip of Anatolia and a strip of the Balkans
Constantinople’s strategic position, walls, and fleet allow it to hold until 1453, when it falls to the Ottoman Turks