00:00 The French writer Théophile Gautier visited Istanbul, then known as Constantinople, and was struck by the ruins of the ancient city and its walls, which had once been legendary, leading him to question how such a mighty fortress city could have fallen and what had happened to the great legacy of Byzantium.

11:22 The formation and expansion of the Roman Empire, marked by its military conquests and technological advancements, eventually led to its decline due to factors such as the Antonine plague, civil wars, and corruption.

22:10 Constantine, the Roman emperor, united the divided empire, made Christianity the official religion, and decided to construct a new capital in the East, which became known as Byzantium or Constantinople.

32:44 Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman Empire, was a magnificent city with a grand palace, a vast hippodrome, luxurious baths, and impressive city walls, but it faced the threat of barbarian invasions and the sack of Rome by the Goths in 410 AD.

43:46 Constantinople faced the threat of Attila and the Huns, who had conquered territory throughout Gaul and into modern France, and the city's walls were damaged by a powerful earthquake, but with the help of rival chariot racing teams, more than 16,000 workers were gathered to repair the walls in just two months, ultimately saving the city from Attila's invasion.

54:28 The Byzantines referred to themselves as Romans, not Greeks, and while the western part of the empire was in decline, Constantinople continued to expand and rise in importance.

01:04:47 Justinian, the ambitious emperor of Byzantium, ruled with energy and controversy, marrying a lower class woman named Theodora and facing riots in the city, but he also rebuilt the city, including the famous Hagia Sophia, and established a monopoly on silk, increasing the economic potential of the empire.

01:15:16 Belisarius laid siege to Rome and reclaimed it for the Byzantine Empire, but the wars and the plague weakened the empire and ultimately led to the collapse of the dream of resurrecting the ancient empire.

01:26:05 The Arab armies defeated the Byzantines and captured Damascus, leading to the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and the loss of their territories in Asia and Africa.

01:37:17 The Byzantine Empire survived multiple sieges, including one in the eighth century, thanks to the use of Greek fire, and Constantinople remained a proud and magnificent city with a diverse population and vibrant culture.

01:47:52 The Byzantine Empire used soft power, such as hosting foreign princes and creating impressive ceremonies, to maintain support and avoid conflicts.

01:58:04 The Byzantine Empire used impressive ceremonies and soft power to maintain support, but when that failed, they relied on their large and powerful army and the formidable defenses of Constantinople; however, the rise of the Seljuk Turks proved to be a challenge too great for the empire to face alone, leading to their downfall.

02:08:53 Pope Urban II called for an armed pilgrimage to recover Jerusalem and the east, resulting in a vast crusader army that, despite their lack of experience, successfully took Nicaea, Antioch, and Jerusalem, leading to a sustained restoration of the Byzantine Empire under the Comnenos dynasty; however, the power of the crusades ultimately brought the empire to the brink of destruction during the Fourth Crusade.

02:19:30 The Crusaders, led by Alexios IV Angelos, successfully conquered Constantinople, but Angelos was unable to fulfill his promises of wealth and payment to the Crusaders, leading to riots, a revolution, and the city being ravaged over three days.

02:30:21 The sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders led to the destruction and theft of priceless Roman and Greek art, the violation of holy sanctuaries, the massacre of thousands of civilians, and the fracturing of the Byzantine empire into various new crusader states, with Constantinople being ruled by a western emperor for the next 60 years, until it was eventually returned to the Byzantines, although much diminished.

02:41:07 The Byzantine empire was plagued by disease, economic problems, and civil wars, leading to the pawning of the empire's crown jewels, the rise of the Ottoman Empire, and the eventual fall of Constantinople to Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453.

02:52:31 The Siege of Constantinople during the fall of the Byzantine Empire was marked by the use of the massive cannon Basilica, the psychological toll it took on the city's inhabitants, the fierce fighting that took place, and the growing shortages and panic within the city.

03:02:52 The fall of Constantinople led to the conquest of the city by the Turks, the end of the Byzantine Empire, and the beginning of a new era in history marked by the Renaissance and the exploration of new trade routes.

03:13:39 The memory of Byzantium has been lost and buried, but the city of Istanbul still holds the ruins and remnants of its past glory, serving as a testament to the power and influence of the Byzantine Empire that lives on today.