Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/308

LEFT BYZANTINE EMPIRE 266 BYZANTIUM her paramour, Stauratius, deposed her son, and had his eyes put out (797). A revolt of the patricians placed one of their order, Nicephorus, on the throne, who fell in the war against the Bulga- rians (811). Stauratius, Michael, Leo v., and Michael II. (820) ascended the throne in rapid succession. During the reign of the latter the Arabians con- quered Sicily, lower Italy, Crete, and other countries. The long dispute as to image worship was brought to a close in 842, when the practice was finally sanctioned at the council of Nicasa, un- der Michael III. He was put to death by Basil the Macedonian, who came to the throne as Basil I., in 867, and whose reign formed a period of great glory in the history of the Byzantine Empire. He founded a dynasty (the Macedonian) which lasted till 1056. Among the great- est of his successors were Nicephorus II. (Phocas), and John Zimisces (969), who carried on successful wars against the Mohammedans, Bulgarians, and Rus- sians. Basil II. succeeded this Prince in 976. He vanquished the Bulgarians and the Arabians. His brother, Constantino VIII. (1025), was succeeded by Ro- manus III. (1028), who married Zoe, daughter of Constantine. This dissolute but able princess caused her husband to be executed, and successively raised to the throne Michael IV. (1034), Michael V. (1041), and Constantine X. (1042). Russians and Mohammedans meanwhile devastated the Empire. Her sister, Theodora, succeeded her on the throne (1054). After the short reign of Michad KI. (1054-1057) Isaac Comnenus, the first of the Comnenian dynasty, ascended the throne, but soon after became a monk. The three chief emperors of this dynasty were Alexius, John, and Manuel Com- nenus. During the reign of Alexius I. (1081-1118) the Crusades commenced. His son, John II., and grandson, Manuel I., fought with success against the Turks, whose progress also was consid- erably checked by the Crusades. The Latins, the name given to the French, Venetian, etc., crusaders, now forced their way to Constantinople (1204). con- quered the city, and retained it, together with most of the European territories of the Empire, Baldwin, Count of Flan- ders, was made Emperor; Boniface, Marquis of Montferrat, obtained Thes- salonica as a kingdom, and the Vene- tians acquired a large extent of terri- tory. Theodore Lascaris seized on the Asiatic provinces, in 1206 made Nice (Nicaea) the capital of the Empire, and was at first more powerful than Bald- win, Neither Baldwin nor his succes- sors, Henry, Peter, and Robert of Cour- tenay, were able to secure the tottering throne. John, Emperor of Nice, con- quered all the remaining Byzantine ter- ritory except Constantinople, and at last, in 1261, Michael Paljeologus, King of Nice, conquered Constantinople, and thus overthrew the Latin dynasty. Thus again the vast but exhausted Byzantine Empire was united under Michael Palseologus, founder of the last Byzantine dynasty. Internal disturb- ances and wars with the Turks disturbed the reigns of his descendants, Androni- cus II. and Andronicus III. For a time the Cantacuzenes shared the crown with John Palaeologus, son of Andronicus III.; but in 1355 John again became sole Emperor. In his reign the Turks first obtained a firm footing in Europe, and conquered Gallipoli (1357). In 1361 Sultan Amurath took Adrianople. Ba- jazet conquered almost all the European provinces except Constantinople, and was pressing it hard when Timur's in- vasion of the Turkish provinces saved Constantinople for this time (1402). Manuel then recovered his throne, and regained some of the lost provinces from the contending sons of Bajazet. To him succeeded his son John, Palaeologus II, (1425), whom Amurath II, stripped of all territories except Constantinople, and laid under tribute (1444). To the Em- peror John succeeded his brother Con- stantine Palaeologus. With the assist- ance of his general Giustiniani, a Gen- oese, ne withstood the superior forces of the enemy with fruitless courage, and fell in the defense of Constantinople, by the conquest of which (May 29, 1453) Mohammed II, put an end to the Greek or Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire, which thus lasted for over 1,000 years, was of immense service to the world in stemming the tide of Moham- medan advance, in spreading Christi- anity and civilization, and in maintain- ing a regular system of government, law, and policy in the midst of surround- ing barbarism. BYZANTIUM, a city on the Thracian Bosporus, founded by emigrants from Megara in 667 B. c. It rose rapidly to importance as a seat of commerce, was subject to the Persians (515-478 B. C), was freed by Pausanias, and was alter- nately Athenian and Lacedagmonian dur- ing the Peloponnesian War. Thrasybu- lus expelled the Spartans in 390, and the city long enjoyed a kind of independence. It was taken by Severus in 196 A. D., and in 330, under the name of New Rome or Constantinople, it was made the metrop- olis of the Roman Empire,