EUCLASSIC. 209 



sole emperor of Rome, under the title of Augustus Caesar. His 

 reign extended to the advent, but not to the crucifixion, of our Lord 

 and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST ; with whose birth, erroneously dated, 

 commences the Christian Era. 



Among the events which succeeded this great era, were the de- 

 struction of Jerusalem by Titus, A. D. 70 ; the overwhelming of 

 Herculaneum and Pompeii by an eruption of Vesuvius, A. D. 79 ; 

 the expedition of Trajan against Parthia, A. D. 106 ; the building 

 of the defensive walls in Britain, by Adrian, Antonine, and Septi- 

 mius Severus ; the defeat of the Persians by Alexander Seventy 

 A. D. 234 ; the seizure of the emperor Valerian, by Sapor, king of 

 Persia, A. D. 260 ; the defeat of the Goths, by Claudius, 269 ; and- 

 the conversion of Constantine the Great, a short time before the 

 general Council of Nice, A. D. 325. Constantinople was made the 

 Roman capital, A. D. 330 ; and on the death of Theodosius, the 

 empire was finally divided, A. D. 395, between his two sons, Area- 

 dius, in the East, and Honorius, in the West. After the sacking of 

 Rome, by Jllaric, the Visigoth, A. D. 410 ; the ravaging of Italy, by 

 Attila, the Hun, in 450 ; and the taking of Rome, by Genseric, the 

 Vandal, in 455; the Western Empire was finally overthrown by 

 Odoacer, king of the Heruli, who assumed the title of king of Italy, 

 A. D. 476. 



7. On the History of the Byzantine or Greek Empire, the East- 

 ern Empire of the Romans, we must here be very brief. The first 

 division of the Roman Empire was made A. D. 364 ; Valens ruling 

 the Eastern, and Valentinian, the Western; but the permanent 

 division commenced A. D. 395, as above mentioned. The most 

 celebrated of the Byzantine emperors was Justinian, whose code of 

 Laws, published A. D. 533, is still studied ; and whose general, 

 BeUsarius, reconquered Italy, Spain, and Africa ; then died of 

 neglect and want. Constantinople was besieged by the Persians 

 and Arabs, A. D. 626 ; and afterwards by the Saracens ; whose fleet 

 was destroyed by the Greek fire, A. D. 673 ; and who were again 

 repulsed in 717. Alexius Commenus was on the throne, at the time 

 of the first Crusade, A. D. 1096. In the fourth Crusade the Latins 

 took Constantinople, and placed Baldwin, count of Flanders, on the 

 throne, A. D. 1204 ; but it was regained by Michael Paleologus,. 

 emperor of Nice, in 1261. In the reign of John Cantacuzene, the 

 Turks first obtained a firm footing in Europe, and took Gallipolis, 

 in 1357. The empire thenceforward rapidly declined, till Constanti- 

 nople was taken by Mohamed II., who slew Constantine, the last 

 emperor, and founded the Turkish empire, on the ruins of the 

 Byzantine, A. D. 1453. 



27 s 2 



