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Bizantium and the Northern Islands™ Journey to the Island Kingdom of Bizantium, situated at the far northern peak of the Palladium World. Its vast fleets of merchant vessels and warships travel the high seas and bring untold wealth back to the kingdom, as well as exotic goods, people, customs, weapons and foreign magic. This is my first review here. I originally wrote this for a Palladium FB group. Bizantanium of the Northern Island Review Starts out with a short story about a fishing boat being sunk by a sea serpent and the survivors being rescued by the Bizantanium Navy. The first substantial book for Palladium Fantasy for more than a decade! The sneak preview looks excellent, plenty of interesting locations, NPCs, plot hooks as well as new magic and O.C.C.s. The Journal of Arachnology 26:273-284 NEW SPECIES OFCHARON(AMBLYPYGI, CHARONTIDAE) FROM NORTHERN AUSTRALIA AND CHRISTMAS ISLAND Mark S. Harvey' and Paul L.J. West'-: Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates, Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, Western Australia 6000, Australia.

*Palladium Fantasy*
*Role-Playing Game*
Front cover of Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game, Second Edition core rulebook, illustrated by Martin McKenna
Designer(s)	Kevin Siembieda, Matthew Balent, Thomas Bartold, Bill Coffin, Steve Edwards, Mark Hall, Patrick Nowak, Erick Wujcik, et al.
Publisher(s)	Palladium Books
Publication date	July 1983 (1st edition) June 1984 (1st ed., revised) April 1996 (2nd edition)
Years active	1983–present
Genre(s)	Fantasy
Language(s)	English
System(s)	Megaversal
Synonym(s)	Palladium^[1]
Website	palladiumbooks.com

The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (often shortened to Palladium Fantasy or PFRPG) is a game produced by Palladium Books. It is set in the Palladium world (use of the unofficial name 'Palladia' is discouraged by the publisher) some 10,000 years after a great war between the elves and dwarves. First published in July 1983 as The Palladium Role-Playing Game, the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game saw a second edition in April 1996. The two are largely compatible, though the second edition uses a later iteration of Palladium's ruleset to be more compatible with the rest of their Megaverse.

1Setting
2Game materials and information

Setting[edit]

Race and class[edit]

Like many fantasy games, the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game includes many different sentient races as playable characters. In addition to humans and the aforementioned elves and dwarves, there are gnomes (small humanoids who once had a republic), kobolds (wiry, subterranean humanoids who tend to be evil), goblins (small, ugly, stupid humanoids, some of whom have remnants of faerie magic), ogres (large, strong, primitive humans), orcs, trolls, changelings (who are capable of assuming many humanoid forms), and Wolfen. The Wolfen are large, humanoid wolves who have, in the past century, established their own Empire in the extreme north of the continent. Unlike many other fantasy games, there is very little interbreeding between the races. Humans and ogres are related closely enough that offspring are possible, but any children are considered ogres. Wolfen and the related Coyles (who resemble humanoid coyotes) may be able to breed, as one supplement (Adventures in the Northern Wilderness) implies that a non-player character may be half-Coyle/half-Wolfen, but this is not confirmed.

There are also a variety of classes available. They are divided up into Men at Arms, Men of Magic, Clergy, and optional Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s), as well as Psychic Character Classes (P.C.C.s) for characters whose abilities are primarily psychic in nature). As with most Palladium games, the character classes determine which skills are available to the character, and several grant special powers, as well.

History of the Palladium world[edit]

The history of the Palladium world is divided into several 'ages', each corresponding to certain events and differing levels of ambient magical energy. While there are many historians in the Palladium world, the best known historical text is the Tristine Chronicles, of which several different versions exist. Most copies are incomplete, but it is regarded as the authority on Palladium history.

Any chronological account of the Palladium world must necessarily begin with the Old Ones.^[2] Their dominance constituted an Age of Chaos, abounding in magical energy, of which only myth and conflicting interpretations of scant historical evidence (found within the pages of the Tristine Chronicles) remain.^[3] From this, it cannot be conclusively determined whether the Old Ones themselves were progenitors of the universe entire or just one of numerous factors inscribed as part of the cosmological formula in which every being and plane of existence locates its respective origin. Either way, these entities were ancient beyond all reckoning and possessed of powers that defied comprehension (similar to the Great Old Ones found in the works of H. P. Lovecraft). While their true appearance is unknown, the Old Ones were most often depicted as amorphous mounds of flesh covered with swarming tentacles, unblinking eyes, and gaping maws. Each one laying claim to a particular aspect of evil, they feasted with impunity upon the suffering and attendant dark emotions that resulted from various torments inflicted upon those bound to their oppressive rule. Not only credited with the development of magic in myriad forms (a mere handful survived into the present, but none are fully intact), the Old Ones also gave rise to an untold number of races (only the elf, Titan, and changeling have endured), alongside a legion of slaves from other dimensions. Foremost among these, dragons conspired to bring about the Old Ones' downfall.^[4] They eventually convinced Ya-Blik (envy) and Al-vil (betrayal) to ensnare Xy (greatest of the Old Ones and representation of power incarnate) within a magical construct of his own design. As a result, Xy was transformed into Thoth, lord of wisdom and distinguished member of the Pantheon of Light, all memories of his prior self irrevocably erased.^[5] Open revolt was soon underway, and the archaic races, accompanied by Spirits and Gods of Light,^[6] used this opportunity to rise up against their former masters. At long last, in the wake of all-encompassing destruction and bloodshed, the Old Ones were subdued, placed in an enchanted slumber, and imprisoned in the nether regions of the universe through the combined might of Thoth, the elven mage Lictalon, the dragon Kym-nark-mar, and the angel Lo-kum. Although certain vestiges of the Old Ones' presence and influence managed to escape the ensuing campaign of eradication, the world and its inhabitants were able to establish a new order in their (relative) absence.

Following the Age of Chaos was the Age of Light, which was a time of very high ambient magic. It is during this time that humans first appear in history, and religious wars begin as rival gods contend for worshipers. This period is known to be very long, but essentially indeterminate in length and time.

Sometime after the Age of Light was the Time of a Thousand Magicks. While magic was not substantially more powerful than during the Age of Light, it was at this point that magic reached a point of great diversity. This led to elves gaining great influence across the middle of the continent, and dwarves developing rune magic: the art of trapping souls in indestructible objects.

The elf and dwarf empires grew in strength, and cooperated closely for centuries, but the dwarves grew resentful of elven high-handedness, and the elves suspected the dwarves of scheming. This resulted in the Elf–Dwarf War, which nearly destroyed the two empires, as each tried to outdo the other in magical atrocities. It culminated with the destruction of the Golden City of Baalgor, and the creation of the Baalgor Wastelands.

Following the war, dwarves forever foreswore magic, and both cooperated to purge the world of 'evil' magic, sparing only a few types which they judged worthy of remaining in a Millennium of Purification. Many other traditions of magic went underground or to other worlds, however, or survived in a few members who have since spread.

Since that time, ten thousand years ago, humans have become the dominant race on the planet, controlling four of the major kingdoms or confederacies. In the past fifty years, the Wolfen of the Northern Wilderness have become highly organized, developing a society which now clashes regularly with humans in the Eastern Territories.

Geography and politics[edit]

The game takes place on a single continent and several nearby islands. The extreme south of the world is tropical, having a jungle on the western coast, while the extreme northern portions of the country are subarctic forest. Given the size of the continent (approximately 2,500 miles north to south), this makes the planet slightly larger than Mars. The continent represents only part of the world, but it was revealed in the first edition supplement Island at the Edge of the World that the game setting is surrounded by a large, impenetrable black wall for unknown reasons. Land of the Damned Two: Eternal Torment also revealed that there are other lands on the Palladium world that were not involved in the war against the Old Ones.

Politically, there are several nations and several alliances amongst races. Humans are allied to both elves and dwarves, though those two races still maintain personal hostility because of the Elf–Dwarf War. Humans are in charge of the Western Empire, a decadent empire which lies between the two inland seas of the continent. The Eastern Territories are also called the 'Domain of Man' and have a large population of humans as well as elves and some dwarves. Immediately north of the Eastern Territories is the Wolfen Empire which is open to all races, though it is dominated by Wolfen and is somewhat suspicious of humans due to long-running conflicts with the Eastern Territories over some disputed land. To the south of the Eastern Territories is the predominantly human kingdom of Timiro. In between the Western Empire and the Eastern Territories lies the Old Kingdom, the former center of elven civilization, now populated by large numbers of orcs, ogres, and similar monsters. South of the Old Kingdom is the giant-run kingdom of Mount Nimro, which is centered around two volcanoes. West of Mount Nimro is the Land of the South Winds, of which only sketchy information has been presented, and the Baalgor Wastelands, created at the very end of the Elf–Dwarf War as the result of a catastrophic dwarven attack which destroyed the elven capital. Southwest of the Baalgor Wastelands and west of the Land of the South Winds are the Yin-Sloth Jungles.

Magic and psionics[edit]

The Palladium world is a magical world, with several different kinds of magic practiced, as well as psychic powers. In the past, many more types of magic were practiced, but immediately after the Elf-Dwarf War, a Millennium of Purification saw the end of many types of 'questionable' magic. The major remaining forms of magic are Wizardry (spell-casting), Diabolism (magical writing, used for wards and empowerment), Summoning (using magic circles to protect, to bind demons and other creatures, or activate various powers), Alchemy (creating magic items), Elementalism (in which a person, known as a Warlock, uses a special bond with one or two classical elements to cast spells and summon elementals), Witchcraft (in which a person signs a pact with a demon, trading souls, servitude, or other favors in exchange for power), Priestly Magic, and Druidism (nature magic). Psychic powers are also common, though several races lack any psionic potential at all. Those characters whose race does have psychic potential have a chance to possess a few powers, regardless of their O.C.C. All of these operate on Palladium's standard system of magic being powered by Potential Psychic Energy (P.P.E.), and psychic powers being fueled by Inner Strength Points (I.S.P.), both working like magic points.

Game materials and information[edit]

Cover of The Palladium Role-Playing Game, Revised Edition core rulebook, published June 1984, illustrated by Kevin Siembieda.

Cover of The Palladium Role-Playing Game, Revised Edition (7th printing) core rulebook, published March 1990, illustrated by Kevin Long.

First edition[edit]

Core rule book

The Palladium Role-Playing Game (First edition: July 1983; Revised edition: June 1984) [out of print]

Regional adventure guides

The Arms of Nargash-Tor (March 1984) [out of print]
Book II: Old Ones (November 1984) [out of print]
Book III: Adventures on the High Seas (May 1987) [out of print]
Book IV: Adventures in the Northern Wilderness (October 1989) [out of print]
Book V: 'Further' Adventures in the Northern Wilderness (April 1990) [out of print] – Focuses upon the mountain range that sequesters the Great Northern Wilderness from encroaching human settlement in the Eastern Territory.
Book VI: Island at the Edge of the World (September 1993) - A rare 'adventure' book as opposed to Palladium Books' usual 'Worldbook' format. The regional information, though secondary to the adventure, is also notable for being some of the only published details of the Old Kingdom Mountains, as planned sourcebooks for this region have yet to be produced.
Book VII: Yin-Sloth Jungles (October 1994) – Unveils the heretofore mysterious and primitive Yin-Sloth Jungles and its inhabitants, monstrous and otherwise.

Supplemental sourcebooks & other support material

The Palladium Role-Playing Game Shield (copyright date 1984) [out of print]
Monsters & Animals (First edition: July 1985; Revised edition: October 1988) [out of print]

Second edition[edit]

Core rule book

Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game, Second Edition (April 1996) – The only book needed to begin play; others can help, but are optional.

Regional adventure guides

Book II: Old Ones, Second Edition (June 1996) – Describes communities and forts in the Timiro Kingdom, also gives information about the Old Ones, minotaurs, and the Place of Magic.
Book 3: Adventures on the High Seas, Second Edition (December 1996) – Navigates the expanse of ocean surrounding the Palladium world, making stops at several islands along the way.
Book 8: The Western Empire (September 1998) – Covers the oldest, most powerful, and perhaps greatest realm of humankind: its cities and people, governing bodies, conspiracies and intrigue, history, and plans for the future.
Book 9: The Baalgor Wastelands (March 1999) – Introduces a desolate region claimed by nomadic monster races, once the center of ancient elven civilization but laid to waste during their war against the dwarves.
Book 10: Mount Nimro—Kingdom of Giants (May 1999) – Ventures into the domain of giants: a gathering of clans, tribes, and refugees quickly becoming both a true 'kingdom' and a perceived threat to nearby communities.
Book 11: Eastern Territory (April 2001) – Surveys a land of opportunity that has, for the time being, managed to achieve a precarious balance amidst heated disputes and contentious claims of dominion.
Book 12: Library of Bletherad (July 2000) – Details a fabled repository of knowledge and secrets on the island of Y-Oda.
Book 13: Northern Hinterlands (June 2001) – Charts the area of the Great Northern Wilderness just outside the mountains that divide the Land of the Damned from the rest of the world.
Land of the Damned One: Chaos Lands (December 2001) – Journeys through an isolated and previously unexplored region meant to contain unrepentant servants of the Old Ones, holdouts from a dark age not quite past.
Land of the Damned Two: Eternal Torment (June 2002)
Wolfen Empire (February 2003) – Outlines the society, land holdings, and culture of the canine races, helping to set the stage for an upcoming war between Wolfen and humankind over possession of the Disputed Lands. Reprints material from first edition Book IV and Book V.
Bizantium and the Northern Islands^[7](2015)

Supplemental sourcebooks

Monsters & Animals (August 1996)
Dragons & Gods (December 1996)
Mysteries of Magic—Book One: The Heart of Magic (September 2009)

Reception[edit]

In the May 1984 edition of Dragon (Issue 85), Ken Rolston thought this RPG compared very favourably to the industry giant, AD&D. His only caveat was that for the relatively high price — $20 — it should have included a box, dice and other player materials. However, he admired the 'Attractive combat and skill systems. First-class magical character classes — complete with magical circles, mystic symbols, and elemental magics — offer simple but comprehensive fantasy magic. Nice treatment of alignments and deities. Contains an outline of a campaign world and a brief but imaginative introductory scenario.' However, he concluded that since it was only a book, 'At a price of $20 for a paperback, only a fair value.'^[8]

In the May-June 1985 edition of Space Gamer (Issue No. 74), Jerry Epperson was more ambivalent, saying 'The Palladium Role-Playing Game is a game that aspired to greatness but fell just a little short of the mark. With the advent of RuneQuest, The Fantasy Trip, and Lands of Adventure, Palladium is just a little out of step. GMs who are looking to add spice to their D&D games, or who really don't demand a great deal of realism from game mechanics, should by all means pick up Palladium. But if you're searching for the ultimate in 'realism' and innovative design . . . keep looking.'^[9]

In the November 1987 edition of Dragon (Issue 127), Ken Rolston reviewed the regional adventure guide Adventures on the High Seas, published in 1987, and found much to his liking: 'The Palladium fantasy campaign world is full of magic and monsters, just like FRP campaigns should be, and this pack contains a little bit of everything, from orcs and lost temples to pirates and crazed cult assassins... What it lacks in organization and sophistication it more than makes up for in enthusiasm and imagination.'^[10] Ten years later, in the December 1997 edition of Dragon (Issue 242), Rick Swan reviewed the second edition of Adventures on the High Seas, published in 1996, and called it 'another winner.' He rated the book 5 out of 6, saying, 'The seafaring stuff [is] the best of its kind I’ve ever seen.'^[11]

In a 1996 reader poll conducted by Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, The Palladium Fantasy RPG was ranked 26th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: 'Well, the rules are almost identical to those in Palladium's Rifts roleplaying system, and as such it's well suited to existing players of that game, who will have little to learn. Even newcomers should have little difficulty with The Palladium Fantasy RPG, though. The rules lie somewhere between AD&D and Rolemaster in complexity, and combine character classes with a simple skills system. A good alternative to the better known Fantasy RPGs.'^[12]

Notes[edit]

^Rifts Conversion Book. p. 5. Monsters From Palladium
^Siembieda, PFRPG Book II: Old Ones, pp. 7–10.
^Siembieda, PFRPG, p. 277.
^Siembieda & Wujcik, Dragons & Gods, p. 9.
^Siembieda & Wujcik, p. 143.
^Siembieda & Wujcik, p. 76.
^https://palladium-store.com/1001/product/474-PFRPG-Bizantium-and-the-Northern-Islands.html
^Rolston, Ken (May 1984). 'Advanced hack-and-slash'. Dragon. TSR, Inc. (85): 66–67.
^Epperson, Jerry (May–June 1985). 'Capsule Reviews'. Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (74): 42.
^Rolston, Ken (November 1987). 'Role-playing reviews'. Dragon. TSR, Inc. (127): 12.
^Swan, Rick (December 1997). 'Roleplaying Reviews'. Dragon. TSR, Inc. (242): 109.
^Pettengale, Paul (Christmas 1996). 'Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996'. Arcane. Future Publishing (14): 25–35.

References[edit]

Siembieda, K. (April 1996). Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (PFRPG) (2nd ed.). Taylor, MI: Palladium Books. ISBN978-0-916211-91-2.
Siembieda, K. (June 1996). PFRPG Book II: Old Ones (2nd ed.). Taylor, MI: Palladium Books. ISBN978-0-916211-09-7.
Siembieda, K. & Wujcik, E. (December 1996). Dragons & Gods: A Sourcebook for the PFRPG. Taylor, MI: Palladium Books. ISBN978-0-916211-98-1.

External links[edit]

Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game official discussion board at Palladium Books Forums of the Megaverse
Palladium Fantasy at RPG Geek Database
Palladium Fantasy at RPGnet Game Index

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palladium_Fantasy_Role-Playing_Game&oldid=911867386#Second_edition'

History of Greece
Axis occupation (Collaborationist regime, Free Greece)

The history of Byzantine Greece mainly coincides with the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire.

Roman Greece[edit]

Arch of Galerius and Rotunda, Thessaloniki.

The Greek peninsula became a Roman protectorate in 146 BC, and the Aegean islands were added to this territory in 133 BC. Athens and other Greek cities revolted in 88 BC, and the peninsula was crushed by the Roman general Sulla. The Roman civil wars devastated the land even further, until Augustus organized the peninsula as the province of Achaea in 27 BC.

Greece was a typical eastern province of the Roman Empire. The Romans sent colonists there and contributed new buildings to its cities, especially in the Agora of Athens, where the Agrippeia of Marcus Agrippa, the Library of Titus Flavius Pantaenus, and the Tower of the Winds, among others, were built. Romans tended to be philohellenic and Greeks were generally loyal to Rome.

Life in Greece continued under the Roman Empire much the same as it had previously, and Greek continued to be the lingua franca in the Eastern and most important part of the Empire. Roman culture was heavily influenced by classical Greek culture (see Greco-Roman) as Horace said, Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit (Translation: 'Captive Greece took captive her rude conqueror'). The epics of Homer inspired the Aeneid of Virgil, and authors such as Seneca the Younger wrote using Greek styles, while famous Romans such as Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar and Marcus Aurelius compiled works in the Greek language.

During that period, Greek intellectuals such as Galen or Apollodorus of Damascus were continuously being brought to Rome. Within the city of Rome, Greek was spoken by Roman elites, particularly philosophers, and by lower, working classes such as sailors and merchants. The emperorNero visited Greece in 66, and performed at the Olympic Games, despite the rules against non-Greek participation. He was, of course, honored with a victory in every contest, and in 67 he proclaimed the freedom of the Greeks at the Isthmian Games in Corinth, just as Flamininus had over 200 years previously.

Hadrian was also particularly fond of the Greeks; before he became emperor he served as eponymous archon of Athens. He also built his namesake arch there, and had a Greek lover, Antinous.

At the same time Greece and much of the rest of the Roman east came under the influence of Christianity. The apostle Paul had preached in Corinth and Athens, and Greece soon became one of the most highly Christianized areas of the empire.

Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire[edit]

Remains of the Palace of Galerius in Thessaloniki (Navarinou Square), near the Hippodromus where the Massacre of Thessalonica took place during the reign of Theodosius I.

Alaric I in Athens by Ludwig Thiersch.

During the second and third centuries, Greece was divided into provinces including Achaea, Macedonia, Epirus vetus and Thracia. During the reign of Diocletian in the late 3rd century, the western Balkans were organized as a Roman diocese, and was ruled by Galerius. Under Constantine I Greece was part of the dioceses of Macedonia and Thrace. The eastern and southern Aegean islands formed the province of Insulae in the Diocese of Asia.

Greece faced invasions from the Heruli, Goths, and Vandals during the reign of Theodosius I. Stilicho, who acted as regent for Arcadius, evacuated Thessaly when the Visigoths invaded in the late 4th century. Arcadius' Chamberlain Eutropius allowed Alaric to enter Greece, and he looted Corinth, and the Peloponnese. Stilicho eventually drove him out around 397 and Alaric was made magister militum in Illyricum. Eventually, Alaric and the Goths migrated to Italy, sacked Rome in 410, and built the Visigothic Empire in Iberia and southern France, which lasted until 711 with the advent of the Arabs.

Greece remained part of the relatively unified eastern half of the empire. Contrary to outdated visions of late antiquity, the Greek peninsula was most likely one of the most prosperous regions of the Roman and later the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire. Older scenarios of poverty, depopulation, barbarian destruction and civil decay have been revised in light of recent archaeological discoveries.^[1] In fact the polis, as an institution, appears to have remained prosperous until at least the sixth century. Contemporary texts such as Hierocles' Synecdemus affirm that in late Antiquity, Greece was highly urbanised and contained approximately 80 cities.^[1] This view of extreme prosperity is widely accepted today, and it is assumed between the 4th and 7th centuries AD, Greece may have been one of the most economically active regions in the eastern Mediterranean.^[1]

Following the loss of Alexandria and Antioch to the Arabs, Thessaloniki became the Byzantine Empire's second largest city, called the 'co-regent' (symbasileuousa), second only to Constantinople. The Greek peninsula remained one of the strongest centers of Christianity in the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. After the area's recovery from the Slavic invasions, its wealth was restored. Events such as the Seljuk invasion of Asia Minor and the Latin occupation of Constantinople gradually focused Byzantine imperial interest to the Greek peninsula during the late Byzantine period. The Peloponnese in particular continued to prosper economically and intellectually even during its Latin domination, the Byzantine recovery, and until its final fall to the Ottoman Empire.

Further invasions and reorganization[edit]

The Byzantine fortress of Kavala

Greece was raided in Macedonia in 479 and 482 by the Ostrogoths under their king, Theodoric the Great (493–526).^[2] The Bulgars also raided Thrace and the rest of northern Greece in 540 and on repeated other occasions. These continuing Bulgar invasions required the Byzantine Empire to build a defensive wall, called the 'Anastasian Wall,' that extended for some thirty (30) miles, or more, from the city of Selymbria (now Silivri) to the Black Sea.^[3] The Huns and Bulgars raided Greece in 559 until the Byzantine army returned from Italy, where Justinian I had been attempting to capture the heart of the Roman Empire.^[4]

According to historical documents, the Slavs invaded and settled in parts of Greece beginning in 579 and Byzantium nearly lost control of the entire peninsula during the 580s.^[5] However, there is no archaeological evidence indicating Slavic penetration of imperial Byzantine territories before the end of the 6th century. Overall, traces of Slavic culture in Greece are very rare.^[6]

Hagia Sophia, Thessaloniki (Holy Wisdom, 8th century)

Scenes of marriage and family life in Constantinople

The city of Thessaloniki remained unconquered even after being attacked by the Slavs around 615. The Slavs were eventually defeated, gathered by the Byzantines and placed into segregated communities known as Sclaviniae. During the early 7th century, Constans II made the first mass-expulsions of Slavs from the Greek peninsula to the Balkans and central Asia Minor. Justinian II defeated and destroyed most of the Sclaviniae, and moved as many as 110,000–200,000 Slavs from the Greek peninsula to Bithynia, while he enlisted some 30,000 Slavs in his army.^[7]

The Slavic populations that were placed in these segregated communities were used for military campaigns against the enemies of the Byzantines. In the Peloponnese, more Slavic invaders brought disorder to the western part of the peninsula, while the eastern part remained firmly under Byzantine domination. Empress Irene organised a military campaign which liberated those territories and restored Byzantine rule to the region, but it was not until emperor Nicephorus I's resettlement of some rural areas of Peloponnese with Greek-speakers from southern Italy, that the last trace of Slavic element was eliminated.^[8]

In the mid-7th century, the empire was reorganized into 'themes' by the Emperor Constans II, including the Theme of Thrace, the naval Karabisianoi corps in southern Greece and the Aegean islands. The Karabisanoi were later divided by Justinian II into the Theme of Hellas (centred on Corinth) and the Cibyrrhaeotic Theme By this time, the Slavs were no longer a threat to the Byzantines since they had been either defeated numerous times or placed in the Sclaviniae. The Slavic communities in Bithynia were destroyed by the Byzantines after General Leontios lost to the Arabs in the Battle of Sebastopolis in 692 as a result of the Slavs having defected to the Arab side.^[9]

Northern Islands Ati

These themes rebelled against the iconoclast emperor Leo III in 727 and attempted to set up their own emperor, although Leo defeated them. Leo then moved the headquarters of the Karabisianoi to Anatolia and created the Cibyrrhaeotic Theme of them. Up to this time Greece and the Aegean were still technically under the ecclesiastic authority of the Pope, but Leo also quarreled with the Papacy and gave these territories to the Patriarch of Constantinople. As emperor, Leo III, introduced more administrative and legal reforms than had been promulgated since the time of Justinian.^[10] Meanwhile, the Arabs began their first serious raids in the Aegean. Bithynia was eventually re-populated by Greeks from mainland Greece and Cyprus.

Bulgarian threat[edit]

Map of Byzantine Greece ca. 900 AD, with the themes and major settlements.

Nicephorus I began to reconquer Slavic and Bulgar-held areas in the early 9th century.^[11] He resettled Greek-speaking families from Asia Minor to the Greek peninsula and the Balkans, and expanded the theme of Hellas to the north to include parts of Thessaly and Macedonia, and to the south to include the regained territory of the Peloponnese. Thessalonica, previously organized as an archontate surrounded by the Slavs, became a theme of its own as well. These themes contributed another 10,000 men to the army, and allowed Nicephorus to convert most of the Slavs to Christianity.

In the late 9th century Leo VI faced invasions from the Bulgarians under Simeon I, who pillaged Thrace in 896, and again in 919 during Zoe's regency for Constantine VII. Simeon invaded northern Greece again in 922 and penetrated deep to the south seizing Thebes, just north of Athens.

In the late 10th century the greatest threat to Greece was from Samuel, who constantly fought over the area with Basil II. In 985 Samuel captured Thessaly and the important city of Larissa, and in 989 he pillaged Thessalonica. Basil slowly began to recapture these areas in 991, but Samuel captured the areas around Thessalonica and the Peloponnese again in 997 before being forced to withdraw to Bulgaria. In 999 Samuel captured Dyrrhachium and raided northern Greece once more. Basil recaptured these areas by 1002 and had fully subjugated the Bulgarians in the decade before his death.

By Basil’s death in 1025 Greece was divided into themes including Crete, the Peloponnese, Hellas, Nicopolis, Larissa, Cephalonia, Thessalonica and Strymon, the Cyclades and the Aegean Sea. They were protected from raids and invasions by the new themes created out of Bulgar territory.

Greece and Thrace became more prosperous in the 10th century and towns and cities began to grow again. Athens and Corinth probably grew to about 10,000 people, while Thessalonica may have had as many as 100,000 people. There was an important aristocratic class from these themes, especially the Macedonian emperors who ruled the empire from 867 to 1056.

Normans and Franks[edit]

Medieval History
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Greece and the empire as a whole faced a new threat from the Normans of Sicily in the late 11th century. Robert Guiscard took Dyrrhachium and Corcyra in 1081 (see Battle of Dyrrhachium), but Alexius I defeated him, and later his son Bohemund, by 1083. The Pechenegs also raided Thrace during this period.

In 1147 while the knights of the Second Crusade made their way through Byzantine territory, Roger II of Sicily captured Corcyra and pillaged Thebes and Corinth. In 1197 Henry VI of Germany continued his father Frederick Barbarossa's antagonism towards the empire by threatening to invade Greece to reclaim the territory the Normans had briefly held. Alexius III was forced to pay him off, although the taxes he imposed caused frequent revolts against him, including rebellions in Greece and the Peloponnese. Also during his reign, the Fourth Crusade attempted to place Alexius IV on the throne, until it eventually invaded and sacked the capital.

Greece was relatively peaceful and prosperous in the 11th and 12th centuries, compared to Anatolia which was being overrun by the Seljuks. Thessalonica had probably grown to about 150,000 people, despite being looted by the Normans in 1185. Thebes also became a major city with perhaps 30,000 people, and was the centre of a major silk industry. Athens and Corinth probably still had around 10,000 people. Mainland Greek cities continued to export grain to the capital in order to make up for the land lost to the Seljuks.

However, after Constantinople was conquered during the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Greece was divided among the Crusaders. The Latin Empire held Constantinople and Thrace, while Greece itself was divided into the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaea, and the Duchy of Athens. The Venetians controlled the Duchy of the Archipelago in the Aegean, and the Despotate of Epirus was established as one of the three Byzantine Greek successor states.

Michael VIII restored the empire in 1261, having also regained the Kingdom of Thessalonica. By his death in 1282, Michael had taken back the Aegean islands, Thessaly, Epirus, and most of Achaea, including the Crusader fortress of Mystras, which became the seat of a Byzantine despotate. However, Athens and the northern Peloponnese remained in Crusader hands. Charles of Anjou and later his son claimed the throne of the defunct Latin Empire, and threatened Epirus and Greece, but were never able to make any progress there.

Ottoman threat and conquest[edit]

Palace of Mystras, capital of the Despotate of the Morea.

By the reign of Andronicus III Palaeologus, beginning in 1328, the empire controlled most of Greece, especially the metropolis of Thessalonica, but very little else. Epirus was nominally Byzantine but still occasionally rebelled, until it was fully recovered in 1339. Greece was mostly used as a battleground during the civil war between John V Palaeologus and John VI Cantacuzenus in the 1340s, and at the same time the Serbs and Ottomans began attacking Greece as well. By 1356 another independent despotate was set up in Epirus and Thessaly.

The Peloponnese, usually called Morea in this period, was now almost the centre of the empire, and was certainly the most fertile area. Mystras and Monemvasia were populous and prosperous, even after the Black Plague in the mid-14th century. Mystras rivaled Constantinople in importance. It was a stronghold of Greek Orthodoxy and bitterly opposed attempts by the emperors to unite with the Roman Catholic Church, even though this would have allowed the empire to gain help from the west against the Ottomans.

The Ottomans had begun their conquest of the Balkans and Greece in the late 14th century and early 15th century. In 1445, Ottoman-occupied Thessaly was recaptured by future emperor Constantine XI, at the time despot of Mystras, but there was little he could do against most of the other Ottoman territories. Emperor Constantine was defeated and killed in 1453 when the Ottomans finally captured Constantinople. After the fall of Constantinople, the Ottomans also captured Athens and the Aegean islands by 1458, but left a Byzantine despotate in the Peloponnese until 1460. The Venetians still controlled Crete and some ports, but otherwise the Ottomans controlled many regions of Greece except the mountains and heavily forested areas.

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Gallery[edit]

Bizantium And The Northern Islands 4shared

Church of Panagia Chalkeon, Thessaloniki
Depiction of Greek fire by John Skylitzes (Madrid Skylitzes)
Kapnikarea church, Athens
View of Hosios Loukas monastery, an example of Byzantine architecture during the Macedonian Renaissance
Mosaics of Nea Moni of Chios
Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, Patmos
The Paregoretissa Church, cathedral of Arta, capital of the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of the Morea (1349–1460)
The Byzantine Castle of Angelokastro (Corfu) successfully repulsed the Ottomans

References[edit]