Manuel I Comnenius was the last great emperor of the Byzantines and the last Comneni. John II and Manuel I, the two most prestigious of the Comnenius emperors, held off the Crusaders and safeguarded the empire from a host of external foes, while ushering in a new era of Byzantine artistic and economic prowess. But the holy warriors of Western Europe became difficult to control, often threatening to assault the very Empire that had requested their aid. Through the Crusaders' efforts, the Byzantine Empire regained a portion of its lost territory. Pope Urban II, seeing a chance to reconquer the Holy Lands of Antioch and Jerusalem, as well as halt the squabbling of the European Kings, spread the word for the First Crusade. This new dynasty, the Comnenius, sent the call to Western Europe for aid in fighting the Seljuk Turks. Militarily, increased assaults by the Seljuk Turks culminated in a resounding defeat for the Empire at the Battle of Manzikert, the Empire losing much of its freshly-gained holdings.īut once again, the rise of a powerful new dynasty reversed the Empire's decline. Relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church had been deteriorating for many years, and the conflict came to a head with the Great Schism (1054), which finally split the two religions. The new millennium would be a painful one for Byzantium. Art flourished in their roughly two centuries of rule, as did the Greek Orthodox Church. Under the Macedonians, the Byzantine Empire once again began to reach outwards, solidifying its hold on much of the territory neighboring Constantinople. Basil I founded the Macedonian line in 869. Territorial losses would continue to weaken the Byzantines until a new lineage of emperors, known as the Macedonian Emperors, arose to invigorate the Empire once again. However the Empire would not be able to enjoy the benefits of such territorial expansions for long, as Justinian's successor, Justin II, would begin a trend of placating the various enemies of the Empire - the Sassanid Persians, the Bulgars, and the Arabs, newly organized under Mohammed - with territory in exchange for peace. Taking the throne in 527 AD, Justinian I extended the grip of the Byzantine Empire from Constantinople to the furthest coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Regardless of historic debate, after the sacking of Rome in 476 AD, the Byzantine Empire was to become the foremost European nation in art, trade and stability - although not necessarily all at once. Others place the birth of the Byzantine Empire at the end of the reign of Theodosius I, who at his death split the Roman Empire into the Western Empire, ruled from Rome, and the Eastern Empire, ruled from Constantinople. Some historians place the beginning of the Byzantine Empire in 300 AD, when Constantine I moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to a city called Byzantium (later known as Constantinople). When the Byzantine Empire began and the Roman Empire ceased is a point of much contention. At its height, the Byzantine Empire reached from Persia to Spain, controlling nearly all the territory that felt the lap of the Mediterranean's warm waters. The Byzantine Empire, centered around the city of Constantinople, was the successor to the Roman Empire. The Cataphract requires them and the Hippodrome, the Byzantine replacement for the Theatre, provides an extra happiness with access to Horses. Be sure to claim any Horses you may encounter.
But the combination of Justinian's " Imperialistic" trait and the high-powered Cataphract unit make the Byzantines a formidable martial civilization, as well.
Justinian's " Spiritual" trait means anarchy is a thing of the past and makes it in their Empire's interest to found an early religion. The Byzantines are a multi-faceted empire.