On this day in Roman History January 27 Alexios V Doukas is acclaimed emperor. (1204) The army of the fourth crusade sat outside Constantinople's walls. They had helped the son of a usurped emperor take the throne, but now he was unable to pay them the money he had promised.

On this day in Roman History January 29 Zeno is named Emperor for the first time. (474) Zeno was a peculiar emperor living in peculiar times. An ethnic Isaurian, he rose to prominence as a counterweight to Gothic power, was named emperor, and deposed just a year later.

On this day in Roman History February 5 The Patriarch Polyeuktos dies. (970) Polyeuktos was a historically independent and influential Patriarch. During his 24 years in office, he rebuked and withheld communion from two different emperors, and scorned the family of a third.

On this day in Roman History February 14 The Lupercalia is celebrated. The Lupercalia, celebrated February 13-15, might be one of the strangest festivals I've ever read about. Naked men, faux whips, bloody knives, ancient caves, mysterious origins, this holiday had it all.

On this day in Roman History February 18 Fabius Rullianus celebrates a triumph over the Samnites... maybe? (322) Rullianus was a hero of the Samnite wars, who won several major victories. However, the exact details of his life have been muddied by conflicting ancient sources.

On this day in Roman History February 24 Rome's last king was expelled (510 BC), and the Regifugia is celebrated annually. The expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, is fairly well known and probably fictitious. But how did the Romans remember it?

On this day in Roman History March 2 The Goths lay siege to Rome, and Belisarius mounts a daring charge. (537) Soon after retaking the city, Belisarius prepares to withstand a Gothic siege. He and 1,000 cavalry routed their vanguard after a scouting mission forced a skirmish.

On this day in Roman History March 6 Nikephoros takes Chandax, conquering Crete. (961) The conquest of Crete was the first of many hard fought and high-profile victories for Nikephoros Phokas. Despite setbacks, he captured the major city of Chandax with only minor losses.

On this day in Roman History: March 11 Elagabalus is murdered by the Praetorian Guard. (222) Elagabalus stands out among emperors as one of the most inept and bizarre, but also somewhat of a religious trendsetter. Biased histories against him later took on lives of their own.

On this day in Roman History: March 14 On the eve of his assassination, Caesar has dinner with Decimus and begins to fear for his safety. (44 BC) In the lead up to Caesar's assassination, we are told of several signs foretelling the event. Some of these involved Caesar himself.

On this day in Roman History: March 15 Gaius Julius Caesar is killed. (44 BC) The assassination of Julius Caesar is arguably the most well-known (secular) event in ancient history. Its consequences have shaped the world as we know it, and it needs absolutely no introduction.

On this day in Roman History: March 23 Agrippina the Younger is killed on her son Nero's orders. (59) Agrippina the Younger was the sister of Caligula, the wife of Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Her overbearing influence, especially on Nero, often proved to be her downfall.

On this day in Roman History: March 26 Jurists begin compiling the Theodosian Code. (429) By the fifth century, the Roman legal system was an absolute mess of contradictions, precedents, and obsolete laws. The Codex Theodosianus was intended to simplify all of it.

On this day in Roman History: April 4 The Byzantine-Venetian treaty is signed. (1268) This was a sudden turnaround from the previous treaty the Romans had signed with the Genoese. However, it proved to be far more beneficial to them due to Venice's military and economic power.

On this day in Roman History: April 9 The emperor Zeno dies, ending his second reign. (491) Zeno's second reign could have been disastrous. But through deft maneuvering, he withstood the fall of the West, violent xenophobia, several major revolts, and a religious dispute.

On this day in Roman History: April 29 Alexios Komnenos crushes the Pechenegs at the battle of Lebounion. (1091) As the Pechenegs and Cumans ravaged the Balkans, Alexios secured an alliance with the latter. With their aid, he decisively defeated the former in a surprise attack.

On this day in Roman History: May 11th Constantine officially consecrates Constantinople. (330) The founding of Constantinople was a massive undertaking and a watershed moment in history. For a thousand years, the new capitol acted as a bulwark, keeping the Roman empire intact.

On this day in Roman History: May 29th Constantinople, and with it the Roman Empire, falls to the Ottoman siege. (1453) After 1,479 years, the Roman Empire was little more than the city of Constantinople. At the end of a two month long Ottoman siege, it all came crashing down.

"We emit piteous and mournful cries; expelled far from thy nesting places, hungry and thirsty... we are no longer able to find the way back to our homes in the City, but roam far and wide like fickle migratory birds and the planets." -Niketas Choniates

"On the twenty-ninth of May, the last day of the siege, our Lord God decided, to the sorrow of the Greeks, that He was willing for the city to fall..." -Nicolo Barbaro