Free Printable Byzantine Empire Map
Free printable map of the Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent under Emperor Justinian I in AD 555, showing the empire's reach across the Mediterranean — from Italy and North Africa to Egypt and the Levant.
Black & white version
About This Map
Free printable map of the Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent under Emperor Justinian I in AD 555, showing the empire's reach across the Mediterranean — from Italy and North Africa to Egypt and the Levant.
The History Behind This Map
The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople (modern Istanbul). While the western half of Rome fell in 476 AD, the east survived for nearly another thousand years. Under Emperor Justinian I (527–565 AD), the empire reached its greatest medieval extent, briefly reconquering Italy from the Ostrogoths, North Africa from the Vandals, and parts of Spain from the Visigoths.
Justinian is best remembered for the Hagia Sophia — one of the greatest buildings ever constructed, still standing in Istanbul today — and for the Justinian Code, a compilation of Roman law that became the foundation for legal systems across Europe. His campaigns, led by the general Belisarius, temporarily restored the old Roman Mediterranean world.
The reconquests were short-lived. After Justinian's death in 565 AD, the empire quickly lost Italy to the Lombards. In the 7th century, Arab armies conquered Egypt, Syria, and the Levant. The Byzantines survived as a Greek-speaking Christian state centered on Anatolia and the Balkans until Constantinople finally fell to the Ottoman Turks on May 29, 1453 — nearly a thousand years after the fall of Rome.
How to Use
Print this map on standard US Letter paper (8.5" × 11"). Click "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that automatically fits your page in landscape orientation, or "Download PNG" for the high-resolution image file. Works great for world history lessons, geography units, or display on a classroom whiteboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Byzantine Empire?
The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which continued after the western half collapsed in 476 AD. Based in Constantinople (modern Istanbul), it preserved Roman law, Greek culture, and Christian religion for nearly 1,000 years until the Ottoman conquest in 1453.
How big was the Byzantine Empire under Justinian?
At its peak under Justinian I around AD 555, the Byzantine Empire covered about 3.5 million square kilometers, including all of modern Turkey, Greece, the western Balkans, Italy, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan).
How is the Byzantine Empire different from the Roman Empire?
The Byzantine Empire was the surviving eastern portion of the Roman Empire. Over centuries it became distinctly Greek in language and culture, and deeply Christian in religion, rather than Latin. Historians use "Byzantine Empire" to describe the eastern Roman state from around the 4th century onward, though the Byzantines themselves called it the Roman Empire.
When did the Byzantine Empire end?
The Byzantine Empire ended on May 29, 1453, when Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople after a 53-day siege. It had lasted over 1,000 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, making it one of history's longest-lived states.
