The missionary activity of John of Ephesus is part of the broader religious policy οf Emperor Justinian I (527-565), which aimed at unifying the empire by means of religion. A devotee Christian and leader of the Monophysites in Constantinople, John carried out the Christianising mission to the area of Ephesus and the mountainous Asian provinces of Phrygia, Lydia and Caria (542-546), by order of the emperor. He proceeded to contribute greatly to the struggle against the notable pagans of the...

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After the rebellion of September 12th 1185 in Constantinople, which signalled the fall of the Komnenian dynasty and caused the death of Andronicus I and his son Manuel II, the later's underage sons Manuel, Alexius and David found refuge in their relative Thamar, queen of Georgia. With her help, the two brothers captured the south coast of the Black Sea and founded the Trebizond Empire in April 1204.

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The movement of the Mardaites was imposed by the terms of the treaty of 688 AD between Justinian II and caliph Abd al-Malik. Specifically, the Byzantines were obliged to move the Mardaites from the region extending from Mopsuestia to the borders of the province of Armenia IV, and resettle them elsewhere. The forced movement proved fatal to the Byzantine defences along the borders with the Arabs in the region of Taurus.

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The defeat of the Arabs during the siege of Constantinople in 678 weakened the Arab state. At the same time, the Byzantines counterattacked in Syria and Lebanon. The Byzantine victories perturbed Caliph Muwa'iyah, who asked for a peace treaty with Emperor Constantine IV. The treaty was signed in the same year and provided that the Arabs should pay taxes and the Byzantines should put an end to the conflicts in Syria and Lebanon.

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In 782 the Arabs raided Asia Minor and managed to capture by betrayal three high ranking Byzantine officials. In order to have them released, Empress Eirene had to sign a peace treaty in September 782. According to the terms of the treaty, the empire had to pay an annual amount of 160,000 golden coins to the Arabs, who in return freed the three officials and another 5000 captives. The treaty lasted for three years.

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In 806, the Arab caliph Harun ar-Rashid invaded the byzantine lands of Asia Minor and occupied many cities of Cappadocia. Not being able to confront him effectively on the battle field, emperor Nikephoros was forced to sign a peace treaty with the caliph in the autumn of 806. The provisions of the treaty provided for the withdrawal of the Arabs from the occupied lands, whereas the Byzantines were obliged to pay an annual tax.

In September 845, the Byzantines and the Arabs agreed to a conclusion of a peace treaty and a mutual prisoner exchange. The exchange took place on the banks of the Lamos river in Cilicia. It started on September 16th, 845 and ended four days later. Around 4.000 Muslim prisoners and an equal number of Byzantines were mutually released.

Around 1030, the patriarch Alexios Stoudites forced the monastic community which was founded in the 10th century by the monk Eleutherios Paphlagon to be dissolved. Eleutherios’ teaching allegedly focused on sexual freedom for the laics, whereas the monks were also allowed to have two wives. His followers were obliged to remove his relic from the monastery at Morokambos of Lykaonia and to destroy his books and images.

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